Little River Proposed Wilderness
Approximate Size: 12,490 acres
Location: Augusta County, North River Ranger District
Topos: Palo Alto, Stokesville, Reddish Knob, West Augusta
Little River is the heart of the Shenandoah Mountain area and serves as an exceptional candidate for Wilderness designation. Given its size and isolation from human influence, this area is a productive haven for black bear and many species of birds and wildflowers, and it provides exceptional opportunities for primitive recreation.
The proposal includes the entire Little River watershed, extending from Reddish Knob at nearly 4,300 feet in elevation down to Hearthstone Lake, and the entire Middle Mountain area. The total acreage of the area is 12,490. The proposed Wilderness area lies within a boundary formed by Timber Ridge Trail, Hearthstone Ridge Trail, Chestnut Ridge Trail, Little Bald Mountain Road, Forest Road 101, and several tracts of private land on the west side of Forest Road 101. The Wilderness boundary would be set back from FR95 and the private land to provide a buffer and allow space for construction of a new connector trail between Hearthstone Ridge Trail and Chestnut Ridge Trail. The proposed Wilderness boundary excludes Hearthstone Lake.
Some trails in the Little River area are very popular with mountain bikers; these boundaries will provide strong protection for the core areas of Little River and Middle Mountain, while allowing mountain biking to continue on all trails except Buck Mountain Trail and Big Ridge (Grooms Ridge) trail. The remainder of the Little River Special Management Area would be protected as part of the Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area. No access roads would be closed or affected by this proposal.
Our Little River proposal will support the strongest protection for the core of the Little River Roadless Area and its endemic species, like the Cow Knob Salamander, Shenandoah Mountain Salamander, and a number of other interesting amphibia, its habitat for black bear and 250 species of birds, its crystal-clear brook trout streams, and its outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation. The best vantage point from which to see the Little River proposal is Reddish Knob which, at 4,397 feet, is the second highest point in the GWNF. From the parking lot on top, you can look east into the unspoiled Little River watershed and surrounding ridges: Buck Mountain, Big Ridge, Grooms Ridge, Middle Mountain, and Timber Ridge, all of which are all part of our current Little River Wilderness proposal.
The area is served by a good network of trails, including the remote Buck Mountain Trail which traverses through beautiful flat-land hardwoods for two miles along Little River west of Hearthstone Lake, and then sharply ascends Buck Mountain to the top of the ridge near Little Bald Knob.
Location: Augusta County, North River Ranger District
Topos: Palo Alto, Stokesville, Reddish Knob, West Augusta
Little River is the heart of the Shenandoah Mountain area and serves as an exceptional candidate for Wilderness designation. Given its size and isolation from human influence, this area is a productive haven for black bear and many species of birds and wildflowers, and it provides exceptional opportunities for primitive recreation.
The proposal includes the entire Little River watershed, extending from Reddish Knob at nearly 4,300 feet in elevation down to Hearthstone Lake, and the entire Middle Mountain area. The total acreage of the area is 12,490. The proposed Wilderness area lies within a boundary formed by Timber Ridge Trail, Hearthstone Ridge Trail, Chestnut Ridge Trail, Little Bald Mountain Road, Forest Road 101, and several tracts of private land on the west side of Forest Road 101. The Wilderness boundary would be set back from FR95 and the private land to provide a buffer and allow space for construction of a new connector trail between Hearthstone Ridge Trail and Chestnut Ridge Trail. The proposed Wilderness boundary excludes Hearthstone Lake.
Some trails in the Little River area are very popular with mountain bikers; these boundaries will provide strong protection for the core areas of Little River and Middle Mountain, while allowing mountain biking to continue on all trails except Buck Mountain Trail and Big Ridge (Grooms Ridge) trail. The remainder of the Little River Special Management Area would be protected as part of the Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area. No access roads would be closed or affected by this proposal.
Our Little River proposal will support the strongest protection for the core of the Little River Roadless Area and its endemic species, like the Cow Knob Salamander, Shenandoah Mountain Salamander, and a number of other interesting amphibia, its habitat for black bear and 250 species of birds, its crystal-clear brook trout streams, and its outstanding opportunities for solitude and primitive recreation. The best vantage point from which to see the Little River proposal is Reddish Knob which, at 4,397 feet, is the second highest point in the GWNF. From the parking lot on top, you can look east into the unspoiled Little River watershed and surrounding ridges: Buck Mountain, Big Ridge, Grooms Ridge, Middle Mountain, and Timber Ridge, all of which are all part of our current Little River Wilderness proposal.
The area is served by a good network of trails, including the remote Buck Mountain Trail which traverses through beautiful flat-land hardwoods for two miles along Little River west of Hearthstone Lake, and then sharply ascends Buck Mountain to the top of the ridge near Little Bald Knob.
Reddish Knob achieved national attention in 1999, when President Bill Clinton chose it as the site to announce his nationwide Roadless Area Conservation Rule that would prohibit development and fragmentation of Inventoried Roadless Areas in our national forests. Several VWC members were present to witness Clinton’s monumental announcement with Little River as a glorious backdrop behind the speaker’s podium. Though the Roadless Rule offers some level of protection for Little River, VWC is committed to pushing forward for Wilderness protection for the central 12,600-acre core of the Little River Roadless Area.
A positive recommendation from the Forest Service is very helpful to any successful Wilderness designation. The 2014 Revised Land & Resources Management Plan for the GWNF recommends our proposed 90,000-acre Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area, but with a pared-down 9,500-acre Little River Wilderness Study Area (WSA), 3,000 acres less than we proposed. This 3,000 acres is underlain by privately held mineral rights that were retained by the original owner of the land when it was deeded to the Forest Service. In other words, the Forest Service owns the surface, but someone else owns the mineral rights beneath the surface. The owner of those rights is assured reasonable access by law if they should decide to extract minerals in the future, leaving this special natural area vulnerable to fracking for natural gas or other extraction. Though the Forest Service did not feel comfortable recommending the 3,000 acres with private mineral rights for Wilderness, they indicated they would reconsider their recommendation if we are able to acquire the rights or have them donated to the Federal government.
The private mineral rights are comprised of three separate tracts near Hearthstone Lake. After doing title searches, we contacted owners of two of these tracts. The owners have declined the opportunity to donate the mineral rights to the Forest Service but would entertain an offer to purchase the rights. Our goal is to acquire the mineral rights at fair market value and get them into the hands of the Forest Service, thereby removing a major obstacle to the Forest Service recommending Wilderness designation of the entire 12,600 acres. For VWC, this is a task worth undertaking.
This is where we need your help! We need to raise $6000 to purchase the mineral rights from these private owners. By purchasing them, we will prevent any sort of mineral extraction from this pristine area and pave the way for Wilderness designation of the entire 12,600-acre Little River Wilderness. Your donations will move the process one more step forward in permanently protecting Little River.
To make a donation to the Virginia Wilderness Committee, please click here.
A positive recommendation from the Forest Service is very helpful to any successful Wilderness designation. The 2014 Revised Land & Resources Management Plan for the GWNF recommends our proposed 90,000-acre Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area, but with a pared-down 9,500-acre Little River Wilderness Study Area (WSA), 3,000 acres less than we proposed. This 3,000 acres is underlain by privately held mineral rights that were retained by the original owner of the land when it was deeded to the Forest Service. In other words, the Forest Service owns the surface, but someone else owns the mineral rights beneath the surface. The owner of those rights is assured reasonable access by law if they should decide to extract minerals in the future, leaving this special natural area vulnerable to fracking for natural gas or other extraction. Though the Forest Service did not feel comfortable recommending the 3,000 acres with private mineral rights for Wilderness, they indicated they would reconsider their recommendation if we are able to acquire the rights or have them donated to the Federal government.
The private mineral rights are comprised of three separate tracts near Hearthstone Lake. After doing title searches, we contacted owners of two of these tracts. The owners have declined the opportunity to donate the mineral rights to the Forest Service but would entertain an offer to purchase the rights. Our goal is to acquire the mineral rights at fair market value and get them into the hands of the Forest Service, thereby removing a major obstacle to the Forest Service recommending Wilderness designation of the entire 12,600 acres. For VWC, this is a task worth undertaking.
This is where we need your help! We need to raise $6000 to purchase the mineral rights from these private owners. By purchasing them, we will prevent any sort of mineral extraction from this pristine area and pave the way for Wilderness designation of the entire 12,600-acre Little River Wilderness. Your donations will move the process one more step forward in permanently protecting Little River.
To make a donation to the Virginia Wilderness Committee, please click here.