Global climate change is a significant and potentially life-altering phenomenon for all forms of life. Rising temperatures are implicated in rising sea levels, rapid changes in habitat and potential worldwide extinctions of flora and fauna. At the same time, accelerating destruction of wildlife habitat is also a global crisis.

It is therefore imperative that global climate change be addressed in ways that do not further eliminate or reduce wildlife habitat. Virginia Forest Watch strongly supports shifting to renewable energy sources for production of electricity in the United States. However, because forests sequester carbon and are therefore important in mitigating climate change, as well as conferring many other benefits such as clean air, water, and native biodiversity, we do not support industrial-scale energy alternatives that destroy, degrade or fragment existing forests.

In particular, Virginia Forest Watch opposes the current trend in industrial-scale wind turbine development on public lands. The development of wind factory sites, transmission-line corridors, and very wide access roads result in the loss, degradation, and fragmentation of forest habitat; erosion and sedimentation of streams; continuing, long-term wildlife fatalities and injuries; noise and light pollution for large swaths of surrounding areas; and permanent net-loss to forested carbon storage.

The Appalachian Mountains in Virginia are well documented as having many globally unique, rare, threatened or endangered plant and animal species and communities, for which public lands are becoming the last refuge from human development. The development of ridge-top forest habitats will prevent species from moving to higher elevations in response to global warming, which leaves them no alternative except extinction.

In addition to environmental concerns, Virginia Forest Watch objects to exploitation of public lands for private profit. With regard to national forests, the Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of 1960 states that “it is the policy of the Congress that the national forests are established and shall be administered for outdoor recreation, range, timber, watershed, and wildlife and fish purposes.” This does not include massive commercial ventures for private profit that threaten most other uses of the national forest.

We believe Virginia’s healthiest future lies in implementing policies for energy conservation, increased efficiency, and green building techniques at every governmental level, and with methods of decentralized energy generation using locally-available renewable resources such as solar and small/appropriate-scale wind mills for individuals, farms and businesses, and communities.