VWC Newsletter - August 2012
NEWS, NEWS, and MORE NEWS
This issue of the Newsletter will be more than usually telegraphic, since there is so much news to tell. First and foremost: the VWC has graduated from the status of a 501(c)(4) organization to that of a 501(c)(3), a tiny change with great implications. Our contributors can now declare all their gifts, past and future, in calendar year 2012 as deductible charitable gifts.
The change of status means that the Annual Meeting takes on a heightened significance this year. To satisfy the IRS we must amend our By-laws, and we are taking this opportunity to expand the composition and function of the Board of Directors. These changes will be subject to a vote of the membership, so check them out on our web-site www.vawilderness.org and click on “About Us”. Your suggestions for new Board members are welcome. We will meet at 10:00 am on September 8th at Ernie Dickerman’s farm, now home to his nephew Bob. (Go to Buffalo Gap on Rt. 42, turn west on Rt. 688, and follow the signs to 2nd mailbox on left, #228.) We will also elect officers (nominations to Lynn Cameron or Jim Murray), and plot our strategy for the coming year.
September holds more exciting events, notably the kick off of celebrations to mark the Fiftieth Anniversary of the passage of the Wilderness Act of 1964. In a collaborative effort by the VWC, the U.S. Forest Service, and Wild Virginia, we have invited Bill Meadows, the retiring President of the Wilderness Society, and well-known author Chris Bolgiano to present an Evening of Wilderness celebrating achievements under the Act and challenges of the future.
There will be two sessions:
Blacksburg – September 13th, at 6:30 pm in the beautifully restored Lyric Theater
Harrisonburg – September 27th, at 7:00 pm in the Martin Chapel at Eastern Mennonite University
Come and renew your excitement about Wilderness, its values, and its history.
Meanwhile the planning on the George Washington National Forest grinds on. The eagerly awaited Revised Plan has been submitted to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, who have about four months for comments before a decision comes down. The VWC is waiting with bated breath to see if our efforts, via the Stakeholders Group, will have a material effect on the Plan. This Group, led by our own Mark Miller and by John Hancock of Meade/Westvaco, has made remarkable progress in fostering civil discussion among disparate interest groups and in brokering agreement among them. Representatives of conservation groups, the timber industry, game managers, hikers, mountain bikers, horsemen, and others have articulated a strategy that seems to satisfy most of the users of the national forests. Essentially the strategy is to promote comprehensive planning for selected projects within the forest. Each project area would establish a core under wilderness protection while peripheral areas would be available for logging and game management. The Stakeholders have agreed to begin by designating two project areas for working out the details of the process. These will be the Beech Lick Knob area in Rockingham County and an area around the conjunction of Bath, Alleghany, and Rockbridge Counties. We eagerly await the outcome.
While the Forest Service is not a direct participant in the Stakeholder negotiations, the new Supervisor of the Jefferson/George Washington National Forest, Tom Speaks, has shown a keen interest in the process. He is meeting with each constituent group, including the VWC, and can be relied on to encourage further dialog.
CHANGING THE GUARD
After more years than I care to remember your anonymous editor is about to step down. The good news is that a real professional, Chris Bolgiano, will be taking over. You know her books about the Appalachian forest and its flora and fauna, so you know you are in good hands.
Officers:
President: Laura Neale, Fairfield, VA
Vice President: Lynn Cameron, Mt. Crawford, VA
Secretary: Pete Bsumek, Harrisonburg, VA
Treasurer: Karen Waterman, Stuarts Draft, VA
This issue of the Newsletter will be more than usually telegraphic, since there is so much news to tell. First and foremost: the VWC has graduated from the status of a 501(c)(4) organization to that of a 501(c)(3), a tiny change with great implications. Our contributors can now declare all their gifts, past and future, in calendar year 2012 as deductible charitable gifts.
The change of status means that the Annual Meeting takes on a heightened significance this year. To satisfy the IRS we must amend our By-laws, and we are taking this opportunity to expand the composition and function of the Board of Directors. These changes will be subject to a vote of the membership, so check them out on our web-site www.vawilderness.org and click on “About Us”. Your suggestions for new Board members are welcome. We will meet at 10:00 am on September 8th at Ernie Dickerman’s farm, now home to his nephew Bob. (Go to Buffalo Gap on Rt. 42, turn west on Rt. 688, and follow the signs to 2nd mailbox on left, #228.) We will also elect officers (nominations to Lynn Cameron or Jim Murray), and plot our strategy for the coming year.
September holds more exciting events, notably the kick off of celebrations to mark the Fiftieth Anniversary of the passage of the Wilderness Act of 1964. In a collaborative effort by the VWC, the U.S. Forest Service, and Wild Virginia, we have invited Bill Meadows, the retiring President of the Wilderness Society, and well-known author Chris Bolgiano to present an Evening of Wilderness celebrating achievements under the Act and challenges of the future.
There will be two sessions:
Blacksburg – September 13th, at 6:30 pm in the beautifully restored Lyric Theater
Harrisonburg – September 27th, at 7:00 pm in the Martin Chapel at Eastern Mennonite University
Come and renew your excitement about Wilderness, its values, and its history.
Meanwhile the planning on the George Washington National Forest grinds on. The eagerly awaited Revised Plan has been submitted to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, who have about four months for comments before a decision comes down. The VWC is waiting with bated breath to see if our efforts, via the Stakeholders Group, will have a material effect on the Plan. This Group, led by our own Mark Miller and by John Hancock of Meade/Westvaco, has made remarkable progress in fostering civil discussion among disparate interest groups and in brokering agreement among them. Representatives of conservation groups, the timber industry, game managers, hikers, mountain bikers, horsemen, and others have articulated a strategy that seems to satisfy most of the users of the national forests. Essentially the strategy is to promote comprehensive planning for selected projects within the forest. Each project area would establish a core under wilderness protection while peripheral areas would be available for logging and game management. The Stakeholders have agreed to begin by designating two project areas for working out the details of the process. These will be the Beech Lick Knob area in Rockingham County and an area around the conjunction of Bath, Alleghany, and Rockbridge Counties. We eagerly await the outcome.
While the Forest Service is not a direct participant in the Stakeholder negotiations, the new Supervisor of the Jefferson/George Washington National Forest, Tom Speaks, has shown a keen interest in the process. He is meeting with each constituent group, including the VWC, and can be relied on to encourage further dialog.
CHANGING THE GUARD
After more years than I care to remember your anonymous editor is about to step down. The good news is that a real professional, Chris Bolgiano, will be taking over. You know her books about the Appalachian forest and its flora and fauna, so you know you are in good hands.
Officers:
President: Laura Neale, Fairfield, VA
Vice President: Lynn Cameron, Mt. Crawford, VA
Secretary: Pete Bsumek, Harrisonburg, VA
Treasurer: Karen Waterman, Stuarts Draft, VA