Stony Valley Swap Stopped

The Lebanon (PA) Daily News has an editorial dated 9 September 2007, unsigned, and titled simply "Swap Stopped." The article details the agreement reached between the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the Pennsylvania National Guard regarding some land called Stony Valley. Appalachian Trail hikers may know it better as "St. Anthony's Winderness." (Think the miles between Clark Creek and Rausch Gap Shelter.)

The Guard has had its eyes on this valley because its firing range is on the other side of the mountain, and they figured they needed a buffer zone. But it seems they've pretty much been the only ones in Pennsylvania seeing it that way.

The end result is that the "it seems the Guard has abandoned altogether the idea of taking ownership of the buffer-zone land. It has a new plan: The land would remain part of SGL [State Game Land] 211 but, under terms of an agreement with the commission, access to the 900-acre buffer zone would be restricted for up to 90 days each year while troops are using the firing range on the other side of the mountain (the danger is from errant shells bouncing or sailing over the ridge)."

The AT is not in the new buffer zone that the Guard wants off limits for a quarter of each year.