VWC Newsletter July 2008
Virginia Ridge and Valley – NOT YET, BUT SOON?
Continuing its glacial journey through the Congress, the Virginia Ridge and Valley Act has cleared the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and is ready for action on the floor. The latest hang-up is a “hold” that has been placed by Senator Coburn on all bills coming from the committee, over 80 at last count. The Senator from Oklahoma apparently does not mind incurring the wrath of all his colleagues if he can advance his own agenda.
The strategy now is to bundle enough bills into a grand measure that would be proof against any such roadblocks. In fact, Senator Bingaman has introduced a mammoth 759-page bill (S 3213) that embraces 96 separate pieces of legislation coming out of Energy and Natural Resources. There are eight wilderness bills in the package, including our own Virginia Ridge and Valley Act. There really isn’t anything that we can usefully do at present. Our two Senators are solidly behind our bill. All we can do is to let the Senate leadership carry the ball while we sit and watch the show. There will doubtless be skirmishing with amendments and polemics, but we have every hope that this time it really will happen!
Forest Planning on the George Washington
Meanwhile the Forest Service is gearing up to re-start the planning meetings. The first round of public meetings was halted when a federal court threw out the Bush administration’s planning regulations. The revised regulations still face a court challenge, but the GW leadership thinks that they cannot wait for a resolution. So it’s full speed ahead, first with a round of general meetings to be followed later in the fall by a series on specific issues. It is important for the wilderness community to be at the table for these meetings, if only to demonstrate our interest and our determination to expand the wilderness designations in the George Washington. So try to come to as many of these meetings as you possibly can to show the Forest Service that we mean business. Here is the schedule for this marathon, all sessions to be held at 7:00 in the evening:
July 14 Woodstock, Muhlenburg Middle School
July 15 Lexington, Rockbridge County High School
July 16 Baker WV, East Hardy Middle School
July 17 Verona, Augusta County Government Center
July 28 Hot Springs, Hot Springs Presbyterian Church (same site as before)
Annual Meeting Notice
The time has come for us to think about the operations of the Virginia Wilderness Committee for the coming year. Your officers have tried to devise a way to sugar coat the pill of yet another meeting and have come up with a delightful incentive. We will hold the Annual Meeting on the first weekend in August at the Locust Springs campground in Laurel Fork. Those of you who have never been there should take this chance to visit this outstanding candidate for wilderness designation. There is a truly ideal campsite close to beaver ponds and meadows, classic trout streams, and mature forests. There is an Adirondack shelter, but you should probably think about bringing a tent. Come on Friday, August 8th for the night, spend Saturday morning planning our work and electing officers, and take as much of the rest of the weekend as you like to explore what has been one of the VWC’s top wilderness candidates for almost forty years.
Directions: Take US 250 northwest from Monterey for 27 miles to the junction of WV 28. Right on WV 28 for 7 miles; then right on FS Road 192 for 1 mile.
*************************************
Virginia Wilderness Committee: www.vawilderness.org
President: Jim Murray, 1625 Bentivar Farm Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22911 (434-973-6693)
Vice-Pres: Mark Miller, 62 Big Hill Rd., Lexington, VA 24450 (540-464-3110)
Treasurer: Juliana Simpson, 634 64th St. South Haven, MI 49090 (540- 539-1458)
Secretary: Laura Neale, 423 Sheep Creek Lane, Fairfield, VA 24435 (540-261-1909)
Wilderness Coordinator: Carol Lena Miller, 4939 Ottobine Rd., Dayton, VA 22821 (540-879-2127)
Continuing its glacial journey through the Congress, the Virginia Ridge and Valley Act has cleared the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and is ready for action on the floor. The latest hang-up is a “hold” that has been placed by Senator Coburn on all bills coming from the committee, over 80 at last count. The Senator from Oklahoma apparently does not mind incurring the wrath of all his colleagues if he can advance his own agenda.
The strategy now is to bundle enough bills into a grand measure that would be proof against any such roadblocks. In fact, Senator Bingaman has introduced a mammoth 759-page bill (S 3213) that embraces 96 separate pieces of legislation coming out of Energy and Natural Resources. There are eight wilderness bills in the package, including our own Virginia Ridge and Valley Act. There really isn’t anything that we can usefully do at present. Our two Senators are solidly behind our bill. All we can do is to let the Senate leadership carry the ball while we sit and watch the show. There will doubtless be skirmishing with amendments and polemics, but we have every hope that this time it really will happen!
Forest Planning on the George Washington
Meanwhile the Forest Service is gearing up to re-start the planning meetings. The first round of public meetings was halted when a federal court threw out the Bush administration’s planning regulations. The revised regulations still face a court challenge, but the GW leadership thinks that they cannot wait for a resolution. So it’s full speed ahead, first with a round of general meetings to be followed later in the fall by a series on specific issues. It is important for the wilderness community to be at the table for these meetings, if only to demonstrate our interest and our determination to expand the wilderness designations in the George Washington. So try to come to as many of these meetings as you possibly can to show the Forest Service that we mean business. Here is the schedule for this marathon, all sessions to be held at 7:00 in the evening:
July 14 Woodstock, Muhlenburg Middle School
July 15 Lexington, Rockbridge County High School
July 16 Baker WV, East Hardy Middle School
July 17 Verona, Augusta County Government Center
July 28 Hot Springs, Hot Springs Presbyterian Church (same site as before)
Annual Meeting Notice
The time has come for us to think about the operations of the Virginia Wilderness Committee for the coming year. Your officers have tried to devise a way to sugar coat the pill of yet another meeting and have come up with a delightful incentive. We will hold the Annual Meeting on the first weekend in August at the Locust Springs campground in Laurel Fork. Those of you who have never been there should take this chance to visit this outstanding candidate for wilderness designation. There is a truly ideal campsite close to beaver ponds and meadows, classic trout streams, and mature forests. There is an Adirondack shelter, but you should probably think about bringing a tent. Come on Friday, August 8th for the night, spend Saturday morning planning our work and electing officers, and take as much of the rest of the weekend as you like to explore what has been one of the VWC’s top wilderness candidates for almost forty years.
Directions: Take US 250 northwest from Monterey for 27 miles to the junction of WV 28. Right on WV 28 for 7 miles; then right on FS Road 192 for 1 mile.
*************************************
Virginia Wilderness Committee: www.vawilderness.org
President: Jim Murray, 1625 Bentivar Farm Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22911 (434-973-6693)
Vice-Pres: Mark Miller, 62 Big Hill Rd., Lexington, VA 24450 (540-464-3110)
Treasurer: Juliana Simpson, 634 64th St. South Haven, MI 49090 (540- 539-1458)
Secretary: Laura Neale, 423 Sheep Creek Lane, Fairfield, VA 24435 (540-261-1909)
Wilderness Coordinator: Carol Lena Miller, 4939 Ottobine Rd., Dayton, VA 22821 (540-879-2127)