Our annual spring wildflower walks will be held o Saturday, April 28 this year.  These walks are a great opportunity to explore the beauty of Shenandoah Mountain and find a variety of wildflowers.  Each hike will have a wildflower expert to help identify flowers.

Choose from three walks:

• Hone Quarry​​ - 4 miles. Hike to a waterfall and see wildflowers along the way.
• Todd Lake area - 1 mile.
• North River Gorge - 2 miles

Register to attend at headwatersmn.org/2018-wildflower-walks-on-shenandoah-mountain/

Cosponsored by Friends of Shenandoah Mountain and Headwaters Master Naturalists

Dr. Carole Nash, Associate Professor, Department of Integrated Science and Technology, James Madison University, will give a presentation on "Native Americans at the Western Edge of the Shenandoah Valley." 

The high mountains that border the western Shenandoah Valley drain to three watersheds that were occupied by Native peoples for thousands of years.  Join us as we explore how the Shenandoah Mountain system was first settled by the First Americans.

When:  Saturday, March 31, 2:00-3:30 p.m.

Where:  Bridgewater Municipal Building, Arey Assembly Hall, 201 Green St., Bridgewater, VA 22812

This program is free and open to the public.

Come and learn more about Shenandoah Mountain!
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Sponsored by Friends of Shenandoah Mountain

The campaign to designate Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area has reached a new milestone.  Over 300 businesses, organizations, and faith groups have endorsed our proposal.  New endorsements include:

• Massanutten Trout Unlimited
• Bella Luna Wood-Fired Pizza, Harrisonburg
• Bella Gelato & Pastries, Harrisonburg
• Capital Ale House, Harrisonburg

These 300 endorsements show evidence that our proposal is gaining broad public support.  With each new endorsement we move closer to our goal of Congressional designation of Virginia's most outstanding natural areas.  Many thanks to all our endorsers!

Enjoy these beautiful photos taken by Steven David Johnson's Conservation Photography class at Eastern Mennonite University, fall semester of 2017.  Many thanks for their work which illustrates what's special about Shenandoah Mountain.

High Knob Fire Tower sits on the crest of Shenandoah Mountain, a stately reminder of an important era in the history of our national forests.  James Madison University students Caroline Whitlow and Tyler Gingrich partnered with Friends of Shenandoah Mountain this fall to research the history of High Knob Fire Tower.  They dug through Forest Service archives, conducted interviews, and wrote an informative and interesting piece about the history of the tower and its first fire watch, Gerald Fawley.

​Read History of High Knob Fire Tower

The article includes directions for a hike to High Knob Fire Tower.

On Dec. 12, the Virginia Water Control Board voted 4-3 to approve Section 401 Clean Water Act certification for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline with several important conditions before construction can begin.  According to the motion the Board passed:

This conditional approval means construction of the ACP will be delayed until March or later.  This is good news since the Braley Pond-Hankey Mountain area was in the first group of segments to be constructed.

The Gaines Group Architects and R.F. Monger will be hosting an Art Opening and Holiday Party featuring images of Shenandoah Mountain by Harrisonburg photographer Brad Striebig.

When:  Friday, Dec. 1, 4:00 - 6:30 p.m. (Just before the Harrisonburg Christmas Parade!)

Where:  141 W. Bruce St. Suite 201, Harrisonburg, Virginia 22801.  See map.  

The Gaines Group invites everyone to come to their gallery to see Brad's display and enjoy hot chocolate, cookies, and libations. Red Wing Academy will be performing, and Santa will be there!
If you miss the art opening, you may still view Brad's display during Gaines Group Architects' work hours through the end of December.

About the Photographer

Brad Striebig, JMU Engineering professor and photographer, has been taking photographs since he was a young boy.   His powerful images have been widely published in magazines, newspapers, and other media.  He has incorporated photography into his service work with organizations like Engineers Without Borders and other NGOs doing sustainability projects in Benin, India, Malta, Rwanda and the Nez Pierce Reservation in Montana. He has donated services locally to the Lehman Center, a home for children, and the Interfaith Peace Camp at Eastern Mennonite University.

The past few years, Brad has focused on documenting the scenic beauty, cascading mountain streams, and wildlife that illustrate the uniqueness of Shenandoah Mountain. Brad has generously alowed FOSM to use his work in our advocacy efforts.  The photo above, taken from Reddish Knob, is the cover image for our new brochure. 
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We are excited that a selection of Brad's images will be on display for the public to view. Read more about Brad and the good work he has done toward sustainability around the world, both as an engineer and a photographer.

Friends of Shenandoah Mountain is teaming up with Headwaters Master Naturalists this fall to offer three programs highlighting the natural world on Shenandoah Mountain.  ​Come and join us!

Sunday, Oct. 29.  Mushroom and Lichen Hike.  

Led by fungus enthusiast, Jack Wilson, this will be an easy 1-2-mile hike near Braley Pond.  The pace will be slow to give time for participants to discover the rich diversity of fungi and learn from Jack.   Learn more and sign up.​​​

• Saturday, Nov. 18.   Fall for Bats
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Explore the fascinating world of local bats with Leslie Sturges, president of The Save Lucy Campaign, and some of her education bats. We'll discuss bats' seasonal lives, species diversity, and natural history.  This program is for older children and adults.

• Bridgewater Municipal Building, Arey Assembly Hall, 201 Green St., Bridgewater, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. 

Saturday, Dec. 2.  Geology Hike.  
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​Hike to High Knob Fire Tower and learn about the geology of Shenandoah Mountain.  Geologist Malcolm Cameron will talk about the geologic history and processes that formed Shenandoah Mountain and the rock formations found there. A climb to the top of the fire tower yields a great view of the proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area and the Allegheny Front in WV.   3 miles round trip. Learn more and sign up.

​The SAWS Naval Academy Crew completed an 8-day worktrip in Ramseys Draft Wilderness on July 5th.  The local Southern Shenandoah Valley Chapter of PATC that had worked all year to remove blowdowns welcomed SAWS' help, especially in a remote area hard to access on day trips.  To them it felt like the cavalry were coming!

The SAWS crew hauled all their gear in and camped at Hiner Spring to work mostly on the remote north end of Ramseys Draft Trail. They used crosscut saws and axes to remove 129 trees from the trail. The 5-person Naval Academy Crew consists of a SAWS crew leader, a SAWS assistant crew leader, and three midshipmen crew members from the US Naval Academy. During the work hitch, the crew was joined by SAWS Program Manager, Eric Giebelstein, and North River Ranger District Seasonal Recreation Technician, Eric Fijas.

Members from PATC-SSVC and Friends of Shenandoah Mountain hiked up the mountain to Hiner Spring to meet the crew, express our appreciation for their work, and tell them about our efforts to protect the Shenandoah Mountain area.

The SAWS Naval Academy Crew program is a partnership between SAWS and the US Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. The partnership exists as a Professional Training Event for midshipmen, providing the midshipmen with opportunities for leadership training while accomplishing critical backcountry stewardship projects on protected public lands that lack the resources to otherwise be completed.

We are so pleased that the SAWS crew is working on Shenandoah Mountain to help local groups with stewardship of trails on Shenandoah Mountain.

For the fifth July in a row, Friends of Shenandoah Mountain exhibited at the 3-day Red Wing Roots Music Festival held annually at the beautiful Natural Chimneys Park, which is located at the foot of Shenandoah Mountain.  We had a great time meeting new people and telling them about our Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area proposal.  We also painted Cow Knob Salamanders on many little hands.  

On Saturday, we partnered with PATC - Southern Shenandoah Valley Chapter to lead two hikes, one on Grooms Ridge Trail and one on Chestnut Ridge Trail.  We had about 35 people on our hikes.  The Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition led several bike rides, including one to Reddish Knob where Shenandoah Alley was playing.

To top it all off, Farm to Feet is donating proceeds from sock sales at the festival to Friends of Shenandoah Mountain, which will help us pay for brochures and other campaign materials.

We could not have done it without all our volunteers who helped in so many ways.

All good news - and so much fun!