View from Reddish Knob by Brad Striebig
Summer 2020 Newsletter
From the VWC President:
“I was inspired to become a steward of the Earth when my father took me from the concrete jungle that is Brooklyn to Bear Mountain, a hiker’s paradise. I was five years old. I recall moss growing on rocks, mushrooms on rotting wood, and a freshness in the air. When it was time for the afternoon prayer, my father stopped to pray. I was used to praying at home or praying in a mosque. That day, my father told me, ‘The Earth is a Mosque. You can pray anywhere.’ From that moment on, I knew if I could pray anywhere, then everywhere was sacred. It was my duty to protect the planet, to be a steward of the Earth.” - Ibrahim Abdul-Matin
The board and staff of the Virginia Wilderness Committee (VWC) are dedicated to our mission to permanently protect the best of Virginia’s wild places for future generations. We believe that these places are sacred and it is imperative for us to be stewards of them. Especially now, in these troubled times, it is essential to have places of peace and tranquility where we can go to help bring balance back into our daily lives. Our public lands are full of sacred places. But we recognize that systemic racism exists on our trails as well as in our streets. For too long Black and Indigenous people and other people of color have felt unwelcome and unsafe in the great outdoors.
As you read through our newsletter you will discover that, as it has for the past 50 years, VWC continues its work of protecting our commonwealth’s federal public lands for all Virginians. Whether by working to protect wild lands on the Great Dismal Swamp, protecting historic tribal lands of the Monacan Indian Nation, continuing our efforts to promote and secure the permanent protection of Shenandoah Mountain, or ending the construction of the unwanted and unneeded Atlantic Coast Pipeline, VWC continues its long tradition of advocating for the protection of our forests and mountains for the people of Virginia and our guests. We all need these sacred places more now than ever before.
For the Wilderness, John Hutchinson, VWC President
“I was inspired to become a steward of the Earth when my father took me from the concrete jungle that is Brooklyn to Bear Mountain, a hiker’s paradise. I was five years old. I recall moss growing on rocks, mushrooms on rotting wood, and a freshness in the air. When it was time for the afternoon prayer, my father stopped to pray. I was used to praying at home or praying in a mosque. That day, my father told me, ‘The Earth is a Mosque. You can pray anywhere.’ From that moment on, I knew if I could pray anywhere, then everywhere was sacred. It was my duty to protect the planet, to be a steward of the Earth.” - Ibrahim Abdul-Matin
The board and staff of the Virginia Wilderness Committee (VWC) are dedicated to our mission to permanently protect the best of Virginia’s wild places for future generations. We believe that these places are sacred and it is imperative for us to be stewards of them. Especially now, in these troubled times, it is essential to have places of peace and tranquility where we can go to help bring balance back into our daily lives. Our public lands are full of sacred places. But we recognize that systemic racism exists on our trails as well as in our streets. For too long Black and Indigenous people and other people of color have felt unwelcome and unsafe in the great outdoors.
As you read through our newsletter you will discover that, as it has for the past 50 years, VWC continues its work of protecting our commonwealth’s federal public lands for all Virginians. Whether by working to protect wild lands on the Great Dismal Swamp, protecting historic tribal lands of the Monacan Indian Nation, continuing our efforts to promote and secure the permanent protection of Shenandoah Mountain, or ending the construction of the unwanted and unneeded Atlantic Coast Pipeline, VWC continues its long tradition of advocating for the protection of our forests and mountains for the people of Virginia and our guests. We all need these sacred places more now than ever before.
For the Wilderness, John Hutchinson, VWC President
What does the future hold for land protection in Virginia?
With the recent outbreak of COVID-19 and the protests that have spread across the country, we are often asked about the future of land protection across the United States and, in particular, here in Virginia. The answer is easy: things are moving slower; we have not stopped, but we are moving at a measured pace.
The Virginia Wilderness Additions Act is still awaiting action in the House. It is a piece of legislation that should be easy to pass, but with all the turmoil related to legislation dealing with the fallout from COVID-19, our bill is still awaiting action. However, in general, working on Wilderness legislation requires a lot of patience. We are a guardedly optimistic group of people here at the Virginia Wilderness Committee (VWC), so it is not a question of if it will pass but when it will pass. Time is on our side. We do not expect that it will pass immediately, and we dig in for the long haul.
North Shenandoah Mountain is another active campaign that has slowed down. A few weeks ago, the Forest Service released the long awaited, Final Decision Notice for the North Shenandoah Restoration and Management Project. VWC’s interest in this large landscape-scale project focuses on the Forest Service Plan-designated Beech Lick Knob Wilderness Study Area. Like the Additions Act, once the project is in implementation, we will be talking with members of the Stakeholder Collaborative about moving forward with legislation for Beech Lick Knob Wilderness.
The Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area proposal, located in the central Shenandoah Mountain area, is a 90,000-acre proposal which includes an addition to Ramsey’s Draft Wilderness and three new Wilderness areas: Little River, Skidmore Fork, and Lynn Hollow, all areas VWC has been working to protect since the 1980s. When COVID-19 hit, we had already built strong grassroots support with over 400 endorsements from businesses and organizations and had gained resolutions of support from two local governments. We will seek resolutions from three more local governments as soon as conditions allow.
VWC has been working with the Monacan Nation for lands that have been honored and cherished by the Monacan Nation for thousands of years in Rockbridge and Amherst counties. We had just begun to reach out to landowners to gather their support for three Rural Historic Districts when COVID-19 reared its ugly head. Social distancing and quarantining per the Governor’s request made it difficult to go door-to door to speak with landowners. Therefore, the project is on hold. As soon as we are able, we will be back on the ground talking with local landowners about the value of being a part of a Rural Historic District.
VWC has also been a part of a collaborative working on designations to protect the Great Dismal Swamp. Led by Alexa Lawrence, the Southeast Regional Director of The Wilderness Society, Eric Sheppard, and Chief Sam Bass of the Nansemond great strides were being made on moving legislation forward for a Great Dismal Swamp Heritage Area. Alas, COVID-19 stalled this project as well, and all of the collaborative meetings associated with this effort have been put on hold. However, it is only a matter of time before these efforts are back on track. As a part of these discussions, VWC has identified three areas that we believe meet or exceed Wilderness qualifications. We will continue to push for these areas as Wilderness candidates in the future.
There is one area where we have been making great strides. Several years ago, VWC put together a document entitled “Virginia’s Mountain Treasures—The Unprotected Wildlands of the George Washington National Forest.” Recently, we decided to update the Jefferson National Forest version of this document. The original document was put together by The Wilderness Society and released to the public in 1999. This is one project that has not been hampered by social distancing. Several of the identified areas in the 1999 document have since been protected as Wilderness or National Scenic Areas as part of the 2009 Ridge and Valley Act. We have been hard at work mapping the areas we believe still deserve consideration for protection. We have also been headed into the woods to capture the scenic beauty that we find. It is a tough job, which sometimes requires bushwhacking through mountain laurel and rhododendron thickets, but someone has to do it, and VWC is committed to even the toughest of jobs.
So even with all the turmoil we see created by COVID-19 and the protests across American cities, VWC continues its work to protect the best of what Virginia has to offer for future generations.
The Virginia Wilderness Additions Act is still awaiting action in the House. It is a piece of legislation that should be easy to pass, but with all the turmoil related to legislation dealing with the fallout from COVID-19, our bill is still awaiting action. However, in general, working on Wilderness legislation requires a lot of patience. We are a guardedly optimistic group of people here at the Virginia Wilderness Committee (VWC), so it is not a question of if it will pass but when it will pass. Time is on our side. We do not expect that it will pass immediately, and we dig in for the long haul.
North Shenandoah Mountain is another active campaign that has slowed down. A few weeks ago, the Forest Service released the long awaited, Final Decision Notice for the North Shenandoah Restoration and Management Project. VWC’s interest in this large landscape-scale project focuses on the Forest Service Plan-designated Beech Lick Knob Wilderness Study Area. Like the Additions Act, once the project is in implementation, we will be talking with members of the Stakeholder Collaborative about moving forward with legislation for Beech Lick Knob Wilderness.
The Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area proposal, located in the central Shenandoah Mountain area, is a 90,000-acre proposal which includes an addition to Ramsey’s Draft Wilderness and three new Wilderness areas: Little River, Skidmore Fork, and Lynn Hollow, all areas VWC has been working to protect since the 1980s. When COVID-19 hit, we had already built strong grassroots support with over 400 endorsements from businesses and organizations and had gained resolutions of support from two local governments. We will seek resolutions from three more local governments as soon as conditions allow.
VWC has been working with the Monacan Nation for lands that have been honored and cherished by the Monacan Nation for thousands of years in Rockbridge and Amherst counties. We had just begun to reach out to landowners to gather their support for three Rural Historic Districts when COVID-19 reared its ugly head. Social distancing and quarantining per the Governor’s request made it difficult to go door-to door to speak with landowners. Therefore, the project is on hold. As soon as we are able, we will be back on the ground talking with local landowners about the value of being a part of a Rural Historic District.
VWC has also been a part of a collaborative working on designations to protect the Great Dismal Swamp. Led by Alexa Lawrence, the Southeast Regional Director of The Wilderness Society, Eric Sheppard, and Chief Sam Bass of the Nansemond great strides were being made on moving legislation forward for a Great Dismal Swamp Heritage Area. Alas, COVID-19 stalled this project as well, and all of the collaborative meetings associated with this effort have been put on hold. However, it is only a matter of time before these efforts are back on track. As a part of these discussions, VWC has identified three areas that we believe meet or exceed Wilderness qualifications. We will continue to push for these areas as Wilderness candidates in the future.
There is one area where we have been making great strides. Several years ago, VWC put together a document entitled “Virginia’s Mountain Treasures—The Unprotected Wildlands of the George Washington National Forest.” Recently, we decided to update the Jefferson National Forest version of this document. The original document was put together by The Wilderness Society and released to the public in 1999. This is one project that has not been hampered by social distancing. Several of the identified areas in the 1999 document have since been protected as Wilderness or National Scenic Areas as part of the 2009 Ridge and Valley Act. We have been hard at work mapping the areas we believe still deserve consideration for protection. We have also been headed into the woods to capture the scenic beauty that we find. It is a tough job, which sometimes requires bushwhacking through mountain laurel and rhododendron thickets, but someone has to do it, and VWC is committed to even the toughest of jobs.
So even with all the turmoil we see created by COVID-19 and the protests across American cities, VWC continues its work to protect the best of what Virginia has to offer for future generations.
Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area: Getting Close
By Lynn Cameron, Co-Chair of Friends of Shenandoah Mountain and VWC Board Member
The year 2020 began with our campaign making significant progress until COVID-19 put everything on hold. Early this year, Friends of Shenandoah Mountain made presentations about the Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area proposal to Highland Chamber of Commerce, Highland Tourism Council, Bolar Ruritans (Highland County), Stonewall Ruritans (McDowell), Harrisonburg Rotary, and Massanutten-Rockingham Rotary. We reached out to business interests and landowners in Highland County and received new endorsements from the Highland Chamber of Commerce, the Highland Tourism Council, Bolar Ruritan Club, High’s Restaurant, Riven Rock Farm near Monterey, and Catalbe Farm in Headwaters. We reached out to neighboring landowners in Highland and found solid support among those with whom we spoke. We had many more presentations and outreach activities scheduled, but, for the welfare of all, we postponed them until it is once again safe to gather in groups.
Here is where our campaign stands now:
Local governments currently have many difficult decisions to make, but when conditions permit, we will continue to pursue resolutions from the remaining counties and city. COVID-19 may have slowed our momentum, but it has not weakened our resolve.
Here is where our campaign stands now:
- 400+ endorsements from businesses and organizations
- Resolutions of support for our proposal passed by local governments:
- City of Staunton
- Augusta County
- Draft resolutions under consideration:
- City of Harrisonburg
- Rockingham County
- Resolution drafted for Highland County
Local governments currently have many difficult decisions to make, but when conditions permit, we will continue to pursue resolutions from the remaining counties and city. COVID-19 may have slowed our momentum, but it has not weakened our resolve.
A Place Worth Preserving
By Tom Engle, VWC Board Member
Come with me on a hike through some beautiful Virginia wilderness on Shenandoah Mountain. I’ll take you on a stretch of the Wild Oak trail in the George Washington National Forest, up Dividing Ridge, so named because it separates the Shenandoah and James Rivers watersheds.
There is nothing…and everything…special about this trail. From the trailhead north of Braley Pond, it climbs through a dense mountain laurel thicket and a mix of deciduous trees and conifers typical of these southern Appalachians. A skinny thread of a creek tumbles down the hollow to one side, audible in places, silent in others. Stop and look closely at the forest floor and take in the profusion of flora – ferns, vines, seedlings, wildflowers, and other perennials poking up through last year’s leaf litter – again, nothing extraordinary for the Shenandoah Mountain ecosystem, but quietly dramatic evidence of its prodigious biodiversity. Stop and listen to the absence of human noise--to the poetic whisper of the wind in the trees.
After an exercising 2.3-mile climb, our trail joins the Bald Ridge trail, where we are rewarded not with a commanding overlook of receding ridgelines, but with a tiny pond teeming with amphibian life. Here is a pond that’s really an ocean, a bustling universe of organisms perpetrating their seasonal life cycles far from the often-destructive human impact on the environment, but available for wonderous observation by the rare visitors who find their way to this pristine hilltop spot in the forest.
This is wilderness, in ecological fact now and in legal fact to come, once Congress enacts legislation establishing the proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area (SMNSA), a designation the Virginia Wilderness Committee (VWC) and a broad coalition of supporters have been advocating for several years. The Bald Ridge tract containing our trail borders Ramsey’s Draft Wilderness Area, established in 1984, and the National Scenic Area proposal would also add these adjacent 6,000 acres to Ramsey’s Draft. In all the SMNSA would cover 90,000 acres in western Virginia, including four embedded new Wilderness areas totaling over 27,000 acres.
When Congress acts, national law will catch up with regional biology. Virginia is blessed with many places like Dividing Ridge in its western highlands, which constitute a biodiversity hot spot on a planetary scale. Wilderness designation represents the gold standard of protecting these natural gems in our public lands for future generations. Preserving biodiversity is one of the great environmental challenges of our time. Mounting scientific evidence describes alarming declines in plant and animal species and the number of animals in many surviving species.
Scientists understand the connection between biodiversity and humans’ own future on earth. Many experts fear a mass extinction occurring-- not over evolutionary timescale-- but mere decades. Human development that reduces species’ natural habitats is one cause. In wild areas like those on Shenandoah Mountain, limited human impact has helped preserve biodiversity, and official wilderness designation aims to minimize future human impact on these critical habitats. This objective motivates VWC’s activism, and we will continue to advocate for new Wilderness designations in the western highlands and other parts of the state.
Fortunately, Wilderness designation, while helping to minimize human impact, still allows for responsible human enjoyment of these natural areas. Other growing scientific evidence demonstrates that time spent in nature improves our physical and mental health. If you don’t believe it, let’s take a hike up Dividing Ridge and find out.
There is nothing…and everything…special about this trail. From the trailhead north of Braley Pond, it climbs through a dense mountain laurel thicket and a mix of deciduous trees and conifers typical of these southern Appalachians. A skinny thread of a creek tumbles down the hollow to one side, audible in places, silent in others. Stop and look closely at the forest floor and take in the profusion of flora – ferns, vines, seedlings, wildflowers, and other perennials poking up through last year’s leaf litter – again, nothing extraordinary for the Shenandoah Mountain ecosystem, but quietly dramatic evidence of its prodigious biodiversity. Stop and listen to the absence of human noise--to the poetic whisper of the wind in the trees.
After an exercising 2.3-mile climb, our trail joins the Bald Ridge trail, where we are rewarded not with a commanding overlook of receding ridgelines, but with a tiny pond teeming with amphibian life. Here is a pond that’s really an ocean, a bustling universe of organisms perpetrating their seasonal life cycles far from the often-destructive human impact on the environment, but available for wonderous observation by the rare visitors who find their way to this pristine hilltop spot in the forest.
This is wilderness, in ecological fact now and in legal fact to come, once Congress enacts legislation establishing the proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area (SMNSA), a designation the Virginia Wilderness Committee (VWC) and a broad coalition of supporters have been advocating for several years. The Bald Ridge tract containing our trail borders Ramsey’s Draft Wilderness Area, established in 1984, and the National Scenic Area proposal would also add these adjacent 6,000 acres to Ramsey’s Draft. In all the SMNSA would cover 90,000 acres in western Virginia, including four embedded new Wilderness areas totaling over 27,000 acres.
When Congress acts, national law will catch up with regional biology. Virginia is blessed with many places like Dividing Ridge in its western highlands, which constitute a biodiversity hot spot on a planetary scale. Wilderness designation represents the gold standard of protecting these natural gems in our public lands for future generations. Preserving biodiversity is one of the great environmental challenges of our time. Mounting scientific evidence describes alarming declines in plant and animal species and the number of animals in many surviving species.
Scientists understand the connection between biodiversity and humans’ own future on earth. Many experts fear a mass extinction occurring-- not over evolutionary timescale-- but mere decades. Human development that reduces species’ natural habitats is one cause. In wild areas like those on Shenandoah Mountain, limited human impact has helped preserve biodiversity, and official wilderness designation aims to minimize future human impact on these critical habitats. This objective motivates VWC’s activism, and we will continue to advocate for new Wilderness designations in the western highlands and other parts of the state.
Fortunately, Wilderness designation, while helping to minimize human impact, still allows for responsible human enjoyment of these natural areas. Other growing scientific evidence demonstrates that time spent in nature improves our physical and mental health. If you don’t believe it, let’s take a hike up Dividing Ridge and find out.
ACP and Other Litigation Stories
It has been six long years since the Virginia Wilderness Committee (VWC) and many other groups and organizations came together in the fight to prevent the construction of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline (ACP). Led by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), the battle to stop this debacle came to a quiet, but powerful end on Sunday, July 5, 2020, when Dominion Energy finally capitulated. Dominion was unable to overcome widespread public opposition and legal challenges to the project, in part because the $8 billion pipeline was billed as a necessity for providing energy to the Virginia coast. Those arguments disintegrated under public and legal scrutiny, when experts showed the pipeline was not necessary to meet energy demand. With the biggest hurdle cleared, VWC will now work to ensure Dominion commits to properly abandoning and restoring the right-of-way.
Sadly, almost before the ink was dry, Dominion was back before Federal Energy and Regulatory Commission (FERC), reaffirming its request for a two-year extension to construct and place portions of the Supply Header Project into service. As originally proposed, the Supply Header Project was a short pipeline in West Virginia and Pennsylvania that would have supplied gas to the ACP. However, since the ACP is no longer being built, it would appear that such a supply is not necessary. VWC and many other groups filed comments opposing this request and will persevere in this final battle.
On another front, the Trump administration recently announced new rules to hobble the nation’s bedrock environmental protection law, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA is a critical tool to ensure government transparency and gives affected citizens a voice in agency decision making. VWC works hand in hand with SELC on multiple forest projects where NEPA is involved and essential. The proposed changes would make it harder for forest groups interested in project planning and development to have a voice at the table. NEPA was also critical to defeating the ACP pipeline. The proposed changes would prevent communities from mounting the same kinds of challenges to other massive money-making pipeline projects that come at a high environmental and fiscal cost to affected communities and landowners. SELC has again taken the lead on fighting these draconian measures, and VWC has joined fifteen other groups to challenge these regulatory changes in court. Thank you, SELC!
Sadly, almost before the ink was dry, Dominion was back before Federal Energy and Regulatory Commission (FERC), reaffirming its request for a two-year extension to construct and place portions of the Supply Header Project into service. As originally proposed, the Supply Header Project was a short pipeline in West Virginia and Pennsylvania that would have supplied gas to the ACP. However, since the ACP is no longer being built, it would appear that such a supply is not necessary. VWC and many other groups filed comments opposing this request and will persevere in this final battle.
On another front, the Trump administration recently announced new rules to hobble the nation’s bedrock environmental protection law, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA is a critical tool to ensure government transparency and gives affected citizens a voice in agency decision making. VWC works hand in hand with SELC on multiple forest projects where NEPA is involved and essential. The proposed changes would make it harder for forest groups interested in project planning and development to have a voice at the table. NEPA was also critical to defeating the ACP pipeline. The proposed changes would prevent communities from mounting the same kinds of challenges to other massive money-making pipeline projects that come at a high environmental and fiscal cost to affected communities and landowners. SELC has again taken the lead on fighting these draconian measures, and VWC has joined fifteen other groups to challenge these regulatory changes in court. Thank you, SELC!
Virginia Wilderness Committee’s Statement on Racial Inequit
The Virginia Wilderness Committee (VWC) stands with the peaceful protests that have occurred across the United States. We regret the pain and suffering communities of color have endured for years under white supremacy. The recent murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor remind us of our nation’s long and dreadful history of racism and racially-based violence. The recent incident in Central Park in which Christian Cooper was threatened for “birding while Black” highlights that systemic racism exists on our public lands and trails as well as in our streets. For too long Black and Indigenous people and other people of color have felt unwelcome in conservation organizations and unsafe in the great outdoors.
During the COVID-19 pandemic and protests over the brutal killing of George Floyd, our parks, national forests and wilderness areas have provided places of refuge and renewal. Unfortunately, not everyone has been able to take advantage of the healing and rejuvenating power of nature. Too often, people of color, especially Black people, are targets of suspicion when performing everyday activities like hiking and birdwatching. This exacts a severe psychological and physical toll that keeps untold numbers of people from participating in outdoor activities and conservation organizations, like ours, that promote them.
As historically white institutions, wilderness conservation organizations, including VWC, must now listen, learn, and take-action to redress past failures. We acknowledge we have been complicit with systems of racial segregation and inequality. We acknowledge our organization must be more welcoming to and inclusive of Black and Indigenous people and other people of color. We recognize that by doing so we will become a stronger organization and more effective advocates for Virginia’s public lands. We acknowledge we can do more to make Virginia’s public lands inviting and safe for everyone. We recognize the time to create greater equity both within our organization and beyond is past due.
VWC’s staff and board of directors commit to doing the individual, organizational, and cultural work of proactive anti-racism. We will educate ourselves and our members. We will engage in self-examination regarding issues of race. We will make our organization more welcoming and inclusive. We will advocate for anti-racist conservation policies. We will invest our resources, privilege, and power. We will find more ways to work with and support communities of color and serve as anti-racist allies.
VWC is currently working on two projects that will help us fulfill our commitment to racial justice and equity:
The Monacan people once inhabited much of Virginia from the fall line west to the Blue Ridge. Many members of the Monacan Indian Nation now reside in the Irish Creek area of Rockbridge County and around Bear Mountain in Amherst County. At their request, VWC is assisting them in designating historic tribal lands on both sides of the Blue Ridge as a National Register of Historic Places Rural Historic District.
While we are proud of our current efforts, we recognize that this is only a start. We are committed to the proposition that Black and Indigenous people, and all people of color’s lives matter in Virginia’s great outdoors. The Virginia Wilderness Committee will work to ensure all people can enjoy our public lands without fear.
Virginia Wilderness Committee Board and Staff
During the COVID-19 pandemic and protests over the brutal killing of George Floyd, our parks, national forests and wilderness areas have provided places of refuge and renewal. Unfortunately, not everyone has been able to take advantage of the healing and rejuvenating power of nature. Too often, people of color, especially Black people, are targets of suspicion when performing everyday activities like hiking and birdwatching. This exacts a severe psychological and physical toll that keeps untold numbers of people from participating in outdoor activities and conservation organizations, like ours, that promote them.
As historically white institutions, wilderness conservation organizations, including VWC, must now listen, learn, and take-action to redress past failures. We acknowledge we have been complicit with systems of racial segregation and inequality. We acknowledge our organization must be more welcoming to and inclusive of Black and Indigenous people and other people of color. We recognize that by doing so we will become a stronger organization and more effective advocates for Virginia’s public lands. We acknowledge we can do more to make Virginia’s public lands inviting and safe for everyone. We recognize the time to create greater equity both within our organization and beyond is past due.
VWC’s staff and board of directors commit to doing the individual, organizational, and cultural work of proactive anti-racism. We will educate ourselves and our members. We will engage in self-examination regarding issues of race. We will make our organization more welcoming and inclusive. We will advocate for anti-racist conservation policies. We will invest our resources, privilege, and power. We will find more ways to work with and support communities of color and serve as anti-racist allies.
VWC is currently working on two projects that will help us fulfill our commitment to racial justice and equity:
- proposed Wilderness and National Heritage Area designations at the Great Dismal Swamp in Tidewater and
- recognition of historic tribal lands of the Indigenous Monacan people in the Blue Ridge.
The Monacan people once inhabited much of Virginia from the fall line west to the Blue Ridge. Many members of the Monacan Indian Nation now reside in the Irish Creek area of Rockbridge County and around Bear Mountain in Amherst County. At their request, VWC is assisting them in designating historic tribal lands on both sides of the Blue Ridge as a National Register of Historic Places Rural Historic District.
While we are proud of our current efforts, we recognize that this is only a start. We are committed to the proposition that Black and Indigenous people, and all people of color’s lives matter in Virginia’s great outdoors. The Virginia Wilderness Committee will work to ensure all people can enjoy our public lands without fear.
Virginia Wilderness Committee Board and Staff
The Virginia Wilderness Committee (VWC) stands with the peaceful protests that have occurred across the United States. We regret the pain and suffering communities of color have endured for years under white supremacy. The recent murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor remind us of our nation’s long and dreadful history of racism and racially-based violence. The recent incident in Central Park in which Christian Cooper was threatened for “birding while Black” highlights that systemic racism exists on our public lands and trails as well as in our streets. For too long Black and Indigenous people and other people of color have felt unwelcome in conservation organizations and unsafe in the great outdoors.
During the COVID-19 pandemic and protests over the brutal killing of George Floyd, our parks, national forests and wilderness areas have provided places of refuge and renewal. Unfortunately, not everyone has been able to take advantage of the healing and rejuvenating power of nature. Too often, people of color, especially Black people, are targets of suspicion when performing everyday activities like hiking and birdwatching. This exacts a severe psychological and physical toll that keeps untold numbers of people from participating in outdoor activities and conservation organizations, like ours, that promote them.
As historically white institutions, wilderness conservation organizations, including VWC, must now listen, learn, and take-action to redress past failures. We acknowledge we have been complicit with systems of racial segregation and inequality. We acknowledge our organization must be more welcoming to and inclusive of Black and Indigenous people and other people of color. We recognize that by doing so we will become a stronger organization and more effective advocates for Virginia’s public lands. We acknowledge we can do more to make Virginia’s public lands inviting and safe for everyone. We recognize the time to create greater equity both within our organization and beyond is past due.
VWC’s staff and board of directors commit to doing the individual, organizational, and cultural work of proactive anti-racism. We will educate ourselves and our members. We will engage in self-examination regarding issues of race. We will make our organization more welcoming and inclusive. We will advocate for anti-racist conservation policies. We will invest our resources, privilege, and power. We will find more ways to work with and support communities of color and serve as anti-racist allies.
VWC is currently working on two projects that will help us fulfill our commitment to racial justice and equity:
The Monacan people once inhabited much of Virginia from the fall line west to the Blue Ridge. Many members of the Monacan Indian Nation now reside in the Irish Creek area of Rockbridge County and around Bear Mountain in Amherst County. At their request, VWC is assisting them in designating historic tribal lands on both sides of the Blue Ridge as a National Register of Historic Places Rural Historic District.
While we are proud of our current efforts, we recognize that this is only a start. We are committed to the proposition that Black and Indigenous people, and all people of color’s lives matter in Virginia’s great outdoors. The Virginia Wilderness Committee will work to ensure all people can enjoy our public lands without fear.
Virginia Wilderness Committee Board and Staff
During the COVID-19 pandemic and protests over the brutal killing of George Floyd, our parks, national forests and wilderness areas have provided places of refuge and renewal. Unfortunately, not everyone has been able to take advantage of the healing and rejuvenating power of nature. Too often, people of color, especially Black people, are targets of suspicion when performing everyday activities like hiking and birdwatching. This exacts a severe psychological and physical toll that keeps untold numbers of people from participating in outdoor activities and conservation organizations, like ours, that promote them.
As historically white institutions, wilderness conservation organizations, including VWC, must now listen, learn, and take-action to redress past failures. We acknowledge we have been complicit with systems of racial segregation and inequality. We acknowledge our organization must be more welcoming to and inclusive of Black and Indigenous people and other people of color. We recognize that by doing so we will become a stronger organization and more effective advocates for Virginia’s public lands. We acknowledge we can do more to make Virginia’s public lands inviting and safe for everyone. We recognize the time to create greater equity both within our organization and beyond is past due.
VWC’s staff and board of directors commit to doing the individual, organizational, and cultural work of proactive anti-racism. We will educate ourselves and our members. We will engage in self-examination regarding issues of race. We will make our organization more welcoming and inclusive. We will advocate for anti-racist conservation policies. We will invest our resources, privilege, and power. We will find more ways to work with and support communities of color and serve as anti-racist allies.
VWC is currently working on two projects that will help us fulfill our commitment to racial justice and equity:
- proposed Wilderness and National Heritage Area designations at the Great Dismal Swamp in Tidewater and
- recognition of historic tribal lands of the Indigenous Monacan people in the Blue Ridge.
The Monacan people once inhabited much of Virginia from the fall line west to the Blue Ridge. Many members of the Monacan Indian Nation now reside in the Irish Creek area of Rockbridge County and around Bear Mountain in Amherst County. At their request, VWC is assisting them in designating historic tribal lands on both sides of the Blue Ridge as a National Register of Historic Places Rural Historic District.
While we are proud of our current efforts, we recognize that this is only a start. We are committed to the proposition that Black and Indigenous people, and all people of color’s lives matter in Virginia’s great outdoors. The Virginia Wilderness Committee will work to ensure all people can enjoy our public lands without fear.
Virginia Wilderness Committee Board and Staff