On Saturday, June 6, National Trails Day, VWC gathered with the Sierra Club of Virginia, the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club, and a large crowd at Briery Branch Dam on the George Washington National Forest. This area is completed surrounded by some of the nearly 400K acres of Roadless Areas in Virginia, including the largest, Little River. After words of history, values, and action, the group headed to the top of Reddish Knob, where President Bill Clinton announced Inventoried Roadless Areas in 1999.
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Citizen groups call for an end to the “Highway to Nowhere” project
For Immediate Release June 4, 2026 Contacts:
A new study by the Virginia Department of Transportation finds there is no operational need in Virginia for a four- to five-lane highway from the West Virginia state line to I-81 near Strasburg, confirming a decision the state made 30 years ago to not extend West Virginia’s Corridor H into the commonwealth. The study comes at a time when West Virginia officials plan to issue contracts to build the $542 million, 7.5-mile eastern-most segment of its highway from Wardensville, W.Va., across Great North Mountain and stop at the state line. Two citizen groups filed a federal lawsuit last month to block the project, saying it is unneeded and threatens natural and historic resources. They argue that state and federal highway agencies failed to consider less expensive and less harmful alternatives, and call for safety improvements to the existing two-lane Route 55 in West Virginia. “VDOT’s study affirms that this ‘highway to nowhere’ is utter folly,” said Ellen Stuart-Haentjens, executive director of the Virginia Wilderness Committee. “Aside from the astronomical price tag, other costs include polluted drinking water supplies, degraded outdoor recreation assets, and ruined wildlife habitat, including some of the best native brook trout streams in this region.” The highway would cut through 2.4 miles of the George Washington National Forest, potentially setting a precedent for further harmful development of the nation’s protected public lands, she said. “West Virginia’s state and federal leaders need to stop throwing away taxpayer money on this boondoggle. We have urgent needs in West Virginia, which ranks among the worst in the country for safe roads and bridges,” said Bonni McKeown, president of Stewards of the Potomac Highlands. “Given Virginia’s position, the West Virginia Department of Highways should consider spot safety improvements to Route 55 instead of building Corridor H.” A report from a national transportation organization last year found that one-third of West Virginia’s major roads are in “poor or mediocre” condition, and the number of bridges rated “poor or structurally deficient” is the highest in the U.S. The project would also threaten historic lands in Virginia. “Not only is Corridor H not needed in Virginia, as the VDOT study affirms, its construction would directly and negatively impact nationally significant historic properties in southern Frederick County and northern Shenandoah County,’ said Kristen Laise, executive director of Belle Grove Plantation in Middletown. Belle Grove is a congressionally legislated partner in Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. Corridor H was envisioned in the 1970s as a 157-mile highway to run from I-79 to I-81. Since then, West Virginia has built much of its portion. Although the Virginia Commonwealth Transportation Board decided more than 30 years ago to not extend Corridor H, West Virginia now plans to build its remaining 7.5- mile segment from the small town of Wardensville east to the state line, where it would funnel traffic onto the two-lane Route 55 / 48, known as the John Marshall Highway. In its study, VDOT looked at existing traffic and forecasts on Route 55 / 48 and found that conditions would remain acceptable for the next 100 years, even if doubling the traffic growth rate that West Virginia used to justify building its Wardensville segment. The agency concluded that “no operational recommendations are needed or proposed at this time.” ### Organized in 1969, the Virginia Wilderness Committee (VWC) works to permanently protect the best of Virginia's wild places for future generations, foster understanding and appreciation of Wilderness, and promote enjoyment and stewardship of our last remaining wildlands.The Virginia Wilderness Committee is a 501(C)3 non-profit citizens' group. https://www.vawilderness.org/ Economically and culturally, our area has a proud tradition of small farm and forest ownership and historic towns. Stewards of the Potomac Highlands, a 501c4 nonprofit citizens group, networks in West Virginia’s northeastern counties to protect this heritage and support an environmentally and socially sustainable, locally-controlled economy. https://potomachighlandstewards.org/ WHAT: Rally with Speakers and optional 6-mile hike immediately following the Rally
WHEN: Saturday, June 6th at 10:00 AM with optional hike at 11:30 AM WHERE: Briery Branch Reservoir Schedule of Events: 10:00-10:15 Welcome and Introduction of Event 10:15-11:15 Speakers and Q & A 11:30 Those who are interested can join our shuttle hike down from Reddish Knob back to Briery Branch Reservoir, or carpool to the top of Reddish Knob to continue the conversation while enjoying the iconic views (and a picnic if you like) of Shenandoah Mountain and the George Washington National Forest. Cost: None Signup Instructions: click here to register for hike Additional Directions: Briery Branch Reservoir Cancellation Policy: Rain location, Hone Quarry Campground Pavillion Hailed as one of America’s most successful conservation measures, the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule protects drinking water, wildlife habitat, and world-class recreation opportunities across 58.5 million acres of our national forests and supports hundreds of local economies. Last June the Trump administration announced plans to revoke the Roadless Rule–a decision that would threaten critical wildlife habitat, clean drinking water, old forests, and the outdoor spaces that millions of Americans rely on. Nearly 400,000 acres of national forest are currently protected in Virginia. Our drinking water, wildlife habitat, and most scenic recreational areas are at risk! In 1999 standing atop Reddish Knob overlooking one of the largest unprotected roadless areas in the eastern United States, President Clinton announced the creation of the “Roadless Rule.” The rule protects millions of acres of national forests and thousands of acres of forest on Shenandoah Mountain including the 29,000-acre Little River Roadless Area, the largest inventoried roadless area on national forest land east of the Mississippi. On June 6, we will return to Reddish Knob to celebrate and enjoy our roadless forests and learn more about what we can do to preserve the “Roadless Rule. Join the Shenandoah Group and co-sponsors, the PATC North River Group, and the Virginia Wilderness Committee to learn what we can do, and explore, picnic, or hike with us. If you would like to join our Reddish Knob hike, we plan to shuttle hikers up to Reddish Knob and hike back to Briery Branch Reservoir. Click here for more details and registration. CONTACT:
Bonni McKeown, Stewards of the Potomac Highlands. 773-209-4712 [email protected] Andrew W. Young, Virginia Wilderness Committee, (434) 202-4397 [email protected] Citizen groups in Virginia and West Virginia filed suit in federal court today to stop construction of a seven-mile section of Corridor H highway from Wardensville in Hardy County, W. Va. to the Virginia line. The groups say the four-lane highway would deflate the local rural economy and threaten drinking water supplies, wildlife habitat and other natural resources in both states. West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) had announced plans earlier this year to let out construction contracts by this month, but the suit could throw another roadblock to the long-controversial project. Stewards of the Potomac Highlands and the Virginia Wilderness Committee, represented by attorneys Andrea Ferster and Brad Stephens, filed suit against WVDOH and the Federal Highway Administration in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District in West Virginia. They argue that the highway agencies failed to consider less expensive and less environmentally damaging alternatives. (CA No. 5:26-cv-11111) Now estimated to cost $542 million, this Wardensville to Virginia line section of Corridor H would “cross through the iconic George Washington National Forest and bypass and severely impair the economy of Wardensville’s historic Main Street district.” It would also “impact the lives of farm and homeowners in its path,” reads the legal complaint. “The far-reaching consequences of this project will have economic, environmental, and other ripple effects decades—indeed, centuries—into the future.” The groups also launched a website to raise awareness about the proposed highway--Corridor H: Highway to Nowhere (highwaytonowhere.org). In the 1960s, the Appalachian Regional Commission planned the four-lane highway which was slated to reach 15 miles into Virginia to connect with I-81 and I-66 in Strasburg. Since 1995, however, the Commonwealth of Virginia has said that it has no plans to build this Virginia section. Further, the Shenandoah County Board of Supervisors and the Town of Strasburg declared their opposition to Corridor H in 2022. If built, the Wardensville to Virginia line section of Corridor H would end abruptly at the state line, funneling traffic into the two-lane Route 55/48, a designated Virginia Scenic Byway also known as the John Marshall Highway. The citizen groups warn this would add more peril to hikers on the popular Tuscarora Trail as they cross Route 55/48 on the crest of Great North Mountain. Most sections of Corridor H have been built across eastern West Virginia, from I-79 to the western edge of Wardensville, except for another controversial section in Tucker County, where environmentalists are urging a different, northerly route. But WVDOH acknowledged traffic on the corridor is only half what it projected in its 1996 environmental documents. “We object to an unneeded four-lane that would rip through 2.4 miles of intact forest in the George Washington National Forest,” said Virginia Wilderness Committee board member Andrew Young. “During Earth Month we celebrate the rich forest ecosystems, wildlife habitat, native trout streams, and many outdoor recreational resources of this Allegheny Mountain region – all of which is threatened by the Corridor H boondoggle.” “Legal action could, and should, cause our officials to re-think their priorities,” said Bonni McKeown, president of Stewards of the Potomac Highlands. It’s time our transportation policies take ‘wild, wonderful West Virginia’ seriously and support our natural beauty, our historic towns, and people’s homeplaces and farms instead of tearing down our special places.” WVDOH acknowledged in its 2025 federally required environmental documents that the four-lane construction would traverse 2.4 miles and 300 acres of George Washington National Forest in West Virginia, cut through an aquifer supplying drinking water for the Town of Wardensville, and decrease customer traffic to businesses on Wardensville’s Main Street. However, WVDOH has refused to consider the alternative of making safety improvements to the existing two-lane Route 55/48 over Great North Mountain. West Virginia public officials, including Gov. Patrick Morrissey and U.S. Senators Jim Justice and Shelley Moore Capito, have continued to prioritize Corridor H, even though Morrissey announced last year that the state highway budget is inadequate. Highway engineer groups rank West Virginia among the most deficient states in the U.S. in bridge repairs. # Organized in 1969, the Virginia Wilderness Committee (VWC) works to permanently protect the best of Virginia's wild places for future generations, foster understanding and appreciation of Wilderness, and promote enjoyment and stewardship of our last remaining wildlands. The Virginia Wilderness Committee is a 501(C)3 non-profit citizens' group. https://www.vawilderness.org/ Economically and culturally, our area has a proud tradition of small farm and forest ownership and historic towns. Stewards of the Potomac Highlands, a 501c4 nonprofit citizens group, networks in West Virginia’s northeastern counties to protect this heritage and support an environmentally and socially sustainable, locally controlled economy. https://potomachighlandstewards.org/ In an attempt to gut another popular and effective conservation law, Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-AR) introduced H.R. 1897, co-sponsored by 26 other Congressional Republicans, to "amend" the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The bill will weaken the strength and effectiveness of the ESA by rewriting key portions of this bedrock environmental law. It will remove critical habitat protections and undermine science-based standards, making species recovery harder and extinction more likely.
The House of Representatives plans to schedule a vote on the ESA Amendments Act (H.R. 1897) tomorrow, April 22, EARTH DAY!! Tell your representatives to vote down H.R. 1897 because you don't want to strip away core, science-based safeguards for our most vulnerable wildlife. Click here for the text of H.R. 1897 March 02, 2026 Press Release from Senator Tim Kaine's Office WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) sent a letter to Senate leadership requesting the Senate’s prompt consideration of a bipartisan package of National Forest bills that advanced unanimously out of the Senate Agriculture Committee on October 21, 2025. The bills affect public lands in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
“We write to respectfully request a process to advance a bipartisan package of National Forest bills to the President’s desk. We are grateful for the Senate Agriculture Committee’s unanimous approval of these bills this Congress, and we now ask for your help in sending them to the President’s desk to be signed into law,” wrote the senators. “These bills are a product of years, sometimes decades, of work with local communities to strike the balance unique to each of our respective states. Each bill addresses a specific, locally important issue on our public lands, from facilitating recreational access and conservation designations to resolving land ownership technicalities,” the senators continued. “This is an opportunity for Congress to come together to do good work for public lands, local economies, and rural communities,” the senators concluded. “We ask you to begin an effort to send a comprehensive, bipartisan package of National Forest bills to the President’s desk and we stand ready to work together to achieve long awaited results for our communities.” In addition to Kaine and Tillis, the letter was cosigned by U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Tina Smith (D-MN), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). The full text of the letter is available here and below: Dear Leader Thune, Leader Schumer, Chairman Boozman, and Ranking Member Klobuchar: We write to respectfully request a process to advance a bipartisan package of National Forest bills to the President’s desk. We are grateful for the Senate Agriculture Committee’s unanimous approval of these bills this Congress, and we now ask for your help in sending them to the President’s desk to be signed into law. At the Committee’s business meeting on October 21, 2025, a slate of public lands bills affecting nine states was approved without objection, reflecting a welcome consensus on managing our National Forest System lands. These bills are a product of years, sometimes decades, of work with local communities to strike the balance unique to each of our respective states. Each bill addresses a specific, locally important issue on our public lands, from facilitating recreational access and conservation designations to resolving land ownership technicalities. Collectively, they benefit communities in Tennessee, Virginia, Mississippi, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Arkansas, Alabama, and North Carolina, showing the nationwide reach of this effort. Facilitating the enactment of this package would enhance recreation opportunities and support local communities while serving as a shining example of a bipartisan, regular order process. This is an opportunity for Congress to come together to do good work for public lands, local economies, and rural communities. We ask you to begin an effort to send a comprehensive, bipartisan package of National Forest bills to the President’s desk and we stand ready to work together to achieve long awaited results for our communities. Sincerely, While some issues may appear state or location specific, they can carry new precedents that impact how we govern nationwide. H.J. Res. 140 is one such issue. It will not only impact the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota but have far reaching outcomes for many conservation protections across the country, including here in Virginia.
Tell Your Senators to vote NO on any resolution that would overturn Boundary Waters protections. Known for its pristine lakes, streams, and wetlands, Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) Wilderness is the most visited wilderness in the U.S. It’s a million-acre sportsperson’s paradise and supports many outdoor industry jobs, like guiding and outfitting. However, last month, despite rigorous environmental review and public comment, the House quickly passed a bill to overturn a ban on mining of the headwaters to the BWCA Wilderness. In passing it, the House used a legislative maneuver that has never been used before to overturn a ban on public land exploitation, the Congressional Review Act (CRA). The CRA is a tool for Congress to maintain oversight over federal regulations during the first 60 legislative days after a rule is received, not to overturn a 20-year moratorium. If the Senate passes this measure, it will set a dangerous precedent, undoing and nullifying hard-earned public land protection orders and withdrawals. This could have far-reaching effects on public land conservation efforts across the country. Not only will this measure allow for pollution-prone mining that will poison one of the most pristine watersheds in the U.S., but also support revoking any protected land in the U.S. that wasn’t designated by Congress. Now is the time to take action and speak out against H.J. Res. 140. The Senate is expected to vote on this measure next week, so contact your Senators today. Help us prevent H.J. Res. 140 from passing and creating major implications for environmental conservation and putting our existing public land protections at risk. Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of the Roadless Rule’s adoption in Richmond on Monday, January 12, at a press event co-hosted by Senator Tim Kaine and the Southern Environmental Law Center. VWC Executive Director Ellen Stuart-Haentjens with board members: Ron Stoltzfus, Andrew Young, Lynn Cameron, and Anders Reynolds  VWC Executive Director Ellen Stuart-Haentjens with Representative Jennifer McClellan, SELC Executive Director DJ Gerken, Senator Tim Kaine, and SELC Virginia Office Director Sarah Francisco in Richmond on Monday, January 12, marking the 25th Anniversary of the Roadless Rule. They are posed next to a poster that shows the roadless areas in Virginia that could lose protections if the Forest Service gets rid of the Roadless Rule, a total of 394,000 acres. 
VWC Executive Director Ellen Stuart-Haentjens was interviewed by Politico for an article on FOFA, click here to read more.
"The “Fix Our Forests Act,” S. 1462, which advanced out of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee with bipartisan support earlier this month, would give the Agriculture secretary wide latitude to declare “emergency” situations on millions of acres of federal land... “This administration is redefining what we call an emergency,” said Ellen Stuart-Haentjens, executive director of the Virginia Wilderness Committee, a nonprofit environmental group." |
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