Last week an advisory committee recommended preservation for roadless areas in Virginia’s national forests.
On May 9, the Roadless Area Conservation National Advisory Committee asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to comply with former Governor Mark Warner’s request to prohibit new roads in wild sections of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests.
Roadless areas are particularly rugged sections of forest without paved roads. Based on overwhelming public comment in favor of protection in Virginia (which has more roadless areas than any state east of the Mississippi), the Clinton Administration passed a law putting them off-limits to loggers and miners. The Bush Administration nullified that law; governors who wanted to protect their state’s forests had to make a special request to the USDA.
Warner made the request before leaving office. Forest advocates expect a final decision from Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns very soon. “It’s hard to imagine he wouldn’t go with the recommendation, but you never know,” says Nikki Smathers of the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition.—John Borgmeyer
Related stories
Explosive growth
Unlike Scottsville, Crozet is not a town, and decisions about land use are up to the six-member Board of Supervisors. The unincorporated community is in Albemarle’s White Hall District, and last year, incumbent Supervisor Ann Mallek narrowly defeated challenger Brad Rykal. Rykal’s campaign argued Albemarle has focused too much development into Crozet without providing […]
Shortened stay
Four years after opening its doors, the Quirk Hotel in Charlottesville was sold for $24 million to Blue Suede Hospitality Group on Monday, April 29. The hotel will undergo a complete rebrand—including a renaming—later this fall. Originally opened in March 2020, the Charlottesville Quirk Hotel is the sister location of the popular Richmond-based Quirk Hotel. […]
Breaking camp
Tensions between organizers and university leadership reached a boiling point underneath the gray skies on Saturday, May 4, when police forcefully broke up a pro-Palestine encampment at the University of Virginia. By all accounts, the UVA Encampment for Gaza organized peacefully on Grounds, with demonstrators intermittently chanting, decorating signs, and working on their finals throughout […]
