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VAFW George Washington National
Forest Plan Revision information
IF YOU CARE ABOUT ROADLESS AREAS, PLEASE COME TO TWO
VERY IMPORTANT FOREST SERVICE MEETINGS IN SEPTEMBER
From the Forest Service website:
September Meetings
"We have scheduled our two public meetings for
September. These meetings will deal with the issues
surrounding management of wilderness and roadless areas.
The meetings will be held:
Thursday September 11 from 6:30 pm until 9:00 pm
Turner Ashby High School
800 North Main Street
Bridgewater, Virginia
and
Saturday, September 13 from Noon until 4:00 pm
Rockbridge High School
143 Greenhouse Road
Lexington, Virginia
"The purpose of the meetings will be to further our
conversations on what areas should be recommended for
wilderness designation and how other roadless areas and
potential wilderness areas on the Forest should be
managed. The meeting will start with a short presentation
on wilderness and roadless areas and then we will have
discussion groups about the areas under consideration.
"
To view the recommended areas and more information from
the agency, go to http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/gwj/forestplan/revision/meetings.shtml
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Important issues that should be raised in these
meetings:
- Request Wilderness designation on the Lee District for Three
High Heads and Little Stony. On the Pedlar District for Adams
Peak, Three Sisters, and Wilderness additions St Mary's. On the
North River District for Beech Lick Knob, Skidmore Fork, Little
River, additions to Ramseys Draft Wilderness, Crawford Mountain
and Jerkemtight/Benson Run. On the Warm Springs District request
wilderness for Laurel Fork, Little Allegheny Mountain and the
Rough Mountain addition. Finally, on the James River District
request Wilderness for Oliver Mountain, The Rich Hole Wilderness
addition and Snake Run Ridge.
- Protect all roadless areas more than they are now, and add uninventoried roadless areas to roadless inventory, utilizing the definition from 2001 Roadless Rule. The Forest Service should carefully examine all areas listed in the publication Virginia Mountain Treasures: The Unprotected Wildlands of the George Washington National Forest, 2008.
-Many of these areas contain important backcountry recreation
areas which are in short supply in the southern Appalachians,
which is already 95% roaded according to the Forest Service's
Southern Appalachian Assessment.
- Protect watersheds in order to ensure high quality water for
all the communities that utilize these watershed for their
drinking water.
- Areas that are roadless should remain roadless. 1800 miles of
system roads in the GW is more than the budget can support for
maintenance.
- Protect and preserve mature forest for neo-tropical bird
species, and other wildlife species that require mature forest
habitat and extensive tracts of forest.
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