Many of us know the Chattooga as the river on which the 1972 movie “Deliverance” was filmed. Four men from suburban Atlanta confronting the wilderness and learning more about themselves than they ever wanted to know. For me, however, this river is a compelling force of nature that calls me back to who I really am. And now the Chattooga is in danger of encroachment by the logging industry if the Bush administration has its way.

Forming the boundary between northeast Georgia and northwest South Carolina, the awe-inspiring Chattooga flows over 50 miles from its headwaters on the slopes of the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina into Lake Tugaloo (between Georgia and South Carolina). Featuring one of the most extraordinary displays of biological diversity on our continent, the Chattooga River was designated a National Wild and Scenic River in 1974 to preserve these characteristics.

My first encounter with the Chattooga was in the summer of 1989. I’d come to the mountains of north Georgia from Texas to participate in a weeklong intensive workshop called Way of a Warrior. Two days of this course was comprised of whitewater rafting on the Chattooga along with a solo camping experience. As I lay in the solitude of my makeshift shelter on the banks of the river at the end of the first day, I was overcome with a powerful sense of tranquility and gratitude. Deeply aware of my connection with my surroundings, I knew in that moment that I’d return to the Southern Appalachians one day to live.

A week or so ago I took my most recent raft trip on section IV of the Chattooga, known for its challenging class 4 and 5 rapids. My wife, Shonnie, and I had joined fellow Western North Carolinians Max, Gregg, Zelle and Sheila on the one-day adventure with guides from the Nantahala Outdoor Center (www.noc.com).

As we began the day’s voyage, I realized once again why I was drawn to the Chattooga. There were no signs of civilization in this pristine wilderness-no construction, no roads, no bridges, no trash along the riverbanks. An easy place to let go of the worries of the world and immerse oneself in the immediate challenge of making it through the next rapids.

Our crew managed to navigate the initial portion of the cascading whitewater almost without incident with our guide Ann at the helm. Almost is the key word here. Going through one of the rapids we bumped into a rock and, not having braced myself properly, I popped out of the raft like a jack-in-the-box into the chilly water.

About three miles into the trip, Stekoa Creek enters the Chattooga. We stopped and watched as the murky water of the creek mixed with the clear water on which we’d been traveling. Ann explained that, while the Chattooga itself was protected by the federal government, this creek often pollutes the river with sewage, silt and other contaminants. But through the efforts of the Chattooga Conservancy (www.chattoogariver.org), outfitters on the river and other concerned citizens, more than 3,000 acres of lands in the Chattooga watershed have received federal protection and over $1 million in area wastewater treatment plant improvements have been made.

Recently another challenge has arisen. On July 12, 2004, the U. S. Department of Agriculture announced proposed regulations to replace the Roadless Area Conservation Rule that could open many roadless areas in our national forests to logging and mining. Should this happen to the Chattooga watershed, disastrous consequences could arise including diminished water quality and biological diversity.

The Chattooga River is a national treasure only a two-hour drive from Asheville. What can you do to help protect this National Wild and Scenic River?

* Let the Forest Service know you oppose President Bush’s decision to open our roadless areas to logging and mining. Comments are due by September 14, 2004. www.regulations.gov, statepetitionroadless@fs.fed.us (e-mail), 801-517-1014 (fax).

* Write your senators and representatives asking them to support funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for the acquisition of lands in the Chattooga watershed. www.congress.org.

* Contact Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue about the need to protect the Chattooga watershed. http://gov.state.ga.us/, 404-656-1776.

“It's true, Lewis, what you said,” drawls Bobby, the chubby insurance salesman in “Deliverance.” “There's somethin' in the woods and in the water that we have lost in the city.” “We didn't lose it. We sold it,” Lewis angrily replies.

Together perhaps we can write a different script for the Chattooga.