Virginia Trail Protection Passes House

There is a Sierra Club press release posted online at Yubanet.com under the headline "House Passes the Virginia Ridge and Valley Act; Creates Six New Wilderness Areas and Two National Scenic Areas Step on the Path to Protecting What's Left of America's Wild Places" under the date 25 October 2007.

The proposed wilderness locations that mention the Appalachian Trail are described as follows:

"* Garden Mountain, 3,291 acres that extend along the rugged south face of Garden Mountain, bordered by the Appalachian Trail.

* Hunting Camp Creek, 8,470 acres of remote country crossed by the Appalachian Trail.

* Lynn Camp Creek, a 3,226-acre tract of forest that includes the northern slope of Brushy Mountain and tranquil Lynn Camp Creek, as well as parts of the Appalachian Trail."

As with most any legislation, though, there is a long process involved. This is HR 1011, the Virginia Ridge and Valley Act, sponsored by Representative Rick Boucher (D-Va.) and bears monitoring to see that it survives through to the end point and is funded.