By: William H. Funk The View from Shenandoah Mountain Last Sunday morning a group of eight Wild Virginia members took a little walk along the icy crest of Shenandoah Mountain in the George Washington National Forest. The sun was dazzling, the sky the deep gemlike pellucid blue that comes with the low humidity and temperatures… Read more
Ernie Reed, Wild Virginia Conservation Director The Lower Cowpasture Restoration Project is the largest project ever conceived in the George Washington National Forest. It spans over 77,000 acres and would take place over a span of 10 years. Most of the project area lies north and east of Covington and Clifton Forge and spans parts… Read more
Wild Virginia hosted a trip to see a hydrofracturing (fracking) site last spring in West Virginia. We wanted to see the operations first-hand and talk to landowners directly impacted by the industry because this drilling is being considered for our George Washington National Forest. We came back appalled by what we saw and learned from landowners. Recently, the story in West Virginia took… Read more
By: David Hannah Posted: February 14, 2012 A brief snow shower welcomed the 17 people who spent a few hours walking and enjoying the Deep Run Ponds Natural Area Preserve in Rockingham County. We visited 6 of the 8 sinkhole ponds, though only 1 of the 6 had standing water. The large salamander egg masses… Read more
By: Ernie Reed Posted: February 14, 2012 Virginia Electric Power is proposing to burn trees and other vegetation to generate large amounts of electricity at three of its power generating stations in Alta Vista, Hopewell and South Hampton, Virginia[1]. For the reasons stated below, this is a big step backwards in the direction that utilities… Read more
Bette has loved hiking for as long as she can remember. She became a Wild Virginia hike leader in order to share the fun of spending time “playing outside” with others. She believes that the more people spend time in wild places like the George Washington National Forest the more they will feel the value… Read more
Hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”, has been in the news a great deal recently. The practice has been common in some western states for many years, but has become more widespread in eastern states only during the past decade. (see our Summer 2011 newsletter cover article for more) The draft management plan for the George Washington… Read more
During the growing season of 2010, Wild Virginia conducted a survey for non-native invasive plants (NNIP) in the Ramsey’s Draft Wilderness Area of the George Washington National Forest (GWNF). Two field workers traversed approximately 29 miles of trails and streams within the wilderness area. Three other areas were also surveyed: Mountain House picnic and trailhead… Read more
Biomass incineration, the burning of woody and agricultural materials, is often promoted as a significant component of the effort to shift Americans away from our addiction to fossil fuels. It has often been touted as both “renewable” and “carbon-neutral”. But burning any organic material releases carbon dioxide. Scientists, in fact, have pointed out that a… Read more
The State of Our Water: Managing and Protecting the Drinking Water Resources of the George Washington National Forest: In December 2008, Wild Virginia completed a study of the drinking water resources of the George Washington National Forest (GWNF).The GWNF is a very important regional and local source of drinking water.Twenty-two localities in western Virginia obtain… Read more
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