Virginia Wilderness Committee - News

Nature Hike: Late Summer Wildflowers, Dragonflies & Butterflies of Shenandoah Mountain

8/11/2022

Date: Saturday, September 10
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Braley Pond Day Use Area
Limit: 15 people

Great Spangled Fritillary, photo by Lynn Cameron

Join Friends of Shenandoah Mountain for a summer hike led by a Virginia Master Naturalist and a nature photographer (John and Jeannie Holden) to see the many species of beautiful butterflies and wildflowers that make Shenandoah Mountain home.

This National Forest location has been outstanding for numbers of individuals and species at the end of Summer. Last year at this time there was present a large uncommon and beautiful butterfly at the pond with two Lobelia species in bloom (all in abundant numbers).

Expect to walk about 2 miles round trip, over about 2 hours on mostly level trails.

Bringing binoculars and cameras is strongly suggested.

Please dress for late summer weather and bring plenty to drink in a day pack. Rainy weather would cancel the hike.

Pre-registration is required.

There is no charge for these nature hikes, as they are intended to draw public attention to the treasures of Shenandoah Mountain and the need to preserve its amazing natural world.

Questions: Contact John Holden by email or phone: 434-973-9179

Sign me up!

Meet & Greet with Senator Mark Warner

7/28/2022

On July 15, VWC Executive Director Mark Miller and FOSM co-chair Lynn Cameron went to Big Fish Cider in Monterrey to meet with Senator Mark Warner and talk about the Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area.

VWC Annual Meeting - August 13, 10am, Braley Pond

7/8/2022

Please join us for the
Virginia Wilderness Committee
Annual Meeting

Saturday, August 13
at 10am

Braley Pond Day Use Area
West Augusta, VA

All members are invited!
Meeting will include the election of officers, annual report, and updates on our Wilderness efforts. Bring a camp chair and a thirst for the inspiration of wild places!

Directions: Braley Pond is located 19 miles west of Staunton. Take Route 250 west to Route 715. Turn right and watch for the sign for Braley Pond on the left.

Lynn Cameron honored as 2022 Valley Treasure by the Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley

7/5/2022

The 2022 Valley Treasure Ceremony honoring Lynn Cameron, VWC board member and FOSM co-chair will occur virtually on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, from 7:00 PM - 8:00 PM ET.

You can register for the virtual Ceremony here.

Lynn Cameron looking at a map of Shenandoah Mountain with Senator Tim Kaine. Photo by Nancy Sorrells

Sign the Petition to Protect Shenandoah Mountain

6/8/2022

Creating Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area would permanently protect this exceptional landscape in the George Washington National Forest.

Passage of the Shenandoah Mountain Act of 2022 will allow it to be enjoyed for generations to come.

Our friends at the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) have created a petition. If you think it is important that Congress designate the Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area and extend permanent protections to this exceptional area, sign here today!

Support VWC while you shop at Amazon

6/8/2022

You can now support the Virginia Wilderness Committee (VWC) through "Amazon Smile"!

By shopping at smile.amazon.com or with AmazonSmile activated in the app, they'll donate 0.5% of the eligible purchase price, at no extra cost to you. You can also sign into your existing Amazon account on www.smile.amazon.com and select the Virginia Wilderness Committee as your preferred charity.

Support VWC while you shop!

Learn more about AmazonSmile here

Summer Wildflower & Butterfly Hike on Shenandoah Mountain

6/1/2022

Date: Saturday, June 18
Time: 10:00 a.m. - approx. 1:00 p.m.
Location: Hone Quarry Reservoir (see map)
Limit: 15 people

Join Friends of Shenandoah Mountain and Master Naturalists for a summer wildflower and butterfly hike to see the many species of beautiful butterflies and wildflowers that make Shenandoah Mountain home.

The leaders, John and Jeannie Holden, have been exploring the natural world of Shenandoah Mountain for decades. John is an avid hiker and has been a Virginia Master Naturalist for 12 years. Jeannie is an accomplished and published Nature Photographer.

Home Quarry is one of the very best butterfly habitats in the region. It also has many species of summer wildflowers. Bring a camera, and Jeannie will share techniques for the best wildflower photography. John will provide identification and talk about the treasures of nature on Shenandoah Mountain.

Bring binoculars, if you have them,. Please dress for summer weather and bring plenty to drink in a day pack. Rainy weather would cancel the hike.

There is no charge for these nature hikes, as they are intended to draw public attention to the treasures of Shenandoah Mountain and the need to preserve its amazing natural world.

Questions: Contact John Holden by email or phone: 434-973-9179

Click here to sign up!

Old Growth Dedication at James River Face Wilderness

5/4/2022

On Tuesday, May 3, a section of the James River Face Wilderness was dedicated as part of the Old Growth Forest Network. The forest in this 1,620 acre tract on the Belfast Trail headed up to the Devils Marbleyard is approximately 140 years old. VWC Executive Director, Mark Miller, was present and spoke at the dedication.

Learn about Shenandoah Mountain in May

4/20/2022

Warblers & Wildflowers

Date: Saturday, May 7
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Place: Augusta Springs Wetlands and Braley Pond
Leaders: Virginia Master Naturalists
Find more information through the link below
Celebrate Mother Nature - Friends of Shenandoah Mountain

Nature Walk on Shenandoah Mountain

Date: Saturday, May 14
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Place: Shenandoah Mountain Trail at Rt. 250 (see map)
Leaders: Henry and Becky Wilbur
Find more information and register through the link below
Nature Walk on Shenandoah Mountain - Friends of Shenandoah Mountain

Bird Walk at Braley Pond

Date: Saturday, May 14
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
Place: Braley Pond Day Use Area (directions)
Leader: Lynne Parks
Find more information and register through the link below
Bird Walk - Friends of Shenandoah Mountain

Senators Kaine and Warner Introduce Legislation to Establish Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area

3/23/2022

Hone Quarry Falls by Brad Striebig

Press Release from the Southern Environmental Law Center, Friends of Shenandoah Mountain, and Virginia Wilderness Committee
For Immediate Release: March 23, 2022

Contact:
Eric Hilt, Southern Environmental Law Center,
615-622-1199 or ehilt@selctn.org
Lynn Cameron, Friends of Shenandoah Mountain, 540-234-6273 or slynncameron@gmail.com
Mark Miller, Virginia Wilderness Committee,
540-460-0593 or mmiller24450@gmail.com

WASHINGTON D.C. — On Wednesday, Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced the Shenandoah Mountain Act of 2022, which would designate more than 92,000 acres of the George Washington National Forest as the Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area. If enacted, the National Scenic Area will preserve majestic forests, spectacular vistas, and more than 150 miles of trails on the western edge of the Shenandoah Valley.

The new designation would allow forest visitors to continue enjoying these incredible lands – which are separate from and to the west of Shenandoah National Park – as they do today, while prohibiting logging and industrial development like gas drilling and pipeline construction.

“National Scenic Areas strike a great balance between recreation and preservation,” Friends of Shenandoah Mountain Co-Chair Lynn Cameron said. “This unique designation ensures that hunters, hikers, anglers, mountain bikers, and many others will be able to continue to enjoy the exceptional landscapes for generations to come.”

The proposal has the support of more than 400 local businesses, organizations, and faith groups who recognize the immense benefits the new designation will have on nearby communities. Rockingham and Augusta Counties, as well as the nearby cities of Staunton and Harrisonburg, have also endorsed the proposal. The U.S. Forest Service – which recommended designation of a national scenic area and wilderness areas on Shenandoah Mountain in 2014 – estimates that visitors to national forests in Virginia generate $1.4 billion a year. The Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area will attract even more visitors and provide a boost to the region’s growing tourism industry.

“This bill is the product of 18 years of collaborative work from an incredibly diverse group of local conservationists, recreation groups, timber industry representatives, hunters, and anglers. Over that time, people with different outlooks on forest management came together and agreed that this exceptional place deserves the permanent protection that a National Scenic Area will provide,” Friends of Shenandoah Mountain Co-Chair Thomas Jenkins said.

“The Shenandoah Mountain area is one of the largest stretches of undeveloped land east of the Mississippi River, and boasts some of the most spectacular, uninterrupted views in the Southern Appalachians,” Southern Environmental Law Center Senior Attorney Kristin Davis said. “Designating this as a National Scenic Area will protect these special public lands and all they have to offer.”

The Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area would also include four Wilderness Areas, totaling around 28,000 acres of new Wilderness, which would have the highest level of protection public lands can receive. Wilderness Areas are popular among people in the South, and a recent study showed 88 percent of Southerners surveyed said they support more Wilderness designations.

“Wilderness Areas are some of the nation’s least developed lands and offer a one-of-a-kind experience to visitors looking for solitude. These protections are becoming increasingly important as more and more areas – especially in the Eastern US – are being rapidly developed, leaving fewer pristine and untouched landscapes,” Mark Miller, Executive Director of the Virginia Wilderness Committee, said.

Important natural resources would also be protected by Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area, which lies within a biodiversity hotspot. The area is home to black bear, wild turkey, more than 250 species of birds, and many other species, including rare or endangered species that only live in the Shenandoah Mountain area. Creating this designation would help preserve these wildlife and plant habitats, allowing visitors to continue to enjoy the plants and animals that make this area unique. The National Scenic Area designation will also protect important water sources for people living in Harrisonburg, Staunton, and many other towns and communities downstream.

Introducing the Shenandoah Mountain Act of 2022 in the United States Senate is just the first step in establishing these much-needed protections for this extraordinary area. In order to permanently protect Shenandoah Mountain, Congress must pass this important bill, and send it to the President for his signature.

Wilderness and National Scenic Area FAQs

Some of our most spectacular federal lands are designated as National Scenic Areas and Wilderness areas. While there are some key differences between them, there are many similarities:

Only Congress has the power to designate portions of national forests or other federal lands as National Scenic Areas or Wilderness Areas, and only federal land can be designated. Private lands near or within the proposed National Scenic Area are not included, and there are no private inholdings within the proposed Wilderness areas. Since this land is already federally owned and part of the George Washington National Forest, no land acquisition is required.
Hiking, camping, backpacking, horseback riding, paddling, birdwatching, and many other forms recreation are allowed in both the National Scenic Area and Wilderness areas. Hunting and fishing are also allowed in both the National Scenic Area and Wilderness areas. This designation does not affect hunting or fishing rules, which are determined by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.
The Forest Service can continue to fight fires and damaging outbreaks of insects and disease in both the National Scenic Area and Wilderness areas.
Most timber harvest and industrial development, such as gas drilling, would be off-limits in both the National Scenic Area and Wilderness areas.
The proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area and Wilderness areas were both developed by and brought to Congress by local citizens, as most successful proposals are.

Wilderness is the highest level of protection available for public land. Wilderness areas are some of the nation’s most remote and least developed places. They have a natural character, and the imprint of any prior land uses is substantially unnoticeable.

To preserve the wild character of Wilderness areas, timber harvest, permanent roads, drilling, and other development are not allowed. The use of motorized equipment, motor vehicles, or other mechanical transport is normally not allowed, except when necessary for control of fire, insects, diseases, and for search and rescue operations. There are no existing roads in the proposed Wilderness areas.
Designated Wilderness offers outstanding opportunities for people to enjoy solitude and backcountry recreation, and also protect forested refuges for wildlife and fish, clean water and air, and other natural values.

National Scenic Areas are more flexible, protecting the exceptional scenic and natural value of an area while allowing compatible uses to continue. Certain activities that are not allowed in Wilderness areas may be allowed in National Scenic Areas.

Mountain biking is allowed on trails within the National Scenic Area.
No existing roads within the National Scenic area will be closed, and visitors can continue to use them, including for scenic drives and to access campsites and trailheads.
Virginia is already home to three popular National Scenic Areas. The Mount Pleasant, Seng Mountain, and Bear Creek National Scenic Areas contain some of Virginia’s most popular trails, and are popular destinations for camping, fishing, and other recreation.