VWC Newsletter - November 2000
VICTORY!
Snatched under the wire at the very last minute. the Virginia Wilderness Act of 2000 was passed - finally - by the US Senate at 5:07 p.m. on October 27th and, as we write, is on its way to the White House where there is no doubt it will receive President Clinton's signature, making Three Ridges and The Priest the state's first new federal Wilderness Areas for twelve years.What a triumph! And what a tribute to all the folk inside and outside the state who have worked so hard for at least the past two years to make this possible, in particular the good people of Nelson County who raised the issue locally and worked tirelessly, fearlessly, and often thanklessly to keep it alive, and our good friends at the Southern Environmental Law Center who have guided us at every step, and our Wilderness Society colleagues in Washington and the Wilderness Support Center in Colorado who kept our efforts going with their constant encouragement, and long experience of "hanging in there" with the seemingly impossible. Our grateful thanks to you all, and to everyone who wrote letters, e-mails, postcards, articles, made telephone calls, said "keep at it" or "good job" or "we'll get there somehow". Well, we did, but only just. Sometime soon we'll put out a complete account of the whole rollercoaster but for now, we'll just say Phew! Wow! and THANKS.
And we'll have a party to celebrate the passage of the Act, on Saturday November 4th from noon on, at the Murray's farm, rain or shine. Let us know if possible if you'll be coming, if not possible, just come.
DIRECTIONS:
From the south, take US 29 north from Charlottesville. When you get into the construction mess of the new South Rivanna bridge, look for an exiguous opening on the right, just as you cross the river, and turn onto Polo Grounds Road. Go 2 miles, and just after the railroad underpass, turn right on Bentivar Drive. Immediately turn left on Bentivar Farm Road. Go to the end and keep going (sign says Bentivar, 1601 B.F.R.) till you reach the old farmhouse at the end of the line. From the north, take US 29 south toward Charlottesville. At the intersection with Airport Rd. (to the right) and Proffit Rd. (to the left) go left and continue till you cross the railroad. At the next right, turn right on Polo Grounds Road. At the end of a white fence on the left, turn left on Bentivar Drive and proceed as above.
There will be food and drink provided, but if you would like to bring some of your own to share, that's fine. Please bring cup, plate, utensils; we try to avoid throwaways. Families welcome, but no dogs, please; we have free-range chickens. We have beds for the first eight people to request overnight stay, and others may camp on the lawn. Ernie Dickerman's spirit will be among us. And in honor of his spirit, we'll get back to regular wilderness business as soon as the party's over.
WALKIN' JIM
Thanks to Lynn Cameron's excellent organization, the 13th October Walkin' Jim Stoltz' concert in Harrisonburg was a great success. Enough funds were raised to offer a free concert in Monterey on October 30, to help kick-start the renewed enthusiasm for wildlands protection in Highland County. Folks there are getting serious about raising conservation consciousness locally; and Laurel Fork is, of course, never far from the mind of the VWC.And don't forget, on November 7th, that it was John Warner and Chuck Robb who introduced the Virginia Wilderness Bill into the Senate, and that our current Vice- President is by far the most likely presidential candidate to look favorably on future wilderness proposals.
Virginia Wilderness Committee OfficersPresident: Jim Murray, 1601 Bentivar Farm Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22911 (804-973-6693)
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)
Don't forget to support the continuing campaign with a donation.
Snatched under the wire at the very last minute. the Virginia Wilderness Act of 2000 was passed - finally - by the US Senate at 5:07 p.m. on October 27th and, as we write, is on its way to the White House where there is no doubt it will receive President Clinton's signature, making Three Ridges and The Priest the state's first new federal Wilderness Areas for twelve years.What a triumph! And what a tribute to all the folk inside and outside the state who have worked so hard for at least the past two years to make this possible, in particular the good people of Nelson County who raised the issue locally and worked tirelessly, fearlessly, and often thanklessly to keep it alive, and our good friends at the Southern Environmental Law Center who have guided us at every step, and our Wilderness Society colleagues in Washington and the Wilderness Support Center in Colorado who kept our efforts going with their constant encouragement, and long experience of "hanging in there" with the seemingly impossible. Our grateful thanks to you all, and to everyone who wrote letters, e-mails, postcards, articles, made telephone calls, said "keep at it" or "good job" or "we'll get there somehow". Well, we did, but only just. Sometime soon we'll put out a complete account of the whole rollercoaster but for now, we'll just say Phew! Wow! and THANKS.
And we'll have a party to celebrate the passage of the Act, on Saturday November 4th from noon on, at the Murray's farm, rain or shine. Let us know if possible if you'll be coming, if not possible, just come.
DIRECTIONS:
From the south, take US 29 north from Charlottesville. When you get into the construction mess of the new South Rivanna bridge, look for an exiguous opening on the right, just as you cross the river, and turn onto Polo Grounds Road. Go 2 miles, and just after the railroad underpass, turn right on Bentivar Drive. Immediately turn left on Bentivar Farm Road. Go to the end and keep going (sign says Bentivar, 1601 B.F.R.) till you reach the old farmhouse at the end of the line. From the north, take US 29 south toward Charlottesville. At the intersection with Airport Rd. (to the right) and Proffit Rd. (to the left) go left and continue till you cross the railroad. At the next right, turn right on Polo Grounds Road. At the end of a white fence on the left, turn left on Bentivar Drive and proceed as above.
There will be food and drink provided, but if you would like to bring some of your own to share, that's fine. Please bring cup, plate, utensils; we try to avoid throwaways. Families welcome, but no dogs, please; we have free-range chickens. We have beds for the first eight people to request overnight stay, and others may camp on the lawn. Ernie Dickerman's spirit will be among us. And in honor of his spirit, we'll get back to regular wilderness business as soon as the party's over.
WALKIN' JIM
Thanks to Lynn Cameron's excellent organization, the 13th October Walkin' Jim Stoltz' concert in Harrisonburg was a great success. Enough funds were raised to offer a free concert in Monterey on October 30, to help kick-start the renewed enthusiasm for wildlands protection in Highland County. Folks there are getting serious about raising conservation consciousness locally; and Laurel Fork is, of course, never far from the mind of the VWC.And don't forget, on November 7th, that it was John Warner and Chuck Robb who introduced the Virginia Wilderness Bill into the Senate, and that our current Vice- President is by far the most likely presidential candidate to look favorably on future wilderness proposals.
Virginia Wilderness Committee OfficersPresident: Jim Murray, 1601 Bentivar Farm Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22911 (804-973-6693)
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)
Don't forget to support the continuing campaign with a donation.