Quotes from our Friends and Neighbors
Bob Cramer
“There are so many things that have changed in my lifetime, some of them have been positive and some of them negative. Some of them we can affect, some we can't. We have a unique opportunity to affect the future of an awesome part of our past and present, for the future. I would die a happy man knowing my grandchildren and yours will have a chance to experience the beauty of this area of the forest, as I have.” Bob Cramer, professoinal fly fishing guide
Tom Sadler Tom Sadler and his black lab Lily take a break from tenkara fishing on Ramsey’s Draft in Virginia.
Photo by Beth Sadler
"Nothing says outdoors more to me than fly-fishing for native brook trout in the mountain streams here in the Shenandoah Valley. The proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area and the four embedded Wilderness areas; Skidmore Fork, Little River, Lynn Hollow and the Bald Ridge addition to Ramseys Draft Wilderness are essential to protecting these exceptional recreational venues. As a fishing guide I know that access to healthy habitat like the proposed Shenandoah Mountain NSA conserves wonderful recreational opportunities here in the Valley. If we lose those venues we lose the important economic activity and jobs they provide." Tom Sadler, Professional fly-fishing guide and instructor.
Nancy Sorrells
"On Shenandoah Mountain, the natural world readily intertwines with the history and heritage of the humans who have hunted and fished these forests for thousands of years. Civil War soldiers camped here, farmers grazed their cattle in the small grassy forest clearings, and families who homesteaded here now rest quietly here under giant oaks. It is easy to hear the whispers of their stories in the winds as you stand on the same rocky outcropping or wade into the same mountain stream that they once visited." Nancy Sorrells, Past President, Augusta County Historical Society
Deb Sensabaugh
"Wilderness is a great equalizer - us, our horses and mules, and the forest... Creation as it must have been when time began." Deb Sensabaugh, President, Virginia Back Country Horsemen
Ann Held
"From the top of Reddish knob one can behold the breathtaking beauty of Shenandoah Mountain. As stewards of God’s good creation, we need to preserve this unique natural area for generations to come." Ann Held, Pastor, Trinity Presbyterian Church, Harrisonburg Elizabeth Kyger
"My first visit to the George Washington National Forest over fifty years ago included a stop on Reddish Knob. I was overwhelmed by the view, as all are, but, also, with a sense of gratitude to all those who sought and succeeded in preserving these wild and precious forests. I feel the enacting of the Shenandoah Mountain Proposal would help to sustain conservation efforts for these important forest lands." Eizabeth Kyger, Bridgewater
Lee Scheaffer
“Permanent protection of these beautiful natural areas with excellent trail systems will ensure their enjoyment by outdoor enthusiasts long into the future.”Lee Sheaffer, President, Potomac Appalachian Trail Club
David Burns
"The creation of the Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area will really enhance economic growth in Rockingham, Augusta, and Highland counties by greatly increasing the potency of a major attraction to the area." David Burns, co-owner, The Sole Source, Harrisonburg
Phil Kniss
"As a Christian pastor, one of my most frequent sermon themes is our calling to be good stewards of all that God has given us. We believe God created everything good, that it all belongs to God, and we have been entrusted to care for it. When it comes to this universe we live in, that means that God is the Owner, and we the Trustees. I applaud Friends of Shenandoah Mountain for doing the work of good trustees, and working hard to protect one of our beautiful and precious natural resources. The mountain is only one of many things God entrusted to us, but since it's almost literally in our backyard, we have even greater responsibility for its stewardship. Protecting Shenandoah Mountain, and the multitude of life forms that it supports, is an integral part of what it means for me to be a person of faith. I invite all other persons of faith to join me in this effort." Phil Kniss, Pastor, Parkview Mennonite Church, Harrisonburg
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Stan Farthing"As a Presbyterian minister AND a business person, I am pulled in many different directions every day. When I get a chance to go spend some time in Creation, I do it, and it renews me. Almost every occasion, that time is on Shenandoah Mountain or one of its subsidiary ridges. This area is a unique resource, and the Scenic Area and Wilderness designations proposed for it make so much sense. I admit it, I personally will benefit greatly from the sensible preservation of the mountain, but I’m not the only one! Water users in Harrisonburg and Staunton; visitors to the area, who bring their money and leave it behind; hunters, birders, mountain bikers, hikers and backpackers, the list goes on and on!" - Stan Farthing, Local Presbyterian minister and Vice President of LDA Creations/Silver Lake Workshops
Shanil Virani, JMU Planetarium Director
"It is estimated that 98% of Americans will never see the Milky Way, our galaxy that is home to more than 100 hundred billion stars and perhaps just as many planets. For 1000s of years, our species went outside and confronted the Universe. A dark, starry night inspired our science, our philosophy, our theology and even our art. In the United States, it is becoming increasingly impossible to find a dark, natural landscape. Preserving Shenandoah Mountain is not only about protecting a habitat for the many species — many that are nocturnal — that call it home, it is also about protecting what remains of our night sky. Let’s provide the opportunity for families to once again be inspired by a truly dark, starry night sky." Shanil Virani, JMU Planetarium Director
Peter Barlow
"Those unimpeded, unfragmented corners of the forest around us, like the proposed Shenandoah Mountain NSA are the bedrock of our communities, bringing us together in the rich tradition of hunting where habitat thrives and wildlife is still abundant. Like Roosevelt once said, these are surely dividends for our collective future. I'm so grateful that the Friends of the Shenandoah, through these proposals, are working to ensure years of quality hunting to our community!" Peter Barlow, local conservationist and avid ourdoorsman
Jennifer Courtwright
"Many streams on Shenandoah Mountain provide critical habitat for native brook trout because brook trout cannot survive in streams in much of the surrounding area due to high amounts of in-stream fine sediment and high stream temperatures. Forests on Shenandoah Mountain support high quality cold-water stream habitat for brook trout, and brook trout are also heavily dependent on terrestrial invertebrates that fall into the stream from the surrounding forest for food. The proposal would help protect in-stream habitat and the surrounding forests that this iconic species depends on." Jennifer Courtwright, Instructor, Biology Department, James Madison University
Billy Flint
"Shenandoah Mountain is an ecological treasure, and a refuge for many rare and unique plants and animals. The forests on this mountain provide essential habitat for species that cannot survive in the open and fragmented habitat that dominates surrounding areas. This proposal will allow these species to continue to thrive on Shenandoah Mountain so that they may be admired and enjoyed by future generations." Billy Flint, Salamander Ecologist, James Madison University Biology Department
Tom Johnson
"Shenandoah Mountain is a critical segment of the Great Eastern Trail. From New York to Alabama this section is one of the most wild and scenic,” Tom Johnson, President, Great Eastern Trail Association
Norris Campbell
"I like to hunt in the George Washington National Forest. I'd like to see it protected because when it's clearcut the coons won't stay in it. They'll come in and feed on some on the berries, but they cut their homes down when they cut the trees. I'd like to see it protected because the coons need the big trees for dens to raise their young." Norris Campbell, Coon Hunter
Cara Ellen Modisett
"Some of my most magical memories are of evenings with friends on the top of Reddish Knob, watching sunsets, moonrises and shooting stars over the ridges. As a native of the region, and as editor of a magazine that celebrates it, I feel strongly about the importance of preserving our wild and beautiful places. The creation of Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area will allow people to enjoy sunsets, moonrises and shooting stars for generations to come." Cara Ellen Modisett, editor at large, Blue Ridge Country magazine
Anne Nielsen
"The Climate Action Alliance of the Valley supports the proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area because it is in the best interests of all of us, human and other creatures alike, in the face of climate change. It would preserve the forests, which at this time are the most efficient terrestrial carbon sequestration systems, accomplished with energy only from the sun. That carbon, once built into the cells and tissues of the body of the tree, remains there until the tree is burned or decays. Undisturbed forest soils also sequester a surprising amount of carbon. As climate change progresses, whether from either or both natural and anthropogenic causes, unbroken forest corridors will be essential as safe corridors for northward migration of many species. Within a National Scenic Area the trees will be protected while access is maintained for the enjoyment of all." Anne Nielsen, Climate Action Alliance of the Valley
Thomas Jenkins
"Shenandoah Mountain offers some of the best mountain biking and wildest backcountry in the East. This proposal will protect both." Thomas Jenkins, Shenandoah Bike Shop, Harrisonburg
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Dave Matthews
FOREST
by David Matthews, Singer/Songwriter
written for Friends of Shenandoah Mountain
How would I explain a forest to
Someone who has never been in one –
The trees and the wind thru them,
The birds and their songs and
Their acrobatic flight thru the branches.
The smell of the last time and
The time before and the time before
That, that I was in the woods. The
Sound and the silence. The peace
And the crunch of the leaves and the branches
On the snow. The sound of a stream or
A woodpecker or a squirrel disappearing.
And the trees reaching up and up
And up to gather the sun and turn
Light to air, to jigsaw the moonlit winter
Sky. The trees like a fortress for the natural
World.What if I could not take my
Children for a walk in the woods.
by David Matthews, Singer/Songwriter
written for Friends of Shenandoah Mountain
How would I explain a forest to
Someone who has never been in one –
The trees and the wind thru them,
The birds and their songs and
Their acrobatic flight thru the branches.
The smell of the last time and
The time before and the time before
That, that I was in the woods. The
Sound and the silence. The peace
And the crunch of the leaves and the branches
On the snow. The sound of a stream or
A woodpecker or a squirrel disappearing.
And the trees reaching up and up
And up to gather the sun and turn
Light to air, to jigsaw the moonlit winter
Sky. The trees like a fortress for the natural
World.What if I could not take my
Children for a walk in the woods.