VWC Newsletter - March 2003
Jefferson Plan Released
Finally, the Jefferson National Forest draft plan is out, a milestone for those of us who have endured hundreds of miles driving to seemingly endless public meetings. We have tried to extract the core wilderness information. There is some good news but it should have been better. We are asking for your help by sending in comments before June 19.
As expected, the plan recommends three new stand-alone Wilderness Study Areas, Garden Mountain, Hunting Camp Creek/Little Wolf Creek, and Cave Springs (on the Clinch). Not enough. We must continue to advocate the areas carefully researched and mapped by our Radford Group, and in one case the result of a compromise worked out by a citizens committee appointed by the Forest Service who then ignored the results. Urge that requests made by the public in hearing after hearing be honored: Wilderness Study status for Brush Mt., Brush Mt. East, Little Walker Mt., Long Spur, Crawfish Valley, Brushy Mt., Horse Heaven, Panther Knob, Raccoon Branch and Seng Mt.
There are Forest Service proposals for additions to seven existing Wilderness Areas: James River Face, Shawvers Run, Mt. Lake (A,B&C), Peters Mt. (A&B), Kimberling Creek (A&B), Little Wilson Creek (A, B& Stone Mt.), and Lewis Fork (Helton Creek). Again not enough. We must urge, at least for inclusion of the most glaring omission, additions (A&B) to Beartown Wilderness.
Please send your comments to: Jefferson National Forest Content Analysis Team, P.O. Box 221150, Salt Lake City UT 84122, and/or by e-mail to: jefferson@fs.fed.us. Please also urge Congressman Rick Boucher (US House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515) to introduce a Wilderness Bill for our recommended areas ASAP. Congressman Boucher and his staff in southwest Virginia are supportive and are working with us, but need constant encouragement, especially from the local level. Mark Miller is working tirelessly with user groups and Boards of Supervisors in counties with proposed Wilderness Areas. We have one county on record in support, and expect others in the near future.
Ominous Rule Change
The Bush administration, under the guise of changing federal regulations implementing the National Forest Management Act (NFMA), is proposing a rule that forest plans could be adopted and revised without an EIS (Environment Impact Statement), completely bypassing NEPA (National Environmental Protection Act) that has been so critical for environmentalists. We only have until April 7 to send our outrage to USDA FS Planning Rule, Content Analysis Team, P.O. Box 8359, Missoula, MT 59807; e-mail: Planning_rule@fs.fed.us; fax: Planning Rule Comments at (406) 329-3556.
Is There Any Cheer?
Yes, the Senate approved an amendment to strip from the budget bill a provision that would have allowed oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Only by four votes, and the threat will continue to surface until we can get federal wilderness protection for those caribou, a forty year struggle, but we never stop. And the three wilderness study areas in the new plan are beautiful places. Your president checked out Cave Springs, the only one he didn’t know, on February 8th, and he called bill Damon (Forest Supervisor) from the top of Stone Mt. in 8” snow, to agree with him on how beautiful it was. And Don Giecek, our man in the GW, has scheduled two hikes for you in Laurel Fork and one in Big Schloss, to show you how pretty (and deserving) THEY are:
President: Jim Murray, 1601 Bentivar Farm Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22911 (434-973-6693)
Vice-Pres: John Rice
Treasurer: Juliana Simpson, 11 E. Monmouth, Winchester, VA 22601 (540-662-7043)
Secretary: Mark Miller, 62 Big Hill Rd., Lexington, VA 24450 (540-464-3110)
Field organizer: Don Giecek, 19484 Running Cedar Ln., Maidens, VA 23229 (804-749-1992)
Finally, the Jefferson National Forest draft plan is out, a milestone for those of us who have endured hundreds of miles driving to seemingly endless public meetings. We have tried to extract the core wilderness information. There is some good news but it should have been better. We are asking for your help by sending in comments before June 19.
As expected, the plan recommends three new stand-alone Wilderness Study Areas, Garden Mountain, Hunting Camp Creek/Little Wolf Creek, and Cave Springs (on the Clinch). Not enough. We must continue to advocate the areas carefully researched and mapped by our Radford Group, and in one case the result of a compromise worked out by a citizens committee appointed by the Forest Service who then ignored the results. Urge that requests made by the public in hearing after hearing be honored: Wilderness Study status for Brush Mt., Brush Mt. East, Little Walker Mt., Long Spur, Crawfish Valley, Brushy Mt., Horse Heaven, Panther Knob, Raccoon Branch and Seng Mt.
There are Forest Service proposals for additions to seven existing Wilderness Areas: James River Face, Shawvers Run, Mt. Lake (A,B&C), Peters Mt. (A&B), Kimberling Creek (A&B), Little Wilson Creek (A, B& Stone Mt.), and Lewis Fork (Helton Creek). Again not enough. We must urge, at least for inclusion of the most glaring omission, additions (A&B) to Beartown Wilderness.
Please send your comments to: Jefferson National Forest Content Analysis Team, P.O. Box 221150, Salt Lake City UT 84122, and/or by e-mail to: jefferson@fs.fed.us. Please also urge Congressman Rick Boucher (US House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515) to introduce a Wilderness Bill for our recommended areas ASAP. Congressman Boucher and his staff in southwest Virginia are supportive and are working with us, but need constant encouragement, especially from the local level. Mark Miller is working tirelessly with user groups and Boards of Supervisors in counties with proposed Wilderness Areas. We have one county on record in support, and expect others in the near future.
Ominous Rule Change
The Bush administration, under the guise of changing federal regulations implementing the National Forest Management Act (NFMA), is proposing a rule that forest plans could be adopted and revised without an EIS (Environment Impact Statement), completely bypassing NEPA (National Environmental Protection Act) that has been so critical for environmentalists. We only have until April 7 to send our outrage to USDA FS Planning Rule, Content Analysis Team, P.O. Box 8359, Missoula, MT 59807; e-mail: Planning_rule@fs.fed.us; fax: Planning Rule Comments at (406) 329-3556.
Is There Any Cheer?
Yes, the Senate approved an amendment to strip from the budget bill a provision that would have allowed oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Only by four votes, and the threat will continue to surface until we can get federal wilderness protection for those caribou, a forty year struggle, but we never stop. And the three wilderness study areas in the new plan are beautiful places. Your president checked out Cave Springs, the only one he didn’t know, on February 8th, and he called bill Damon (Forest Supervisor) from the top of Stone Mt. in 8” snow, to agree with him on how beautiful it was. And Don Giecek, our man in the GW, has scheduled two hikes for you in Laurel Fork and one in Big Schloss, to show you how pretty (and deserving) THEY are:
- Laurel Fork: April 27 &/or May 16 - Meet at the Montvallee Motel at 8:30 am
- Big Schloss: May 14 - Details from Don Giecek, see below
President: Jim Murray, 1601 Bentivar Farm Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22911 (434-973-6693)
Vice-Pres: John Rice
Treasurer: Juliana Simpson, 11 E. Monmouth, Winchester, VA 22601 (540-662-7043)
Secretary: Mark Miller, 62 Big Hill Rd., Lexington, VA 24450 (540-464-3110)
Field organizer: Don Giecek, 19484 Running Cedar Ln., Maidens, VA 23229 (804-749-1992)