U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia introduced two bills today to protect wilderness in Rockingham, Augusta, Highland and Bath counties.
In 2023, the tourism economy directly employed 7,562 people and generated $842.5 million in expenditures in Augusta, Rockingham, Bath and Highland counties, as well as Harrisonburg, Staunton and Waynesboro.
The land additions were recommended by the U.S. Forest Service in 2014 and endorsed by members of the George Washington National Forest Stakeholder Collaborative, a group of forest users that started work together more than a decade ago to agree on acceptable locations in the George Washington National Forest for wilderness, timber harvest, trails and other uses.
“We are lucky to have such beautiful natural resources in Virginia, and we need to do more to ensure that these lands are protected for future generations. We’re proud to introduce this legislation to preserve wilderness in Rockingham, Augusta, Highland and Bath counties, protect wildlife, and support local economies that depend on tourism and outdoor recreation,” Warner and Kaine said.
The Shenandoah Mountain Act would establish a 92,562-acre Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area (SMNSA) in Rockingham, Augusta and Highland counties. National Scenic Areas protect the scenic, historic, recreational and natural resources in specific areas and allow compatible uses such as outdoor recreation activities.
The SMNSA encompasses four wilderness areas, Skidmore Fork, Little River, Ramsey’s Draft and Lynn Hollow, and establishes a wilderness area at Beech Lick Knob. The area also includes headwaters for the Potomac and James rivers and watersheds that provide municipal drinking water sources for Harrisonburg, Staunton and other communities. The NSA designation would protect the rivers and streams from industrial development and safeguard populations of at-risk species, such as the Cow Knob and Shenandoah Mountain Salamander.
James Madison University scientists estimate that lands within the SMNSA proposal already generate $13.7 million per year in other local benefits, including the value of the water supply and energy savings, and that the designation of the SMNSA would further grow the value.
“Friends of Shenandoah Mountain is so pleased with the reintroduction of the Shenandoah Mountain Act. For decades, we’ve worked with folks who hunt, hike, paddle, fish, and ride mountain bikes in this landscape, and everyone agrees that a National Scenic Area designation strikes the right balance between recreation and preservation,” said Lynn Cameron, Co-Chair of Friends of Shenandoah Mountain.
The Virginia Wilderness Additions Act would add 5,600 acres to the existing Rough Mountain and Rich Hole wilderness areas within the George Washington National Forest in Bath County.
“Expanding the Rough Mountain and Rich Hole Wilderness Areas honors decades of work by dozens of stakeholders, and results in a number of ecological, economic, and recreational benefits. The Virginia Wilderness Committee is grateful to Sens. Kaine and Warner for this reintroduction,” said Ellen Stuart-Haentjens, Executive Director of the Virginia Wilderness Committee.
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Warner and Kaine reintroduce legislation to protect 5,600 acres of Bath County wilderness
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Rebecca Barnabi
