Virginia Wilderness News

Be sure to tune in to your local PBS station for the film "Forever Wild: Celebrating America's Wilderness", a new documentary about the nation's special wild places and the everyday heroes who have helped protect them. Hosted by Robert Redford, and featuring the prose of Terry Tempest Williams, read by the author, this inspirational film guides the viewer through an examination of America's commitment to wilderness preservation, and the values we hold dear in protecting these wild lands.

September 3. 1964: After gaining overwhelming bipartisan support from Congress, President Lyndon Johnson signs the Wilderness Act, immediately protecting the first 9 million acres in 54 statutory wilderness areas.   The law also requires a 10-year review by agencies to shape recommendations concerning 5 million acres of National Forest ‘primitive areas,'  as well as all roadless areas within National Parks, Monuments, and other park categories, and within National Wildlife Refuges.

For me, wildlife perfectly embodies the wonder, whimsy, and charisma of wild  places. To encounter a wild animal in a wild place pulls me quickly and deeply into the natural world - a world I notice because of the presence of another live creature in the midst. I've looked into the deep, brown, understanding eyes of a mountain gorilla, seen pronghorns spring through sagebrush, and been entertained by hooded merganser ducks and their precise courtship displays. Each time, I feel privileged to be a part of their same world.

NATIONAL WILDERNESS MONTH, 2009
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BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

The American wilderness has inspired wonder and imagination for centuries and is an irreplaceable part of our Nation's heritage. Even before the birth of the United States, visitors from near and far were struck by its splendor and purity.

Board's Recommendation Goes To Forest Service

A divided Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors went on record Monday as supporting the idea of designating two new wilderness areas and one new National Scenic Area in the George Washington National Forest.

The supervisors voted 3-2 to adopt a resolution in favor of having additional areas in the George Washington National Forest protected in their natural state for their recreation, wildlife and scenic values.

National Forest management guidelines developed by the Bush administration violate federal law and must be dropped, a federal court ruled today.

The guidelines in question affect nearly all aspects of management on the 193 million acre National Forest system, including timber sales, wildlife management and road construction. The regulations put too much decision-making power in the hands of local Forest Service officials and prevented public input and action at many stages of the process, according to environmental groups that opposed them.

The Campaign for America Wilderness Policy Director Doug Scott has released a new book, Our Wilderness: America's Common Ground. This photographic tribute to wilderness is a powerful visual reminder of the country's natural beauty and our place in it.

Stepping into a major environmental dispute, the Obama administration said Thursday that no new timber-cutting or road project could begin in roadless areas of national forests without the permission of the secretary of agriculture.

The Agriculture Department, which issued a directive outlining the policy, called it an interim measure meant to bring "consistency and clarity" to decisions on a contentious issue that has faced legal challenges since the Clinton administration banned such projects in the roadless areas in 2001.

In a formal East Room ceremony, President Obama today signed into law one of the most sweeping pieces of conservation and public land management legislation in years.

"This legislation guarantees that we will not take our forests, rivers, oceans, national parks, monuments and wilderness areas for granted, but rather, we will set them aside and guard their sanctity for everyone to share," Obama said.

Environmental groups on Wednesday celebrated a long-anticipated win in Congress for legislation that would place new, permanent protections on chunks of federal land in Southwest Virginia.