i am greeted with the worse knews that can be found in the mountains. they are trying to take north carolina…what are we going to do about it..Good Afternoon, and I hope that you are all having a joyous and restful Thanksgiving weekend. I am sending this email to all those who have attended the Carolina Mountain Club’s Mountain Treasure Camporees and the outlier hikes that Ted Snyder has masterminded these past 3+ years. Ted’s vision enabled us to explore most of the 41 areas that The Wilderness Society and our partners identified as North Carolina’s Mountain Treasures (NCMTs), with the goal of building a group of dedicated hikers who know these areas intimately, who can speak up for them at the right moment in the Forest Plan revision process for Nantahala and Pisgah. That time has come, friends! I wanted to build on the segment of the CMC e-news that was sent out this past Friday with some additional information and encouragement. Well, a lot of additional information… (If you just want to submit a quick comment, please e-mail the red bullet points from the talking points below to [email protected]. Thanks!) WHY NOW? The Potential Wilderness Area (PWA) Inventory is out and the Evaluation period is underway by the United States Forest Service (USFS). This comment period will last until January 5th, and this is the time to weigh in both generally on the management of our most special and vulnerable places and your specific opinions on specific places. These comments will also inform the USFS on where to place ALL of the NCMTs within the ‘zoning map’ of the forest plan, not just the ones ultimately recommended to be added to our National Wilderness Preservation System. Help us send the message to the USFS that you want to see more Wilderness Areas in our National Forests, and that you want to see the rest of our Mountain Treasures managed to protect and maintain their roadless and natural character, and their backcountry, ecological, recreation, and Wilderness values! Your comments will help pull these treasures out of management areas zoned for timber production! The USFS will release the Draft EIS, which is the draft Forest Plan, this spring—so now is the critical time to speak up for the Mountain Treasures. HOW DO YOU COMMENT? The USFS has set up an online Collaborative Mapping Tool, where comments can be submitted, HERE , and there are also PDF maps posted that do not require this online tool. You can also E-mail comments to [email protected] . It is fine to email your comments without using the online mapping tool. Hard copy comments can be mailed to United States Forest Service Supervisor’s Office, 160 Zillicoa St, Suite A, Asheville, NC 28801. WHAT SHOULD BE IN YOUR COMMENTS? I have attached a chart to this e-mail to help you tailor your comments, with specific information as well as what The Wilderness Society is advocating for designation or management of each area. The chart has hyperlinks to each individual NCMT area’s page with maps and more information from the Mountain Treasures website. The top spreadsheet in the chart shows the NCMT areas that were included in the final PWA inventory and will show on the USFS mapping tool. The second spreadsheet shows the NCMT areas that were not included in the PWA inventory, that will not be shown on the online mapping tool—We urge you to submit comments about these areas too, that they should be assigned to a Management Area that maintains their roadless and natural character! General Talking Points for your Comments: (Both general and specific comments are very important at this time. Please send in your general comments even if you are not able to go down the list of NCMT areas and comment on each one.) · All of the NC’s Mountain Treasure Areas should be recognized and placed in a Management Area that maintains their roadless and natural character, and is not suitable for Timber Production and road building, such as a Backcountry, Special Interest, or Special Biological Area management. · The following areas should be recommended for Wilderness designation: Black Mountains, Craggy Mountains (Big Ivy) for the current WSA boundary, Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Extensions, Linville Gorge Extensions, Mackey Mountain, Middle Prong Extension for the IRA acres, Shining Rock Extensions for the IRA acres, Snowbird WSA, Southern Nantahala Extensions, Tusquitee Bald, Unicoi Mountains. None of these areas have designated Mountain Biking Trails and all have Inventoried roadless acreage, old-growth forest acreage, opportunities for solitude, and outstanding Wilderness characteristics. None of these areas are along the Appalachian Trail Corridor. · The Overflow Wilderness Study Area (Blue Valley) should be included in the PWA inventory and also recommended for Wilderness. · The Forest Service should be using timber harvest as a tool to promote ecological integrity rather than for the goal of timber production and increasing the amount of the forest reserved for backcountry recreation. · All natural heritage areas identified by the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program should be placed in Management Areas unsuitable for timber production. · Existing old-growth forest and old-growth forest designations from the last Forest Plan should be unsuitable for timber production. · Wilderness is in high demand on the forest, as shown by the high levels of use in all the Pisgah-Nantahala’s wilderness areas. Our wilderness and other backcountry areas are cherished by local residents and others throughout the southeast. All Potential Wilderness Areas should be placed in either Wilderness Study or Remote/Backcountry Management Areas. · Wilderness also provides high economic value to our communities: Wilderness areas and protected landscapes are amenities that attract professionals (and the businesses that employ them) and retirees. · Portions of the Pisgah and Grandfather Ranger Districts in the Pisgah National Forest should be recommended for National Recreation Area designation to guide management to acknowledge recreation as the primary use of those areas. (Specific area recommendations are in the attached charts) The USFS has offered a list of questions for each area on which you can comment: -Does the area generally appear to be affected primarily by the forces of nature? -Are there opportunities within the area for solitude or to engage in primitive and unconfined recreation that leads to a visitor’s ability to feel a part of nature? -Is it practicable to both preserve this area and allow its use while maintaining it in an unimpaired condition? -Does the area contain ecological, geological, or other features of scientific, educational, scenic, or historical value? -Can the area be managed to preserve its wilderness characteristics? WHAT ELSE CAN YOU DO THIS MONTH TO HELP PROTECT THE NC’s MOUNTAIN TREASURES? · Forward this e-mail to others who can send comments in to the USFS. · Host a comment-writing party over the holidays and reminisce about hiking through these special places! Or get a head start on planning your next hike… · Talk to local business owners who depend on tourism and outdoor recreation opportunities in Nantahala-Pisgah National Forests—let them know that they need to comment! We have the 3rd most visited National Forest in the United States, and the Outdoor Industry Association reports that in North Carolina 191,500 jobs and $19.2 Billion in consumer spending is generated by outdoor recreation. The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area reports 30,000 jobs supported and $2.39 Billion in consumer spending generated by heritage tourism in WNC, which includes natural heritage and the Blue Ridge Parkway footprint. · Copy your e-mailed comments to Congressman Mark Meadows’ office to let him know why you value our public lands and your opinions about the management of our National Forests. · Let others know you submitted your comments on the CMC, NCMT, and your personal Facebook pages. Add this link to more info on the NCMT website. · Write a Letter to the Editor to your local paper, emphasizing that all of the NC’s Mountain Treasure Areas should be recognized and placed in a Management Area that maintains their roadless and natural character. · Contact me, Brent Martin, and Hugh Irwin of TWS with your questions and if you would like to volunteer time over the winter months for this effort. · Stay tuned! We will be posting additional maps and resources on the NCMT website over the next several weeks. Thank you so much for submitting comments to the USFS. As Ted Snyder said in the CMC e-news, “we cannot continue indefinitely holding camporees unless we advocate the protection of existing Wilderness Areas, the designation of more Wilderness Areas, and of the Inventoried Roadless Areas”. CMC will be submitting comments as an organization, but your personal words will make an impact for these places in the forest planning process. I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and I hope to see you soon on the trail at a Camporee! Thanks again for all you do to advocate for the incredible resource that is our National Forest, Jill Jill Gottesman Conservation Specialist The Wilderness Society | Southern Appalachian Regional Office 563 West Main Street, Suite 1, Sylva, NC 28779 Ph: 828.587.9453 C: 828.301.8900 wilderness.org Facebook: facebook/TheWildernessSociety Twitter: twitter/Wilderness We protect wilderness and inspire Americans to care for our wild places
Posted on: Mon, 01 Dec 2014 02:36:28 +0000
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