​The Great Dismal Swamp National Heritage is a bipartisan bill directing the Secretary of the Interior to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating the Dismal Swamp and its associated sites as a National Heritage Area.
 
National Heritage Areas are sites designated by Congress to hold historical, cultural and environmental significance to the American people that tell regionally unique but nationally significant stories celebrating our nation’s diverse heritage.
 
Selected for consideration as an NHA due to its significant number of rich cultural and historical sites, the Swamp is home to the ancestral lands of the Nansemond Indian Nation and historic lands of the Haliwa-Saponi and Meherrin Tribes; the largest known collection of archaeological artifacts from maroon colonies (generational communities of people who escaped the horrors of antebellum slavery by living hidden in the Swamp); one of the only known water-based stops on the Underground Railroad to freedom; and a thriving community descending from early colonial Free People of Color whose families resisted oppression by retreating into the Swamp.
 
National Heritage Areas do not affect private property rights and the National Park Service does not assume ownership or impose land use controls over land inside the heritage area, leaving the decision-making authority in the hands of local communities.

Healthy natural landscapes are central to Virginia’s outdoor recreation industry, which generates $1.2 billion in state and local tax revenue each year. Help safeguard the vitality of the state’s habitat for wildlife by asking your elected officials to support Senate Bill 1004 and House Bill 1695 Virginia’s Wildlife Corridor Action Plan. https://wildlandsnetwork.org/protect-wildlife-corridors-in-virginia/

These new bills in the Virginia state legislature will protect wildlife corridors across the state, making our roads safer for both wildlife and people. Introduced by Senator David Marsden and Delegate David Bulova, the bill will also enhance habitat for native wildlife and create more resilient landscapes. Learn more about this landmark legislation here: https://wildlandsnetwork.org/blog/legislation-to-protect-wildlife-corridors-introduced-in-the-virginia-state-house/

The Staunton City Council voted unanimously to pass a resolution of support for the proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area (SMNSA) at its Jan. 23 meeting.  The resolution reaffirms the City's desire to include Staunton Dam, Elkhorn Lake, and surrounding National Forest land in the SMNSA, provided the City can "access, operate, maintain, replace and improve its existing water facilities in the proposed scenic area and, if necessary, to construct and maintain new water infrastructure."
Staunton stands to benefit from permanent protection of the Shenandoah Mountain area.  ​National Scenic Area designation will safeguard the City's water supply and protect outdoor recreation opportunities, scenic beauty, and wildlife habitat.   All this contributes to a high quality of life for City residents and helps draw visitors that support the tourism industry in Staunton and in neighboring counties and cities.
SMNSA legislation will make this special area off limits to fracking for natural gas and other industrial development that would mar the natural character of the area and threaten water resources.
Resolutions of support from local governments are a crucial component of our campaign to protect Shenandoah Mountain.  Augusta County Board of Supervisors has also endorsed the proposal.

JANUARY 07, 2020

Warner & Kaine Bill To Protect Wilderness In Bath County Passes Senate
WASHINGTON, D.C. 

​Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine and Mark R. Warner applauded Senate passage of the Virginia Wilderness Additions Act, a bill they introduced to add a total of 5,600 acres to two existing wilderness areas within the George Washington National Forest in Bath County: the Rough Mountain Wilderness area and the Rich Hole Wilderness area. A wilderness designation is the highest level of protection for public land under federal law. These additions were recommended by the U.S. Forest Service in 2014 and endorsed by members of the GW National Forest Stakeholder Collaborative, a group of forest users that has worked together for seven years to agree on acceptable locations in the GW for wilderness, timber harvest, trails, and other uses.  

“We’re proud that the Senate passed our bill to protect wilderness in Bath County. The George Washington National Forest is a critical part of Virginia’s environment and economy. This legislation would help ensure Virginians can enjoy more of its wildlife, scenery, and trails for generations to come. We’re so thankful to the folks from the U.S. Forest Service, conservationists, and leaders in Bath County for their collaborative efforts to make this happen. We’ll keep working together to get this bill signed into law,” said the Senators. 

“Senate passage of the Virginia Wilderness Additions Act affirms our belief that working in a collaborative manner with diverse interests groups including the timber industry, wildlife managers, and recreation interests creates an atmosphere where dialogue promotes trust and compromise. It is this spirit of cooperation that the Stakeholder Collaborative agreed to a plan that balances the need for managed young forest, recreation, and uninterrupted wilderness,” said Mark Miller, Executive Director, Virginia Wilderness Committee.

“I have supported an increase in active management of the GW National Forest while working with a diverse group of people that share a common interest in our public lands.  Where previously we may have advocated for different uses of the forest, we now look for ways to accomplish all of our goals.  I support the proposed Wilderness additions in this bill by understanding that the GW is large enough to provide a variety of forest conditions, through differing management techniques, as identified in the Forest Plan.  It is possible to simultaneously increase timber harvests, improve wildlife habitat, and create forest age diversity while setting aside remote areas that are valuable for recreation and certain species of wildlife.  This proposal reinforces several year’s-worth of work and demonstrates the ability to accomplish this balance,” said John Hancock, member and a previous President of the Virginia Forestry Association.

MOUNT CRAWFORD — Working to clear trails in the Ramsey's Draft Wilderness area of the George Washington National Forest can be a daunting task. 

Besides the normal issues that come with trail maintenance — overgrown vegetation and storm damage — the sheer size of some of the downed trees can present problems. Large oak trees killed by gypsy moths, and hemlocks killed by the wooly adelgids occasionally fall along the trails. Some of the trees are 30 inches or more in diameter. 

Lynn Cameron hears it all the time. When she and her husband, Malcolm, lead groups into the area to clear the trails, people tell them the work would be so much easier with a chainsaw.

​That's not an option, however, because mechanical equipment isn't allowed into the area, and that's just fine with the Camerons.
"We just laugh," Lynn Cameron said. "We actually like to use the crosscut saw." 

It's a lost art, she said, one that past generations used out of necessity and one the Camerons hope future generations choose to continue using. 
"I feel like the trail maintainers who use the crosscut are kind of keeping that skill alive," she said. "Learning the techniques, using wedges and axes. We go about it in a very methodical way."
The Camerons are one of our newsroom's 2019 News Leader Newsmakers. Each year our staff selects members of the community to feature work somewhat behind the scenes but are influential.
The Camerons' work in maintaining hiking trails in the area, a passion that both believe is worthy, has been invaluable. There are so many beautiful natural resources in the George Washington National Forest and the Shenandoah National Park, but without trail access the public wouldn't be able to see this beauty. The maintenance that the Camerons help provide allows that access.
"It's good for you physically, it's good for your mental health, and just your spiritual well-being," Lynn Cameron said about hiking. 
The couple met as part of an outdoor group. Together, they've hiked Mount Katahdin in Maine. They've hiked trails as far west as Washington and Oregon. They've hiked in Colorado and New Mexico and Montana. 
"It seems like as we get older we're staying close to home," Lynn Cameron said. "Just doing more in our backyard. And we've got a big backyard. I can't imagine a better place to live than the Shenandoah Valley. If you're a hiker this really is the best place to live."

Malcolm Cameron's two-year term as president of the Southern Shenandoah Valley Chapter of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club expiries at the end of 2019. It's his second time serving as the organization's president. Lynn Cameron has also served as president. She's currently the club's conservation chair, and has developed the club's website and Facebook page. 
"I would have had a hard time really just covering all my duties and getting things done without her help," Malcolm Cameron said. 
They've both been members of the chapter since 1986, shortly after it was formed. 
"We heard there was a new trail club and we like to hike," Lynn Cameron said. "We thought, 'Oh, a group we could hike with. That sounds like a good idea.'"
Hiking with others added a social aspect to their adventures. Thirty-three years later, the Camerons are still part of the club, but have become much more active in maintaining the trails that they love to hike. 
"Malcom and Lynn have dedicated their lives to helping the PATC, our chapter, Friends of Shenandoah Mountain and other groups to provide an atmosphere for expanded hiking opportunities," said club member David Bennick of Stuarts Draft. "All of us benefit from their dedication." 
The club draws members from throughout the Staunton-Waynesboro-Harrisonburg area. The Camerons estimated the club has about 100 active members. 
Members are involved in both hikes and trail maintenance. The group hikes mostly in the George Washington National Forest and Shenandoah National Park, and maintains a two-mile section of the Appalachian Trail in the Southern Section of Shenandoah National Park. The group also does some trail maintenance along the Shenandoah Mountain trails in the George Washington National Forest. 

The Camerons enjoy working in the Ramsey's Draft Wilderness area. In addition to leading maintenance trips there through PATC, the couple has also collaborated with other groups on work trips into the area. They've led trips with Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards, AmeriCorps, and even a group of Midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy. 
"There are a lot of blowdowns and vegetation with all the rain we've had growing over the trails," Lynn Cameron said. "Somebody has to cut that back and clear off those blowdowns to keep the trails open for the public."
Over the past 30 years, the couple also has been the overseers for a 1.6-mile section of the Appalachian Trail from Sawmill Run to Turk Gap about 10 miles north of Waynesboro. 

Recently Pam Heinrich began helping the couple along that stretch of trail. Heinrich is an avid hiker, but only started trail maintenance about a year ago. She said the willingness of the Camerons to teach others about maintaining trails will ensure that it continues long after they stop. 
"I was glad that I knew who I would be working with so they could teach me," Heinrich said. "To kind of pass that on, to let me join them in something that they've done, just the two of them, for 30 years, is great." 

Before getting involved in trail maintenance, Heinrich, as a hiker, said she sometimes took the work people like the Camerons do for granted. 
"Once you do trail work you never look at trails the same," Heinrich said. 
In addition to that work, they are trail overseers for the Groom's Ridge Trail on the Shenandoah Mountain, a trail that climbs 1,250 feet in 1.6 miles. 
"[The trail] has been described as relentless," David Bennick said. "It is in excellent condition because of their effort." 
With Malcom's term as president ending this year, the couple will take on a new role as district managers for the North River Ranger District. Part of that job will include recruiting volunteers as overseers for trails on Shenandoah Mountain. 
The work isn't easy, but the final result is rewarding.
"You feel so good at the end of the day when you walk out and see a clear trail when you know it was almost impassable before." Lynn said. "That's very satisfying." 

For photos: https://www.newsleader.com/story/news/2020/01/01/hiking-trail-maintenance-malcolm-lynn-cameron-patc-newsmakers/2586371001/

The state of Alaska is pushing for a full exemption of the Roadless Rule. At stake are not just the 9.3 million acres of the Tongass National Forest, but the Roadless Rule overall. 

The 2001 Rule is the direct result of a tremendous outpouring of public support. More than 600 public hearings were held around the nation, and the public provided more than 1.6 million comments on the Rule—more comments than any other rule in the nation's history.

In Virginia, the Roadless rule protects 394,000 acres. This rule is a critical protective backstop for administrative management decision-making like Forest Plan revisions. An Alaska-Specific Roadless Rule would mean more logging roads and old-growth clearcut logging on the Tongass NF. We don’t want that for Virginia! 

​Help defend America’s national forests! Submit a comment to the U.S. Forest Service urging that they take ‘No Action’ on the newly proposed Alaska Roadless Rule, keeping the Roadless Rule protections intact for the Tongass National Forest.

Ways to submit comments:
● The roadless coalition’s branded comment portal​ ​https://saveourroadlessforests.com/ (which is synched to ​akroadlessrule@usda.gov​)
● Email: ​akroadlessrule@usda.gov​ ​ Subject: ​Alaska Roadless Rulemaking #54511 
● Web:​ ​https://cara.ecosystem-management.org/Public//CommentInput…
● Snail Mail: USDA Forest Service, Attn: Alaska Roadless Rule, P.O. Box 21628, Juneau, Alaska, 99802
● Fax: 907-586-7852

The comment period ends December 17th. Act now!​

Photo credit: Howie Garber Photography

The web version of our Winter 2019 newsletter can be found here.  It includes updates on two of our campaigns:  the Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area Proposal and the North Shenandoah Management Project, introductions to our new board members, Tim Mahoney and Bart Koehler, as well as an article by Steve Johnson, VWC Board Vice President and conservation photographer regarding his work on the Rusty Patched Bumblebee.

To receive future newsletters directly in you inbox or mailbox, be sure to sign up here. 

Look to your mailbox and inbox for the arrival of the VWC winter newsletter.  Lots of updates on our work. 

Blue Ridge Outdoors magazine recognized Executive Director, Mark Miller, as an Outdoor All-Star in the September 27, 2019 article by HART FOWLER. 

Mark Miller has been an outdoor adventurer since he was 4 and took his first solo-hike in Minnesota. That earned him a good whipping from his parents but also a lifelong love for the outdoors.
“By the time I was thirteen, I was free ranging up to twenty miles from home in what later became known as the Boundary Waters,” says Miller.
 Miller got involved in conservation after writing a hiking guide called Wilderness Virginia in the early 90s. “In compiling that book, I was able to travel to all the designated Wilderness in Virginia.”
Soon after publishing the guide, Miller was asked to join the Virginia Wilderness Committee, where he now serves as Executive Director.
 His work was instrumental in passing the Wilderness Bill in 2001 protecting The Priest and Three Ridges mountains, and he also helped work on the Omnibus Lands Act signed into law in 2009 protecting millions of acres across the US.
But equally rewarding to Miller is the hard work of maintaining the six-mile Rich Hole Trail in the Rich Hole Wilderness using only hand tools.  
“Getting into the woods whether it is for work or pleasure is basically all the same. It is being in the woods and the woods are I place I love to be.  It is such an integral part of who I am.” 
Beartown Wilderness is one of his all-time favorite places to be. “The area on the summit of Garden Mountain is magical,” he says. A close second is Beartown Mountain in the Clinch Mountain Wildlife Management Area. Both places are tough to get to. You really have to want to make the hike to see these spots as it involves a lot of bushwhacking, but they are worth the effort.”

Click here read about the other recognized Outdoor All-Stars.