Good News for WV

H

hollowdweller

Joined
Sep 22, 2003
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I think I wrote in a thread previously about my wonderful Congressman Nick Rahall's plan to add more wilderness to the Monongahela National Forest in WV.

Well then our Governor came out against two of the areas proposed and many wilderness lovers were upset the original plan left out sections of Roaring Plains and the beloved Seneca Creek.

So the governor is floating another plan that may pass. It removes 2 areas Cheat Mountain and Spice Run so the DNR can still manage them for hunters and fishermen, but it adds even more land including Seneca Creek and Roaring Plains!!!:thumbup:

Gov. Joe Manchin has proposed to further expand a congressional plan to add the first new wilderness areas to the Monongahela National Forest in nearly 25 years.

Manchin wants to add 4,000 acres to the proposal announced in January by Rep. Nick J. Rahall, D-W.Va., and the rest of West Virginia's congressional delegation.

"Conserving West Virginia's special places for this and future generations is one of my top priorities," Manchin said in a statement last week.
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Manchin announced his proposal last week after nearly a month of intense efforts by Division of Natural Resource officials to remove two areas - Spice Run and Cheat Mountain - from the congressional delegation's plan.

Drafted by Rahall, the congressional plan would add 47,000 acres to the Monongahela's existing 78,000 acres of wilderness, an increase of about 60 percent.

Rahall is chairman of the House Natural Resource Committee, which has jurisdiction over public lands such as forests and wilderness areas.

Rahall's plan called for expanding three existing wilderness areas, Cranberry, Dolly Sods and Dry Fork. It would also create four new wilderness areas: Big Draft and Spice Run in Greenbrier County, Cheat Mountain in Randolph County, and Roaring Plains West in Pendleton and Randolph counties.
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But DNR officials and Manchin initially supported only the Dry Fork and Cranberry expansions.

DNR officials especially wanted to remove from the congressional proposal plans for the new Cheat Mountain and Spice Run wilderness areas.


In a news release, DNR Director Frank Jezioro explained his agency's position.

"Given the history of human activities on some of the areas, managing their fish and wildlife requires more than simple preservation," the release said. "It often requires active management of land and water habitats that can't be done effectively in wilderness areas.

"Instead of protecting wildlife, the establishment of wilderness designation for areas like Cheat Mountain would hamper beneficial wildlife management efforts to restore red spruce and stream habitats for endangered species and brook trout," the release said.
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Manchin's counter-proposal to the congressional delegation would not include the new Spice Run and Cheat Mountain areas.

But it would add nearly 13,000 acres at Seneca Creek and more than 6,000 acres in the east and north sections of Roaring Plains.

In all, the Manchin proposal would include about 51,000 acres, or more than 8 percent more than the congressional plan.

"This is an excellent enhancement to the wilderness legislation introduced by our congressional delegation and I believe it will be supported by an even broader coalition of West Virginia's citizens," Manchin said.

Rahall applauded Manchin and the DNR's "contribution to the important and pressing need to protect some of West Virginia's special places."
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This still needs to clear Shelly Capito who is a republican and the Bush Admin but both agreed to sign off on the original proposal so there's a great chance we may get more land to play on.

Here's Roaring Plains:

Me at the boulder field on the Canyon Rim trail
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The wife setting on "The Point" the junction of Roaring Creek and Long Run canyons looking down on Seneca Rocks in the distance.
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For scale this isn't in the proposed area but this is Seneca Rocks taken from the road near it

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Blueberry and spruce in Roaring Plains
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Alpine Meadow in Seneca Creek
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The Falls of Seneca Creek. This is about a six mile hike back in
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Good news HD!

(I've probably said it before) I love that neck of the woods. I camp/vacation near the Shavers Fork of the Cheat every year. Less than a mile from the entrance to Monongahela.
I'll be back in May. I just can't seem to stay away from that area.
 
Rupestris said:
Good news HD!

(I've probably said it before) I love that neck of the woods. I camp/vacation near the Shavers Fork of the Cheat every year. Less than a mile from the entrance to Monongahela.
I'll be back in May. I just can't seem to stay away from that area.
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I've only really begun to explore that area with the hike to High Falls last year:thumbup:
 
hollowdweller said:
The national forest. The wilderness designation would prevent it from potentially being logged or coal mined in the future.
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Jus checkin, we are aways fighting the Gov. and NGO's Lusting (Covet) after our private land up here.
 
555 said:
Jus checkin, we are aways fighting the Gov. and NGO's Lusting (Covet) after our private land up here.
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That's funny. I'm trying to figure out a way to WILL my land to the gov't or a church or a school or something that will take it with the stipulation that it will never be developed and it will be used as some sort of nature/recreation area.:thumbup:
 
How far is all this from Lewisburg? I go there every other week. Thanks, Clint
 
Thanks for the info HD. I was born in Bluefield but I lived near Neola for about a year. We used to go up to Lake Sherwood. That was years ago. That is definitely Gods country, almost Heaven! Go WVU and Billy Stewart!
 
Seneca Creek kicks ass. On a sunny day you can stand on the edge of that pool in front of the falls and see the sun reflecting off of the trout.
 
What a beautiful place. I need to get out of the dang city and stare at some greenery instead of tar and neon.
 
hollowdweller said:
That's funny. I'm trying to figure out a way to WILL my land to the gov't or a church or a school or something that will take it with the stipulation that it will never be developed and it will be used as some sort of nature/recreation area.:thumbup:
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This shouldn't be that hard there are groups/orgs. that should be able to help you with this.

BTW I Know people who have done this very thing.
 
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