About Us
The Virginia Wilderness Committee is a non-profit citizens' group dedicated to the preservation of Virginia's natural heritage. VWC was organized in 1969 and works closely with the congressional delegation from Virginia to pass legislation under the 1964 Wilderness Act, which provides permanent protection to outstanding wild areas on public land in Virginia.
We spend significant time and effort defining wilderness campaigns and educating the public about the value of wilderness in general, and the value of specific areas that we propose for congressional protection. VWC has been instrumental in the passage of legislation that has created all existing wilderness areas in Virginia, including those in Jefferson National Forest, in George Washington National Forest, and in Shenandoah National Park.
Read "The Virginia Wilderness Committee: History and Accomplishments" written by Jim Murray for a brief history and a legislative timeline of all Wilderness in Virginia.
For additional details about specific designated wilderness areas in Virginia, visit the wilderness.net website.
Virginia Wilderness Committee could not continue to do this vital work without the support of our many members across the state. VWC's strength is in our membership. We invite you to join VWC.
To schedule a presentation or discussion about Wilderness with your group or organization, email Carol Lena Miller or call her at 540-578-0275.
Our Leadership
VWC would not exist if not for the dedication of individuals who volunteer countless hours for the protection of Virginia's most special wild places.
The 2011-12 VWC Executive Committee includes:
- Laura Neale, President (Fairfield, VA)
- Mark Miller, Vice-President (Lexington, VA)
- Karen Waterman, Treasurer (Stuarts Draft, VA)
- Pete Bsumek, Secretary (Harrisonburg, VA)
- Lynn Cameron (Mt. Crawford, VA)
Jim Murray (Charlottesville, VA)
Carol Lena Miller, Part-time staff - Wilderness Coordinator (Harrisonburg, VA)
Organization History
Ernie Dickerman, the "Father of Eastern Wilderness," was deeply involved with VWC for decades before his death in 1998. A charter member of The Wilderness Society (founded 1935), Ernie helped draft early texts of the Wilderness Act and lobbied Congress. Later he joined The Wilderness Society staff, building grassroots support for wilderness designation and wrestling with the land management agencies. He retired in 1976 to Virginia, where he became part of the backbone of the VWC and was constantly consulted on a variety of wilderness planning and strategy issues. Ernie donated his papers to Special Collections in Carrier Library at James Madison University. Read here Ernie's History of Virginia Wilderness Committee, written in 1996. Also, read Ernie's 1989 essay, "In Celebration of a Quarter Century of the Wilderness Act."
More recently, in 2012, long-time Executive Board member Jim Murray wrote "The Virginia Wilderness Committee: History and Accomplishments".