VWC Newsletter - September 1999
The Time Has Come......
The new management plan for the Jefferson National Forest has reached a critical stage. The Interdisciplinary Team has released the first draft of its proposed plan and is gearing up to let you have a say in its future. So get ready to turn out and tell the Forest Service how you want them to manage your forests. There will be a series of meetings this fall:
What an awfull lot of meetings! But do try to come out and swell the crowd of wilderness supporters. There is much to do. The initial proposal is far from encouraging. Although a number of additions to existing wildernesses are proposed, only two new wilderness study areas are listed: Garden Mountain and Hunting Camp Creek/Little Wolf Creek. We must do better than that. Do your homework. Read Virginia's Mountain Treasures. Meet and talk to Peter Kirby (see below). Visit the Ranger District Offices or the Supervisor's Office, where maps of the proposal will be available beginning September 21st. And come out and support wilderness.
What is VWC currently doing about Wilderness Designation?
The VWC never stops working towards the next Wilderness Bill, but between bills, the work is less visible. Currently, it is unlikely that any bill can be introduced before the final draft of the Jefferson Forest Plan comes out, so much of our effort is concentrated on keeping up with Forest Service meetings (see above), keeping pressure on for as many roadless areas as possible to be recommended for Wilderness or Wilderness Study in the final plan. Doesn't mean they'll necessarily become Wilderness Areas but it's good ammunition to use with politicians. At present, the political climate in the 6th Congressional District is not favorable to Wilderness, so we feel effort there is at best wasted, at worst, counter-productive. We are working in the 5th District which contains Three Ridges and The Priest, both long overdue for inclusion in the NWPS. The effort now is to generate both local citizen and political support for these areas, and Peter Kirby's walk will of course be a big help (see below). In the 9th District, we are watching closely the Forest Plan machinery, and so is Congressman Rick Boucher who has always been receptive to the idea of Wilderness but doesn't move forward as rapidly as the VWC would like. As Ernie would say "Just keep after them---drip, drip,drip!
Peter Kirby
Many of you may be following Peter's walk on the Web (www.wilderness.org). You will have read of his broken wrist early on, causing him to miss out some of the Smokies, but his rapid recapture of his schedule (cast and all) and now his progress through Virginia. Some of us will be walking with him over Garden Mountain, one of our finest proposed Wilderness Areas, over Peters Mountain, and over Three Ridges and The Priest. He will be speaking in Damascus on Sept.20, Blacksburg October 25, Roanoke October 28, an extra talk not in his original schedule at Wintergreen on November ?, and in Charlottesville November 11. He'll be hosted in Charlottesville by VWC (co-sponsored by SELC and SEDG). Let us know if you can help, and join Peter at any time if you can.
Ernie's Memory
Since Ernie Dickerman's death last year, there has been much talk both in Virginia and Tennessee (site of so much of his important earlier work) about naming a Wilderness Area for him. As Ernie's Wilderness group in Virginia (he actually wasn't a founder member but was President shortly thereafter and remained the most active member until his death), the VWC has of course listened, but at this stage has not endorsed any of the current suggestions. If it happens, fine, we'd be happy to see a nice place named for Ernie provided (a) it's a newly-won area and not a re-named former one, (b) it's a proper card-carrying addition to the NWPS and (c) it's a place Ernie approved of and perhaps had already been working on and many of us know where those are.
The VWC promised you a memorial tribute to Ernie which is at the printers and due out soon. If you would like a copy, please e- mail us ([email protected]). One copy free to all paid-up members, any more for $5, to help cover printing costs. For now that's our only tangible memorial. We feel Ernie would have at least tolerated if not actually welcomed this! For more, we shall go on with the careful work he taught us all to do, not thinking of his name so much as his way of working, and this we know he would have applauded.
PRESIDENT: Jim Murray, 1601 Bentivar Farm Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22901 (804) 973-6693
VICE PRES: Chris Bolgiano, 10375 Genoa Rd., Fulks Run, VA 22830 (540) 896-4407
TREASURER: Juliana Simpson, 11 E Monmouth, Winchester, VA 22603 (540) 662-7043
SECRETARY: Lynn Cameron, 5653 Beards Ford Rd., Mt. Crawford, VA 22841 (540) 234-6273
The new management plan for the Jefferson National Forest has reached a critical stage. The Interdisciplinary Team has released the first draft of its proposed plan and is gearing up to let you have a say in its future. So get ready to turn out and tell the Forest Service how you want them to manage your forests. There will be a series of meetings this fall:
- October 7 - 6:30 to 9:00 pm: Norwood Room in downtown Radford. Information and a question and answer session.
- October 16 - 9:00 am to 3:00 pm: Forest Supervisor's Office, 5162 Valleypointe Rd., Roanoke. Orientation and Identification of Issues.
- October 26 - 4:00 to 9:00 pm: Norwood Room in downtown Radford.
- November 18 - 4:00 to 9:00 pm: Hemlock Haven Conference Center, Hungry Mother State Park.
- November 6 - 9:00 am to 3:00 pm: Wytheville Community College.
- Field Trip to Crawfish Valley, an example of the planning process.
What an awfull lot of meetings! But do try to come out and swell the crowd of wilderness supporters. There is much to do. The initial proposal is far from encouraging. Although a number of additions to existing wildernesses are proposed, only two new wilderness study areas are listed: Garden Mountain and Hunting Camp Creek/Little Wolf Creek. We must do better than that. Do your homework. Read Virginia's Mountain Treasures. Meet and talk to Peter Kirby (see below). Visit the Ranger District Offices or the Supervisor's Office, where maps of the proposal will be available beginning September 21st. And come out and support wilderness.
What is VWC currently doing about Wilderness Designation?
The VWC never stops working towards the next Wilderness Bill, but between bills, the work is less visible. Currently, it is unlikely that any bill can be introduced before the final draft of the Jefferson Forest Plan comes out, so much of our effort is concentrated on keeping up with Forest Service meetings (see above), keeping pressure on for as many roadless areas as possible to be recommended for Wilderness or Wilderness Study in the final plan. Doesn't mean they'll necessarily become Wilderness Areas but it's good ammunition to use with politicians. At present, the political climate in the 6th Congressional District is not favorable to Wilderness, so we feel effort there is at best wasted, at worst, counter-productive. We are working in the 5th District which contains Three Ridges and The Priest, both long overdue for inclusion in the NWPS. The effort now is to generate both local citizen and political support for these areas, and Peter Kirby's walk will of course be a big help (see below). In the 9th District, we are watching closely the Forest Plan machinery, and so is Congressman Rick Boucher who has always been receptive to the idea of Wilderness but doesn't move forward as rapidly as the VWC would like. As Ernie would say "Just keep after them---drip, drip,drip!
Peter Kirby
Many of you may be following Peter's walk on the Web (www.wilderness.org). You will have read of his broken wrist early on, causing him to miss out some of the Smokies, but his rapid recapture of his schedule (cast and all) and now his progress through Virginia. Some of us will be walking with him over Garden Mountain, one of our finest proposed Wilderness Areas, over Peters Mountain, and over Three Ridges and The Priest. He will be speaking in Damascus on Sept.20, Blacksburg October 25, Roanoke October 28, an extra talk not in his original schedule at Wintergreen on November ?, and in Charlottesville November 11. He'll be hosted in Charlottesville by VWC (co-sponsored by SELC and SEDG). Let us know if you can help, and join Peter at any time if you can.
Ernie's Memory
Since Ernie Dickerman's death last year, there has been much talk both in Virginia and Tennessee (site of so much of his important earlier work) about naming a Wilderness Area for him. As Ernie's Wilderness group in Virginia (he actually wasn't a founder member but was President shortly thereafter and remained the most active member until his death), the VWC has of course listened, but at this stage has not endorsed any of the current suggestions. If it happens, fine, we'd be happy to see a nice place named for Ernie provided (a) it's a newly-won area and not a re-named former one, (b) it's a proper card-carrying addition to the NWPS and (c) it's a place Ernie approved of and perhaps had already been working on and many of us know where those are.
The VWC promised you a memorial tribute to Ernie which is at the printers and due out soon. If you would like a copy, please e- mail us ([email protected]). One copy free to all paid-up members, any more for $5, to help cover printing costs. For now that's our only tangible memorial. We feel Ernie would have at least tolerated if not actually welcomed this! For more, we shall go on with the careful work he taught us all to do, not thinking of his name so much as his way of working, and this we know he would have applauded.
PRESIDENT: Jim Murray, 1601 Bentivar Farm Rd., Charlottesville, VA 22901 (804) 973-6693
VICE PRES: Chris Bolgiano, 10375 Genoa Rd., Fulks Run, VA 22830 (540) 896-4407
TREASURER: Juliana Simpson, 11 E Monmouth, Winchester, VA 22603 (540) 662-7043
SECRETARY: Lynn Cameron, 5653 Beards Ford Rd., Mt. Crawford, VA 22841 (540) 234-6273