Cook Recreation Area is federally owned and managed 200+ acres of pristine forests and shoreline on J. Percy Priest Lake in Davidson County. The Corps of Engineers is currently considering a commercial lease of the property which will permanently alter it. Please scroll through this email to find action points including how to share your opinion opposing commercial development of public land and limiting public access. Thank you.

Our website for more info and to sign the petition is: https://keepcookrecreationareapublic.org

Tim Weeks

Vice Chair Friends of Cook Recreation Area

Sierra Club Member

Hermitage TN

Thank you for supporting our mission to:

  1. to keep Cook Recreation Area Public
  2. to preserve the pristine tree canopy and green space
  3. to preserve the wildlife habitat of the creatures that live here, and
  4. to preserve free/low cost access to all socio-economic groups for short
  5. periods of time or a full day.

Whether you signed the petition months ago or just today, we are grateful.

Several days ago, January 10th,  in response to the Notice of Availability put out by the Corps of Engineers, concept proposals were submitted to the Corps.  We have not been told how many entities submitted a proposal or who they were.  What we do know is that during the next 40 days, the Corps will be making a decision of which ONE of these proposals they will choose to advance to Phase Two, “making a detailed plan with a time line and complying with NEPA (National Environmental Protection Act) regulations and other relevant regulations.”

The Corps is required to consider community input in making their decision.

When asked how they determine the community’s desires, they responded:

“Through citizen comments and engagements”.

THIS IS THEREFORE AN URGENT TIME TO MAKE OUR DESIRES KNOWN TO THE CORPS.  We will be delivering our petition to the Corps in the coming weeks.

Until that time, there are four urgent things that we need you to do.

  1. Write an e-mail directly to the Corps

Go to https://www.lrn.usace.army.mil/Home/CookInfo

Choose Recipient:  J. Percy Priest Lake

Write your own message to them.

Many of you wrote comments when you signed the petition.  These represented a great variety of personal experiences at Cook  and desires for its future.  The Corps needs to hear this kind of information.

If you prefer, you may copy and paste this one.

Please do not privatize Cook Recreation Area.  Keep it public.  Preserve the pristine tree canopy, green space, and wildlife habitat of the creatures that live here.  Preserve free  access to all socio-economic groups, people who want to come for short periods of  time as well as for a full day.

  1. Request a sign for your yard by sending us an e-mail to keepcookrecreationareapublic@gmail.com
  2.   Make it your personal goal to get as many people as you can to:

(A)  Sign the petition

(B)  Send their own e-mails to the Corps.

  1. Join our Facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/938200616821372

Post your pictures and experiences, and join in the group’s discussion of what the community wants for Cook, and how we can impact the Corps’ decision.