| Printable version of VWC Nov2016 newsletter |
VWC Newsletter - November 2016
From the President: New Faces and Old Friends
With our annual election of new Officers and Board members, VWC welcomes both new faces and old friends.
New Board member Larry Evans joins the Board as Treasurer, replacing Ron Stoltzfus. A part-time bookkeeper and carpenter, Larry serves on several other nonprofit boards in addition to VWC. Ron has accepted a new teaching assignment out of State but will remain on the Board and continue to maintain the Buck Mountain Trail in the proposed Little River Wilderness Area. Old friend Catharine Tucker of Richmond joins the Board after having been associated with wilderness preservation in both Michigan and Virginia for years. We are fortunate that she is active in a number of other Virginia and national environmental groups, as well. In addition, we want to recognize the long eight-year service of Pete Bsumek as Secretary – well beyond the call of duty. Christy Bradburn, an adjunct professor in the Geographic Science Department at James Madison University, will relieve Pete as Secretary. Pete will continue to serve on our Board and is our principle liaison with the Sierra Club.
We also welcome new Outreach Coordinator Lacey Dean of Staunton. Lacey is a Virginia Master Naturalist with 12 years of experience working in informal science education. Field Director Mark Miller will move up to the position of Executive Director, a position that, in reality, he has already been occupying by virtue of his leadership qualities and initiative.
VWC continues to be blessed with both old and young advocates of wilderness preservation and environmental protection. I look forward to another year of working on our priorities with these wonderful colleagues (more complete biographies of all VWC Board members and advisors are available on our website, www.vawilderness.org. I invite you to join this inspired group on what I think is a truly vital cause – preservation, enlargement, and increased public knowledge and enjoyment of these priceless treasures.
For the Wilderness, Bud Watson, President
With our annual election of new Officers and Board members, VWC welcomes both new faces and old friends.
New Board member Larry Evans joins the Board as Treasurer, replacing Ron Stoltzfus. A part-time bookkeeper and carpenter, Larry serves on several other nonprofit boards in addition to VWC. Ron has accepted a new teaching assignment out of State but will remain on the Board and continue to maintain the Buck Mountain Trail in the proposed Little River Wilderness Area. Old friend Catharine Tucker of Richmond joins the Board after having been associated with wilderness preservation in both Michigan and Virginia for years. We are fortunate that she is active in a number of other Virginia and national environmental groups, as well. In addition, we want to recognize the long eight-year service of Pete Bsumek as Secretary – well beyond the call of duty. Christy Bradburn, an adjunct professor in the Geographic Science Department at James Madison University, will relieve Pete as Secretary. Pete will continue to serve on our Board and is our principle liaison with the Sierra Club.
We also welcome new Outreach Coordinator Lacey Dean of Staunton. Lacey is a Virginia Master Naturalist with 12 years of experience working in informal science education. Field Director Mark Miller will move up to the position of Executive Director, a position that, in reality, he has already been occupying by virtue of his leadership qualities and initiative.
VWC continues to be blessed with both old and young advocates of wilderness preservation and environmental protection. I look forward to another year of working on our priorities with these wonderful colleagues (more complete biographies of all VWC Board members and advisors are available on our website, www.vawilderness.org. I invite you to join this inspired group on what I think is a truly vital cause – preservation, enlargement, and increased public knowledge and enjoyment of these priceless treasures.
For the Wilderness, Bud Watson, President
UPDATE ON PIPELINES
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced that it will release a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) in December. The proposed ACP route slices through core forest areas and crosses pristine brook trout streams in both the George Washington and Monongahela National Forests. The proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) through the Jefferson is also moving forward with a draft EIS released in September. FERC has refused to do a programmatic EIS that would assess the need for multiple pipelines through Virginia and West Virginia and the resulting cumulative environmental impacts. A new independent study concluded that neither of these pipelines is needed to meet our energy demands; existing infrastructure is quite adequate. Learn more at: vawilderness.org/dominion-pipeline.html. The best action you can take is to write to the U.S. Forest Service as soon as possible and voice your objection to these pipelines. Both the ACP and the MVP would create new utility corridors though unspoiled public lands and violate the applicable Forest Service management plans. The contact for both pipelines in the George Washington, Jefferson, and Monongahela National Forests is:
Clyde Thompson, Forest Supervisor, Monongahela National Forest
200 Sycamore Street, Elkins, WV 26241
[email protected]
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced that it will release a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP) in December. The proposed ACP route slices through core forest areas and crosses pristine brook trout streams in both the George Washington and Monongahela National Forests. The proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) through the Jefferson is also moving forward with a draft EIS released in September. FERC has refused to do a programmatic EIS that would assess the need for multiple pipelines through Virginia and West Virginia and the resulting cumulative environmental impacts. A new independent study concluded that neither of these pipelines is needed to meet our energy demands; existing infrastructure is quite adequate. Learn more at: vawilderness.org/dominion-pipeline.html. The best action you can take is to write to the U.S. Forest Service as soon as possible and voice your objection to these pipelines. Both the ACP and the MVP would create new utility corridors though unspoiled public lands and violate the applicable Forest Service management plans. The contact for both pipelines in the George Washington, Jefferson, and Monongahela National Forests is:
Clyde Thompson, Forest Supervisor, Monongahela National Forest
200 Sycamore Street, Elkins, WV 26241
[email protected]
ALERT: Senate Bill Could Open Wilderness Areas to Mountain Biking
The Human-Powered Travel in Wilderness Areas Act, introduced on July 13 by Senators Lee and Hatch of Utah, proposes to open federally-designated Wilderness Areas to mountain biking. The Bill would grant managing agencies two years to decide whether to permit this new use. If the agencies do not decide within two years, the default would be to allow mountain bike usage. VWC stands behind the Wilderness Act and opposes this bill. The Wilderness Act of 1964 forbids “mechanical form of transport” in Wilderness, and for good reasons. Mechanical transport diminishes wilderness values, like solitude and freedom, from the fast pace of modern civilization. Passage of this bill, which is supported by a small faction of mountain bikers, could pave the way for other prohibited activities that would weaken the Wilderness Act. Mountain bikers have access to the vast majority of the 1.8 million acres of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, almost everywhere, in fact, except for the twenty-three Wilderness Areas, totaling 137,584 acres. VWC is committed to working with mountain bike organizations in developing win-win Wilderness proposals with boundaries drawn to respect current mountain bike use, just as we did with the Ridge and Valley Act (2009) and with our current Shenandoah Mountain Proposal.
Please ask Virginia’s Senators to oppose S.3205:
Senator Tim Kaine: 231 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
Senator Mark Warner: 475 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
The Human-Powered Travel in Wilderness Areas Act, introduced on July 13 by Senators Lee and Hatch of Utah, proposes to open federally-designated Wilderness Areas to mountain biking. The Bill would grant managing agencies two years to decide whether to permit this new use. If the agencies do not decide within two years, the default would be to allow mountain bike usage. VWC stands behind the Wilderness Act and opposes this bill. The Wilderness Act of 1964 forbids “mechanical form of transport” in Wilderness, and for good reasons. Mechanical transport diminishes wilderness values, like solitude and freedom, from the fast pace of modern civilization. Passage of this bill, which is supported by a small faction of mountain bikers, could pave the way for other prohibited activities that would weaken the Wilderness Act. Mountain bikers have access to the vast majority of the 1.8 million acres of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, almost everywhere, in fact, except for the twenty-three Wilderness Areas, totaling 137,584 acres. VWC is committed to working with mountain bike organizations in developing win-win Wilderness proposals with boundaries drawn to respect current mountain bike use, just as we did with the Ridge and Valley Act (2009) and with our current Shenandoah Mountain Proposal.
Please ask Virginia’s Senators to oppose S.3205:
Senator Tim Kaine: 231 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
Senator Mark Warner: 475 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510
Shenandoah Mountain Campaign Update
Our 90,000-acre Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area proposal is continuing to gain public support. Since January, Friends of Shenandoah Mountain (FOSM) Co-Chair Lynn Cameron has presented to nine groups, including Headwaters Master Naturalists and Izaak Walton League of America-Staunton-Augusta Chapter, among others. FOSM exhibited at the 3-day Red Wing Roots Music Festival at Natural Chimneys in July and led hikes for festival goers.
New endorsements include Depot Grille (Staunton), Staunton Steam Laundry, JMU Adventure Program, JMU Geography Club, and many more. See the full list of over 270 endorsers at www.friendsofshenandaohmountain.org.
FOSM is continuing to reach out to neighboring landowners, some of whom have become ardent supporters of the proposal. The 4th annual Shenandoah Mountain Wildflower Walks, led by Headwaters Master Naturalists on April 15, had the best attendance ever with over 50 participants, including several families.
Sempervirens, the Virginia Native Plant Society (VNPS) quarterly, featured an article by Lynn, “A Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area: Methodical Work Key for Successful Designation,” January 2016.
Help our campaign keep momentum:
Our 90,000-acre Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area proposal is continuing to gain public support. Since January, Friends of Shenandoah Mountain (FOSM) Co-Chair Lynn Cameron has presented to nine groups, including Headwaters Master Naturalists and Izaak Walton League of America-Staunton-Augusta Chapter, among others. FOSM exhibited at the 3-day Red Wing Roots Music Festival at Natural Chimneys in July and led hikes for festival goers.
New endorsements include Depot Grille (Staunton), Staunton Steam Laundry, JMU Adventure Program, JMU Geography Club, and many more. See the full list of over 270 endorsers at www.friendsofshenandaohmountain.org.
FOSM is continuing to reach out to neighboring landowners, some of whom have become ardent supporters of the proposal. The 4th annual Shenandoah Mountain Wildflower Walks, led by Headwaters Master Naturalists on April 15, had the best attendance ever with over 50 participants, including several families.
Sempervirens, the Virginia Native Plant Society (VNPS) quarterly, featured an article by Lynn, “A Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area: Methodical Work Key for Successful Designation,” January 2016.
Help our campaign keep momentum:
- Ask for a presentation about the Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area proposal to a group. Contact: [email protected].
- Ask a business to endorse our proposal.
2017 is shaping up to be a big year for VWC! And we need your help!
FIRST, we hope to see legislation introduced in 2017, designating additions to the Rich Hole and Rough Mountain Wilderness Areas (5,500 acres in all) – expect more information about this and how you can help in the next newsletter.
SECOND, VWC will be placing new signs along the Rich Hole Wilderness boundary. Dominion Power and its contractors inadvertently used chain saws in the Rich Hole Wilderness. To prevent this in the future, the Forest Service has requested our assistance in clearly designating the Wilderness boundary. Your contribution will help us acquire the signs. Watch for the action alert asking for your help to hang the signs.
THIRD, VWC will step up efforts to educate the public about the many benefits of Wilderness by making presentations to local groups and exhibiting at festivals and fairs. We will also keep our momentum on the Shenandoah Mountain campaign by seeking more endorsements for the proposed National Scenic Area and embedded Wilderness.
Your generous contribution will help us achieve all three of these goals!
Thank You! _____________________________________________________________________________________________
✁ Please cut here and return with your donation in the enclosed envelope. All contributions are tax deductible.
Yes! I want to help protect Wilderness in Virginia!
My check is enclosed for the amount of: $______________
Virginia Wilderness Committee
P.O. Box 1235 Lexington, VA 24450
OR visit www.vawilderness.org and click on “Donate” to make a contribution using PayPal. The date of your last donation is printed on your mailing label on the front of this newsletter.
Your donation to support VWC’s work toward protecting Virginia’s Wilderness is warmly appreciated. Thank you!
I would like to receive action alerts and other timely news from the Virginia Wilderness Committee.
Email:_________________________________________
FIRST, we hope to see legislation introduced in 2017, designating additions to the Rich Hole and Rough Mountain Wilderness Areas (5,500 acres in all) – expect more information about this and how you can help in the next newsletter.
SECOND, VWC will be placing new signs along the Rich Hole Wilderness boundary. Dominion Power and its contractors inadvertently used chain saws in the Rich Hole Wilderness. To prevent this in the future, the Forest Service has requested our assistance in clearly designating the Wilderness boundary. Your contribution will help us acquire the signs. Watch for the action alert asking for your help to hang the signs.
THIRD, VWC will step up efforts to educate the public about the many benefits of Wilderness by making presentations to local groups and exhibiting at festivals and fairs. We will also keep our momentum on the Shenandoah Mountain campaign by seeking more endorsements for the proposed National Scenic Area and embedded Wilderness.
Your generous contribution will help us achieve all three of these goals!
Thank You! _____________________________________________________________________________________________
✁ Please cut here and return with your donation in the enclosed envelope. All contributions are tax deductible.
Yes! I want to help protect Wilderness in Virginia!
My check is enclosed for the amount of: $______________
Virginia Wilderness Committee
P.O. Box 1235 Lexington, VA 24450
OR visit www.vawilderness.org and click on “Donate” to make a contribution using PayPal. The date of your last donation is printed on your mailing label on the front of this newsletter.
Your donation to support VWC’s work toward protecting Virginia’s Wilderness is warmly appreciated. Thank you!
I would like to receive action alerts and other timely news from the Virginia Wilderness Committee.
Email:_________________________________________