The Virginia Wilderness Committee is a 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 [1] that provides permanent protection to outstanding wild areas on public land in Virginia.
VWC's strength is in our membership. We invite you to join VWC [2].
To schedule a presentation or discussion about Wilderness with your group or organization, email Carol Lena Miller [3] or call her at 540-578-0275.
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 2008-09 VWC Executive Committee includes:
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 [4] to Special Collections in Carrier Library at James Madison University. Read here Ernie's History of Virginia Wilderness Committee [5], written in 1996. Also, read Ernie's 1989 essay [6], "In Celebration of a Quarter Century of the Wilderness Act."
Links:
[1] http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=legisAct
[2] http://www.vawilderness.org/get_involved/join_vwc
[3] mailto:clmiller@vawilderness.org
[4] http://www.lib.jmu.edu/special/manuscripts/dickerman.aspx
[5] http://www.vawilderness.org/history_virginia_wilderness_committee
[6] http://www.vawilderness.org/essay_ernie_dickerman