You are invited to a Rally for the Roadless Rule at 10:00 a.m. on June 6 at Briery Branch Reservoir, followed by a 6-mile hike from Reddish Knob to the Reservoir. This event is sponsored by the Virginia Sierra Club - Shenandoah Group and the Virginia Wilderness Committee.
The purpose of this event is to show support for the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which was first announced on Reddish Knob in 1999. Many people enjoy the benefits of National Forest Roadless Areas, like recreation, clean drinking water, wildlife habitat, and scenic beauty, but don’t realize these areas are currently protected by the Roadless Rule.
After 25 years of our citizens enjoying all these benefits, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins proposed to revoke the Roadless Rule last year. Losing the Roadless Rule would affect nearly 45 million acres of national forest land, including 394,000 acres on the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests in Virginia. On Shenandoah Mountain alone, 7 Roadless Areas could be opened for road building, logging, methane gas drilling, and other commercial development.
Shenandoah Mountain boasts the largest concentration of Roadless Areas in the eastern United States. The proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area, now before the Senate, includes five Roadless Areas. One of these, Little River, is 28,000 acres, the largest in the whole region. Senator Kaine has been working hard to get the Shenandoah Mountain Act passed to secure permanent protection of one of Virginia's finest natural areas. While we are working toward enactment, we need to push back against rescission of the Roadless Rule.
Roadless areas are the best of what’s left on our national forest land. The scenic beauty found on Shenandoah Mountain and the ecosystem services, like clean water and air, are priceless. We have a lot to lose if the Roadless Rule is rescinded, not just on Shenandoah Mountain, but across the country. Please consider joining the Rally or writing to Secretary Brooke Rollins after the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is released for public comment.
See details and register for Rally for Roadless Rule.
Register for Reddish Knob Hike
View from Reddish Knob. Photo © Lynn Cameron
The purpose of this event is to show support for the Roadless Area Conservation Rule, which was first announced on Reddish Knob in 1999. Many people enjoy the benefits of National Forest Roadless Areas, like recreation, clean drinking water, wildlife habitat, and scenic beauty, but don’t realize these areas are currently protected by the Roadless Rule.
After 25 years of our citizens enjoying all these benefits, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins proposed to revoke the Roadless Rule last year. Losing the Roadless Rule would affect nearly 45 million acres of national forest land, including 394,000 acres on the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests in Virginia. On Shenandoah Mountain alone, 7 Roadless Areas could be opened for road building, logging, methane gas drilling, and other commercial development.
Shenandoah Mountain boasts the largest concentration of Roadless Areas in the eastern United States. The proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area, now before the Senate, includes five Roadless Areas. One of these, Little River, is 28,000 acres, the largest in the whole region. Senator Kaine has been working hard to get the Shenandoah Mountain Act passed to secure permanent protection of one of Virginia's finest natural areas. While we are working toward enactment, we need to push back against rescission of the Roadless Rule.
Roadless areas are the best of what’s left on our national forest land. The scenic beauty found on Shenandoah Mountain and the ecosystem services, like clean water and air, are priceless. We have a lot to lose if the Roadless Rule is rescinded, not just on Shenandoah Mountain, but across the country. Please consider joining the Rally or writing to Secretary Brooke Rollins after the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is released for public comment.
See details and register for Rally for Roadless Rule.
Register for Reddish Knob Hike
View from Reddish Knob. Photo © Lynn Cameron
Roadless Areas on Shenandoah Mountain
Key points on Roadless Areas in Virginia:
- The George Washington National Forest has the most Roadless Areas and the largest Roadless Areas of any of the Eastern national forests. Shenandoah Mountain is the very heart of the GWNF and has 7 Roadless Areas.
- Harrisonburg, Staunton, and many other communities downstream on the Shenandoah, Potomac, and James Rivers get their drinking water from Roadless Areas on Shenandoah Mountain
- Shenandoah Mountain supports rich biodiversity. It is home to 250 species of birds, black bear, native brook trout, salamanders found nowhere else on earth, and 28 special species of plants and animals.
- Roadless Areas provide excellent outdoor recreation opportunities for a wide variety of forest activities - hiking, mountain biking, fishing, hunting, studying nature, and enjoying scenic beauty - while providing support for recreational tourism and the local economy.
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