October 2024 Newsletter

From the President
In August, Virginia Wilderness Committee (VWC) members and board met at Braley Pond, hard by Ramseys Draft Wilderness and the proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area. Among other business, we elected new officers and board members. While we retain the talents of Ron Stotlzfus at treasurer, Lynn Cameron is now vice president, Tyler Meader is secretary, and I am the new president. We deeply appreciate the years of service given by John Hutchinson and Steve Johnson, who will stay on the board, and Tom Engle, who is stepping off.
As Lynn said then, we have an A Team of new board members. Ariel Johnson is a PhD student at VCU in forest ecology, disturbance and biogeochemistry. She has worked with the Forest Service, Park Service, BLM and USGS. Andrew Young is an attorney for the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance in Charlottesville, specializing in public lands, clean water, endangered species, and ensuring public access to federal agency decision-making. Anders Reynolds worked with me at Pew Charitable Trusts, working on wilderness legislation. Now he is federal legislative director for Southern Environmental Law Center in Washington, DC.
To introduce myself, I’ve worked for wilderness protection for many decades now, mostly in Washington, for The Wilderness Society (TWS), Sierra Club, and the Pew Charitable Trust as well as consulting for League of Conservation Voters, land conservancies, and Alaska Native corporations. My relationship with Virginia wilderness is nearly as long. I was hired by The Wilderness Society in 1976, the same year Ernie Dickerman retired from TWS, moving to his nephew’s farmhouse at Buffalo Gap. I worked with and learned from Ernie in the inventory of Virginia’s roadless lands by the Forest Service in the late 70’s through the Virginia Wilderness Act of 1984.
I bought a small log house on Little North Mountain west of Maurertown (we say “Morry Town”) in 1991 as a weekend place and made it my permanent home on retirement in 2015. In 2019, I was elected to the VWC board.
We have an exceptionally talented and energetic board, with diverse strengths. We will all need to shoulder the load in the next year to help Ellen put VWC on firm financial footing and to see through the political wars to protect the deserving lands now before Congress.
Sincerely,
Tim Mahoney, VWC President
In August, Virginia Wilderness Committee (VWC) members and board met at Braley Pond, hard by Ramseys Draft Wilderness and the proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area. Among other business, we elected new officers and board members. While we retain the talents of Ron Stotlzfus at treasurer, Lynn Cameron is now vice president, Tyler Meader is secretary, and I am the new president. We deeply appreciate the years of service given by John Hutchinson and Steve Johnson, who will stay on the board, and Tom Engle, who is stepping off.
As Lynn said then, we have an A Team of new board members. Ariel Johnson is a PhD student at VCU in forest ecology, disturbance and biogeochemistry. She has worked with the Forest Service, Park Service, BLM and USGS. Andrew Young is an attorney for the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance in Charlottesville, specializing in public lands, clean water, endangered species, and ensuring public access to federal agency decision-making. Anders Reynolds worked with me at Pew Charitable Trusts, working on wilderness legislation. Now he is federal legislative director for Southern Environmental Law Center in Washington, DC.
To introduce myself, I’ve worked for wilderness protection for many decades now, mostly in Washington, for The Wilderness Society (TWS), Sierra Club, and the Pew Charitable Trust as well as consulting for League of Conservation Voters, land conservancies, and Alaska Native corporations. My relationship with Virginia wilderness is nearly as long. I was hired by The Wilderness Society in 1976, the same year Ernie Dickerman retired from TWS, moving to his nephew’s farmhouse at Buffalo Gap. I worked with and learned from Ernie in the inventory of Virginia’s roadless lands by the Forest Service in the late 70’s through the Virginia Wilderness Act of 1984.
I bought a small log house on Little North Mountain west of Maurertown (we say “Morry Town”) in 1991 as a weekend place and made it my permanent home on retirement in 2015. In 2019, I was elected to the VWC board.
We have an exceptionally talented and energetic board, with diverse strengths. We will all need to shoulder the load in the next year to help Ellen put VWC on firm financial footing and to see through the political wars to protect the deserving lands now before Congress.
Sincerely,
Tim Mahoney, VWC President
Virginia Mountain Treasure Highlight - Long Spur
The Long Spur Virginia Mountain Treasure is in the Eastern Divide district in Wythe and Bland Counties. The Forest Service recognizes the 6,413-acre Long Spur as a Roadless Area. In addition to its Roadless status, it also possesses significant stands of old growth forest, nearly 2,150 acres. Most of Long Spur is on the southern slope of Big Walker Mountain except for two small areas that top over the crest into Bland County. Long Spur is steep and rugged with a deeply incised hollow that feeds Little Walker Creek. The area gets its name from Long Spur, a ridge in the southernmost portion of this Mountain Treasure. This ridge makes a long climb to the crest of Big Walker Mountain.
All the small streams that flow off Long Spur empty into Little Walker Creek. The narrow valley between Big Walker Mountain and Long Spur forms Spur Branch. Spur Branch is a designated cold-water stream suitable for Native Brook Trout.
Long Spur has a significant old growth community, a few stands may date back to the founding of the nation. Many of the steep, rocky hollows have provided a refuge for these stands and protected them from harvesting. One stand protects the upper headwaters of Spur Branch.
There are no designated or maintained trails in Long Spur. However, the abandoned Appalachian Trail (AT) that runs along the summit of Big Walker Mountain still receives some use. Another foot path breaks off the old AT and parallels Spur Branch down to County Route 602. There is an abandoned forest road on the western end of the Long Spur that is passable in many places. The road climbs to Turkey Gap, not too far from where an old AT shelter used to be located. A short hike south on the crest leads to the 4,012-foot summit of Walker Mountain. This summit is just outside the Virginia Mountain Treasure.
The Long Spur Virginia Mountain Treasure is in the Eastern Divide district in Wythe and Bland Counties. The Forest Service recognizes the 6,413-acre Long Spur as a Roadless Area. In addition to its Roadless status, it also possesses significant stands of old growth forest, nearly 2,150 acres. Most of Long Spur is on the southern slope of Big Walker Mountain except for two small areas that top over the crest into Bland County. Long Spur is steep and rugged with a deeply incised hollow that feeds Little Walker Creek. The area gets its name from Long Spur, a ridge in the southernmost portion of this Mountain Treasure. This ridge makes a long climb to the crest of Big Walker Mountain.
All the small streams that flow off Long Spur empty into Little Walker Creek. The narrow valley between Big Walker Mountain and Long Spur forms Spur Branch. Spur Branch is a designated cold-water stream suitable for Native Brook Trout.
Long Spur has a significant old growth community, a few stands may date back to the founding of the nation. Many of the steep, rocky hollows have provided a refuge for these stands and protected them from harvesting. One stand protects the upper headwaters of Spur Branch.
There are no designated or maintained trails in Long Spur. However, the abandoned Appalachian Trail (AT) that runs along the summit of Big Walker Mountain still receives some use. Another foot path breaks off the old AT and parallels Spur Branch down to County Route 602. There is an abandoned forest road on the western end of the Long Spur that is passable in many places. The road climbs to Turkey Gap, not too far from where an old AT shelter used to be located. A short hike south on the crest leads to the 4,012-foot summit of Walker Mountain. This summit is just outside the Virginia Mountain Treasure.
Annual Meeting 2024 – New Board Members
In late-August, members of VWC gathered on a beautiful Saturday morning at Braley Pond for the Annual Meeting. We discussed current projects of purchasing mineral rights, identifying mountain treasures, and the upcoming Wilderness Act Celebration. We also discussed the two bills which are currently in congress awaiting traction. Most importantly, for the coming year, the Nomination Committee presented Tim Mahoney as president, Lynn Cameron as vice president, Ron Stoltzfus as treasurer, and Tyler Meader as secretary. VWC members unanimously approved the Committee’s slate of nominations. All expressed appreciation to those stepping down, for their continued service and cheered the incoming group of officers. VWC is thankful to be guided by this great group of Wilderness-loving folks. We are also pleased to announce three new board members who have joined VWC: Ariel Johnson, Anders Reynolds, and Andrew Young. As you will see, these three bring a lot to the table.
Ariel Johnson is a PhD student at Virginia Commonwealth University studying forest ecology, disturbance, and biogeochemistry. During her time receiving her B.S. in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of Maryland, College Park, she studied White Nose Syndrome in bats as a part of the wildlife ecology lab. Between undergrad and graduate school, Ariel worked for the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, and USGS working in partnerships, volunteer coordination and outreach, biological data collection, and wildland firefighting.
As a Federal Legislative Director for Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), Anders Reynolds has spent most of his career at the intersection of politics and environmental policy, additionally working with The Pew Charitable Trusts on U.S. public land protection and as a legislative director for a Member of Congress. He’s also served in the Obama administration as federal policy analyst at the Delta Regional Authority and has extensive federal and state campaign experience. As SELC’s federal legislative director, Anders builds and maintains working relationships with Members of Congress and their staffs, offering policy expertise and working with them to advance SELC’s conservation goals.
Andrew Young is a Staff Attorney at Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance (ABRA), who focuses on public lands conservation, protecting endangered species, ensuring clean water, and ending Appalachia's reliance upon coal. Andrew leads ABRA’s campaign to improve public accessibility of critical environmental information and works in close collaboration with partner organizations to hold regulatory agencies accountable, using all tools from FOIA requests to litigation.
With these new additions to our already active board, we anticipate great things in the coming year. Our commitment to preserving wild landscapes in Virginia ensures that they remain places where nature thrives, providing secure homes for diverse plant and animal species. By safeguarding these areas, VWC contributes to the overall health of our environment and the well-being of both humans and wildlife.
In late-August, members of VWC gathered on a beautiful Saturday morning at Braley Pond for the Annual Meeting. We discussed current projects of purchasing mineral rights, identifying mountain treasures, and the upcoming Wilderness Act Celebration. We also discussed the two bills which are currently in congress awaiting traction. Most importantly, for the coming year, the Nomination Committee presented Tim Mahoney as president, Lynn Cameron as vice president, Ron Stoltzfus as treasurer, and Tyler Meader as secretary. VWC members unanimously approved the Committee’s slate of nominations. All expressed appreciation to those stepping down, for their continued service and cheered the incoming group of officers. VWC is thankful to be guided by this great group of Wilderness-loving folks. We are also pleased to announce three new board members who have joined VWC: Ariel Johnson, Anders Reynolds, and Andrew Young. As you will see, these three bring a lot to the table.
Ariel Johnson is a PhD student at Virginia Commonwealth University studying forest ecology, disturbance, and biogeochemistry. During her time receiving her B.S. in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of Maryland, College Park, she studied White Nose Syndrome in bats as a part of the wildlife ecology lab. Between undergrad and graduate school, Ariel worked for the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, and USGS working in partnerships, volunteer coordination and outreach, biological data collection, and wildland firefighting.
As a Federal Legislative Director for Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC), Anders Reynolds has spent most of his career at the intersection of politics and environmental policy, additionally working with The Pew Charitable Trusts on U.S. public land protection and as a legislative director for a Member of Congress. He’s also served in the Obama administration as federal policy analyst at the Delta Regional Authority and has extensive federal and state campaign experience. As SELC’s federal legislative director, Anders builds and maintains working relationships with Members of Congress and their staffs, offering policy expertise and working with them to advance SELC’s conservation goals.
Andrew Young is a Staff Attorney at Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance (ABRA), who focuses on public lands conservation, protecting endangered species, ensuring clean water, and ending Appalachia's reliance upon coal. Andrew leads ABRA’s campaign to improve public accessibility of critical environmental information and works in close collaboration with partner organizations to hold regulatory agencies accountable, using all tools from FOIA requests to litigation.
With these new additions to our already active board, we anticipate great things in the coming year. Our commitment to preserving wild landscapes in Virginia ensures that they remain places where nature thrives, providing secure homes for diverse plant and animal species. By safeguarding these areas, VWC contributes to the overall health of our environment and the well-being of both humans and wildlife.
NEW!: Upcoming Event: Hike on Shenandoah Mountain
Wednesday, November 20, 10:30 AM - Meet at Confederate Breastworks on Rt. 250
We will hike along the crest of Shenandoah Mountain, along the Shenandoah Mountain Trail, then follow Jerry's Run Trail into Ramseys Draft Wilderness, to the Sexton Shelter site, then turn around. Round trip of six miles. Registration required. Space limited. Register today at www.vawilderness.org
Wednesday, November 20, 10:30 AM - Meet at Confederate Breastworks on Rt. 250
We will hike along the crest of Shenandoah Mountain, along the Shenandoah Mountain Trail, then follow Jerry's Run Trail into Ramseys Draft Wilderness, to the Sexton Shelter site, then turn around. Round trip of six miles. Registration required. Space limited. Register today at www.vawilderness.org
A Celebration of Wilderness
On September 7th, we gathered at the Ivy Creek Natural Area and Historic Farm in Charlottesville to celebrate a significant anniversary, the 60th Anniversary of the passage of the Wilderness Act. Now with nearly 112 million acres in the National Preservation System, across 806 areas in 44 states and Puerto Rico, the Wilderness Act is considered one of the most successful U.S. environmental laws. We enjoyed beautiful weather, music by Strings of Green and Willow Branch, and conversations with friends old and new, all wilderness-loving folks. During our event, with the help of VWC treasurer, Ron Stolzfus, and VWC president emeritus, John Hutchinson, we bestowed the Jim Murray Wilderness Warrior Award to Lynn Cameron and the Ernie Dickerson Wilderness Warrior Award to Mark Miller, both of whom have spent decades advocating for Virginia Wilderness. We established these awards in honor of two true Wilderness champions, Dr. Jim Murray and Ernie Dickerson.
Ernie Dickerman is considered to be the "Father of Eastern Wilderness." His love of Great Smokies National Park led him to a job at The Wilderness Society, where he built grassroots support for wilderness designations and wrestled with land management agencies. He was a pivotal figure in the passage of the 1975 Eastern Wilderness Act. He retired in 1976 to Virginia, where he swiftly became part of the backbone of the Virginia Wilderness Committee. His quiet passion moved many people. He mentored numerous conservationists, including Lynn Cameron, until his death in 1998, leaving a priceless wilderness legacy.
Jim Murray was a founding member of the Virginia Wilderness Committee, serving as our president in 1970 and again from 1997 to 2007, as well as continuously on the board for 54 years. He was a lifelong conservationist and a force for Wilderness in Virginia helping with the passage of six Wilderness bills from the first in 1975 (James River Face) through the most recent in 2009 (Ridge and Valley). He was VWC’s historian and the glue that held the organization together. He was steadfast in his belief in the importance of wilderness protection.
Thank you to all who came out to celebrate with us! Whether you were among this group or missed the occasion, please join us at one of our upcoming events.
On September 7th, we gathered at the Ivy Creek Natural Area and Historic Farm in Charlottesville to celebrate a significant anniversary, the 60th Anniversary of the passage of the Wilderness Act. Now with nearly 112 million acres in the National Preservation System, across 806 areas in 44 states and Puerto Rico, the Wilderness Act is considered one of the most successful U.S. environmental laws. We enjoyed beautiful weather, music by Strings of Green and Willow Branch, and conversations with friends old and new, all wilderness-loving folks. During our event, with the help of VWC treasurer, Ron Stolzfus, and VWC president emeritus, John Hutchinson, we bestowed the Jim Murray Wilderness Warrior Award to Lynn Cameron and the Ernie Dickerson Wilderness Warrior Award to Mark Miller, both of whom have spent decades advocating for Virginia Wilderness. We established these awards in honor of two true Wilderness champions, Dr. Jim Murray and Ernie Dickerson.
Ernie Dickerman is considered to be the "Father of Eastern Wilderness." His love of Great Smokies National Park led him to a job at The Wilderness Society, where he built grassroots support for wilderness designations and wrestled with land management agencies. He was a pivotal figure in the passage of the 1975 Eastern Wilderness Act. He retired in 1976 to Virginia, where he swiftly became part of the backbone of the Virginia Wilderness Committee. His quiet passion moved many people. He mentored numerous conservationists, including Lynn Cameron, until his death in 1998, leaving a priceless wilderness legacy.
Jim Murray was a founding member of the Virginia Wilderness Committee, serving as our president in 1970 and again from 1997 to 2007, as well as continuously on the board for 54 years. He was a lifelong conservationist and a force for Wilderness in Virginia helping with the passage of six Wilderness bills from the first in 1975 (James River Face) through the most recent in 2009 (Ridge and Valley). He was VWC’s historian and the glue that held the organization together. He was steadfast in his belief in the importance of wilderness protection.
Thank you to all who came out to celebrate with us! Whether you were among this group or missed the occasion, please join us at one of our upcoming events.

60 Years into the Wilderness Act – Where Wilderness Stands and the Future of the Wilderness Movement
By Dr. Ellen Stuart-Haentjens, VWC Executive Director
As we pass the 60th year of the Wilderness Act, we reflect on how far land protection has come, where it stands now, and where it will be in the future. At the start, Wilderness designations were mainly reserved for remote, less hospitable environments in the expansive western United States. Areas that invoke awe and wonder but were not easily exploited for resources. It took more than a decade for Wilderness to be designated in the East with the passage of the Eastern Wilderness Areas Act in 1975. This passage marked Virginia’s first Wilderness Area, the James River Face, in Rockbridge and Bedford counties.
From when the Wilderness Act first passed to the present, land protected by this legislation has grown from 9.1 million to 111.7 million acres, or roughly 5 percent of the United States, more than half of which is in Alaska. Of the contiguous United States, only 2.7% is conserved as Wilderness. The Commonwealth of Virginia proudly harbors 217,136 acres of Wilderness across twenty-four Wilderness Areas, each of which the Virginia Wilderness Committee (VWC) played a crucial role in designating. While that quantity may appear large and, notably, is higher than any of the Commonwealth’s surrounding states, it covers less than 1% of Virginia’s land area. With the cumulative threats that climate change and development pose on wildlife and air and water quality, we must increase our efforts to conserve more land acreage across the state and across ecosystem types. VWC is posed to answer that call. Thanks to the proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area and Virginia Wilderness Additions Act, Virginia’s Wilderness acreage could soon amount to 253,172. The current placement of these bills is within the U.S. Senate’s draft of their bipartisan 2024 Farm Bill. Please show your support for the U.S. Senate’s bipartisan 2024 Farm Bill and send a thank you to our Virginia Senators today for continually championing these wild places.
To thank Senator Kaine, contact him at www.kaine.senate.gov/contact
To thank Senator Warner, contact him at www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact
This 60th anniversary milestone also marks a moment to recognize what has been long known: the definition of “Wilderness”, as it was initially recognized in 1964, embodied the false narrative that these lands had been untouched by human activity. In fact, indigenous cultures lived and used this land for centuries before European colonists first arrived. What can be said, however, was that it had not yet been noticeably impacted or defaced post-industrialization. As we come to terms with this history, the wilderness community at large has grown to include tribal members from around the country. Together we move forward and build upon our common ground (pun-intended). Last month, just following VWC’s September 7th celebration of the anniversary of the Wilderness Act, I travelled to Washington, DC along with members of Wilderness organizations across the nation for Wilderness Week and inaugural National Wilderness Coalition meetings. In addition to engaging our federal policymakers and advocating for Wilderness, this diverse coalition gathered to discuss this past, share resources, and learn from one another. VWC is proud to join with like-minded organizations from across the country to protect public lands and waters at this critical moment. It has never been more important to invest in America’s public lands to help combat climate change. We remain steadfast in defense of the places and values the Wilderness Act sought to preserve.
By Dr. Ellen Stuart-Haentjens, VWC Executive Director
As we pass the 60th year of the Wilderness Act, we reflect on how far land protection has come, where it stands now, and where it will be in the future. At the start, Wilderness designations were mainly reserved for remote, less hospitable environments in the expansive western United States. Areas that invoke awe and wonder but were not easily exploited for resources. It took more than a decade for Wilderness to be designated in the East with the passage of the Eastern Wilderness Areas Act in 1975. This passage marked Virginia’s first Wilderness Area, the James River Face, in Rockbridge and Bedford counties.
From when the Wilderness Act first passed to the present, land protected by this legislation has grown from 9.1 million to 111.7 million acres, or roughly 5 percent of the United States, more than half of which is in Alaska. Of the contiguous United States, only 2.7% is conserved as Wilderness. The Commonwealth of Virginia proudly harbors 217,136 acres of Wilderness across twenty-four Wilderness Areas, each of which the Virginia Wilderness Committee (VWC) played a crucial role in designating. While that quantity may appear large and, notably, is higher than any of the Commonwealth’s surrounding states, it covers less than 1% of Virginia’s land area. With the cumulative threats that climate change and development pose on wildlife and air and water quality, we must increase our efforts to conserve more land acreage across the state and across ecosystem types. VWC is posed to answer that call. Thanks to the proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area and Virginia Wilderness Additions Act, Virginia’s Wilderness acreage could soon amount to 253,172. The current placement of these bills is within the U.S. Senate’s draft of their bipartisan 2024 Farm Bill. Please show your support for the U.S. Senate’s bipartisan 2024 Farm Bill and send a thank you to our Virginia Senators today for continually championing these wild places.
To thank Senator Kaine, contact him at www.kaine.senate.gov/contact
To thank Senator Warner, contact him at www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact
This 60th anniversary milestone also marks a moment to recognize what has been long known: the definition of “Wilderness”, as it was initially recognized in 1964, embodied the false narrative that these lands had been untouched by human activity. In fact, indigenous cultures lived and used this land for centuries before European colonists first arrived. What can be said, however, was that it had not yet been noticeably impacted or defaced post-industrialization. As we come to terms with this history, the wilderness community at large has grown to include tribal members from around the country. Together we move forward and build upon our common ground (pun-intended). Last month, just following VWC’s September 7th celebration of the anniversary of the Wilderness Act, I travelled to Washington, DC along with members of Wilderness organizations across the nation for Wilderness Week and inaugural National Wilderness Coalition meetings. In addition to engaging our federal policymakers and advocating for Wilderness, this diverse coalition gathered to discuss this past, share resources, and learn from one another. VWC is proud to join with like-minded organizations from across the country to protect public lands and waters at this critical moment. It has never been more important to invest in America’s public lands to help combat climate change. We remain steadfast in defense of the places and values the Wilderness Act sought to preserve.