In North Georgia, NASA and UGA report that 41acres of forest are cleared PER DAY. If Tugalo Lake was once a source of contention between the Hydroelectric Authority and local people, it now stands as a testament to what the forest was like back then – witness the development on Lakes Burton, Rabun, and Seed Lake, also built as part of the same hydroelectric project.

Because the land surrounding Tugalo Lake is owned by Georgia Power, The Georgia Park Service and the Chattooga Wild and Scenic Forest as part of the Chattahooche National Forest, we have a living, breathing sample of the land preserved for posterity, as the surrounding land is consumed by development.