Materials cover Snyder's environmental work in the Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina, including his activities with the Sierra Club, his work with the National Wilderness Committee, his involvement with the designation of the Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness, and his successful opposition to the the construction of North Shore Road through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and his work to negotiate a financial settlement between the citizens of Swain County, North Carolina and the Department of the Interior and the Tennessee Valley Authority once the construction of the road ceased.

Theodore A. Snyder, Jr. was a lawyer and a conservationist. He practiced law in North Carolina for many years. Snyder joined the Sierra Club in 1966 and in 1968 he founded the Carolinas Group of the Potomac Chapter. He has been referred to as the "John Muir of the Southeast." Snyder served as the first chair of the Club's Joseph LeConte Chapter (North and South Carolina), and in 1971 he organized the Appalachian Regional Conservation Committee. He was elected chair of the National Wilderness Committee in 1974, national treasurer in 1977, and national Sierra Club president in 1978. He also served on the Club's National Outings Committee starting in 1980. Snyder played a key role in establishing the Chattooga River -- the border between Georgia and South Carolina -- as a Wild and Scenic River, and in protecting South Carolina's Congaree Swamp as a national park. In addition, he was involved in the Cohutta and Kilmer-Slick Rock Wilderness designations and the passage of the Eastern Wilderness Act in 1975. Among Snyder's notable achievements was his 35-year successful opposition to the North Shore Road (also known as the "Road to Nowhere") in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

16.25 linear feet (13 cartons)

Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For additional information about the University of California, Berkeley Library's permissions policy please see: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/about/permissions-policies