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Group Encourages Public Comment on Forest Plan
By LEAH DEITZ
Staff Writer
Elkins Intermountain
The West Virginia Wilderness Coalition made a presentation Tuesday
at Davis & Elkins College on the importance of wilderness and
the U.S. Forest Services Monongahela Forest Plan revisions.
WVWC representative Matt Keller explained to a crowd of more than
30 community members and college students the origins of the
organization and its campaign for additional wilderness areas in
the state.
The Sierra Club and West Virginia Highlands Conservancy joined
with other environmental organizations to seek protection for wild
areas on federally owned public property. Once protected, these
lands will be ineligible for logging, road building, mining,
motorized use and permanent structures.
In West Virginia, the coalition is focused on increasing
wilderness areas in the Monongahela National Forest.
Keller said wilderness areas are designated for the use of the
people, not just conservation. There are several ways that
wilderness is a valuable asset, Keller said. Ecologically,
wilderness protects watersheds as well as drinking water,
sensitive species and roadless areas. Wilderness also contributes
to quality of life, Keller said.
Wilderness areas ensure there will be places to hunt, fish, camp,
hike, enjoy outdoor recreation and generally just get away from it
all.
Protected lands make rural areas more valuable, Keller said.
Property abutting wilderness areas often increase in property
value, Keller added.
Economically, wilderness attracts tourists. The Monongahela
National Forest is within a days drive for approximately 1/3 of
the country's citizens, Keller said.
Wilderness areas are also valuable for non-use purposes, he said.
According to a Forest Service study, the top eight reasons that
the forest is valued has nothing to do with recreation.
Because wilderness is scarce, it is economically valuable as well.
We are losing open areas at an alarming rate, Keller said, noting
that West Virginia ranks the highest in the nation for sprawl.
As for fishing and hunting grounds, the forest has limitless
value, Keller said. Despite public misconception, wilderness areas
are open for hunters and fishermen. The forests are protected from
industrial entities, not recreationists, Keller said.
Keller also noted that timbering and logging are not allowed in
the forest and although that may mean a loss in extractive
industry dollars it means a boost in other ways. Its a small price
to pay for the other benefits of the wild, Keller said.
The WVWC has a campaign of its own to propose 143,000 acres of
increased wilderness areas to Congress, the governing body that
actually makes a wilderness designation.
However, the WVWC did not make the presentation solely to discuss
its proposal. Keller explained the Monongahela National Forest
revisions of the U.S. Forest Services plan.
According to Keller, the Forest Service is required to make
revisions every 10 to 15 years. The current revision comes 20
years after the first forest plan was put into place.
The draft was released Aug. 12 and is currently in a 90-day
comment period in which the public is asked to issue comments
about the four alternatives.
Basically, the draft alternatives does for the forest what zoning
does for local government, Keller said.
The alternatives outline for the Forest Service what activities
can happen on the forest and where, Keller said.
According to Keller, the issues on the Monongahela are:
How much wilderness;
How to manage roadless areas;
How much can be logged and where;
Different ways to manage the forest;
How endangered species will be treated;
Location and management of the backcountry;
Types of recreation;
How many roads;
How to manage and treat water;
How to manage the impact of soils.
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