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Friends Group Seeks to Protect 90,000 Acres of National Forest

Progress has been made to protect 90,000 acres in Virginia’s Highland, Augusta and Rockingham counties.

A grassroots group in Virginia working to protect one of the largest, most unfragmented tracts of forestland in the East has picked up several key endorsements.

The Staunton City Council and Highland County Chamber of Commerce have both endorsed the Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area proposal. The proposal covers 90,000 acres of public land on the George Washington National Forest in the counties of Highland, Augusta and Rockingham, and includes four areas for potential designation as federal wilderness.

If Congress approves the plan, the acreage would be off-limits to industrial development like mining and gas drilling, and visitors would continue to enjoy the area for hunting, fishing, hiking, mountain biking and other recreation.

The group, Friends of Shenandoah Mountain, has worked for several years and garnered endorsements from more than 400 organizations, businesses, faith groups and others, and hundreds of individuals.

Learn more at FriendsOfShenandoahMountain.org

The story above appears in our May/June, 2020 issue. For more subscribe today or log in to the digital edition with your active BRC+ subscription. Thank you for your support!

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