West Virginia Wilderness Coalition's E Newsletter is back for 2010!            Enjoy the first issue of the year, and be sure to visit us on Facebook for important updates and action alerts.

 Oil & Gas Development Threatens Mon’s Wild Places
dramatic increase in 2009 hastens need for permanent protection

   2009 saw attempts to lease federal gas rights within proposed Wilderness areas on the Monongahela National Forest by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).  While these lands are managed by the US Forest Service, the BLM is responsible for leasing federally owned oil and gas rights.  Attempts to sell leases for gas in both the Roaring Plains West Wilderness (before the Wild Monongahela Act passed and designated it) and the Seneca Creek Proposed Wilderness were beaten back by conservationists in 2009.

“Throughout the Wild Mon campaign, we talked a lot about how threatened these special places were,” stated Hugh Rogers, President of the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy and WV Wilderness Coalition steering committee member.  “Those opposed to wilderness designation often argued that these areas are perfectly well protected.  These recent lease sale attempts have driven the point home that legislative designation is the only way to legitimately protect the areas.”

While the Wild Mon Act safeguarded places like Roaring Plains West, Spice Run, and others as designated wilderness, it left many other special areas vulnerable to industrial energy development.  Of particular concern is the Seneca Creek Proposed Wilderness in Randolph and Pendleton Counties.  Gas development has already occurred in the White’s Run area, north of the proposed wilderness and there has been great interest in selling gas leases in several locations within the area.  The latest proposed lease site could seriously impact the Gandy Creek watershed on the west side of the area. 
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"Those opposed to wilderness designation often argued that these areas are perfectly well protected."
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“The trout streams within the Seneca Creek area are far too fragile and valuable to risk industrial energy development” said Karen Grubb, Conservation Chair of the West Virginia Chapter of Sierra Club and a WV Wilderness Coalition steering committee member.  “The native Brook Trout within Seneca Creek in particular are a rare and valuable resource for our state and we shouldn’t be gambling with their habitat.”

The West Virginia Wilderness Coalition and our partners remain vigilant against the continued threat of industrial energy development within special places on the Mon.  In Pennsylvania’s Allegheny National Forest, wild landscapes are dwindling in the face of sweeping oil and gas development across some of the Keystone State’s most pristine natural areas.  As we see examples of destruction on other National Forest Lands, we must seek to seek to keep oil and gas development out of the Mon's proposed Wilderness areas, and legislative designation is the only viable way to ensure these areas stay wild and wonderful for current and future generations to enjoy. 
 

Wild places, lost:
Development in Allegheny National Forest's proposed Wilderness areas

Oil and gas development has already compromised the natural character of proposed Wilderness areas on the Allegheny National forest.  Storage facilities dominate the landscape beside an access road in the proposed Morrison Run Wilderness (above, left - Mollie Matteson).  In otherwise intact forests, recreationists will encounter active drilling operations such as this active well in the proposed Chestnut Ridge Wilderness (above, right - Kirk Johnson).  With around 12,000 wells on the Allegheny, operations such as those found in the Morrison Run area (left - Mollie Matteson) carry numerous environmental consequences, from clear-cutting and road-building to watershed disturbance and disposal of drilling fluids.   Preservation efforts on the Allegheny have been hampered by vast private ownership of mineral rights under the forest, meaning developers have few legal obligations to the Forest Service.  Minerals under the Mon are predominately under Federal ownership, and their exploration and development is managed at an administration's discretion.  The only way to ensure that our last remaining wild places are removed from consideration from development is through Congressional designation, and conservationists in West Virginia continue to advocate for the highest levels of legislative protections to be granted to the Mon's natural mountain treasures.      
 

Across West Virginia, winter weather has affected daily routines, with conditions forcing many businesses and school districts to closes for days at a time.  In the high elevations of the Mon National Forest, the increased snowfall means recreationists have the unique opportunity to experience these wild areas as true winter wonderlands.  Two of the  National Forest's most popular winter destinations, Roaring Plains West and northern Dolly Sods, are enjoying their first year as permanently protected Wilderness areas.  The Mon long has been a hot spot for numerous activities, from winter backpacking, snowshoeing, and especially backcountry skiing.  

Dolly Sods Wilderness (above, bottom left), a longtime winter favorite for visitors from near and far away, can be easily skied in the winter, and can be accessed from Timberline and Canaan Valley Resorts, as well as White Grass Touring Center in Canaan Valley. 

Those who are accustomed to experiencing the Mon in the spring, summer and autumn months, are due for a winter excursion in one of West Virginia's newest Wilderness areas.  Because conditions can change so quickly and unexpectedly, it is especially important to be prepared with proper attire and equipment for your outing.    As snow continues to fall across the Highlands, opportunities for winter recreation aren't going away anytime soon!

Skiers navigate wind-swept plains and massive snow drifts on a recent excursion in Dolly Sods Wilderness. Photos by Dylan Fowler