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MT ROGERS NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
Beth Merz, Area Ranger
3714 Highway 16, Marion, Va. 24354
phone (276)783-5196,
fax (276) 783-5504.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/gwj/mr/
updated February 8, 2007
CURRENT AND UPCOMING
[New] Fry
Hill timber sale – logging proposed on the east end
of Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area, in the vicinity of Fry
Hill, near the 7,320 acre Devils Den Virginia Mountain Treasure
Area and the 4,722 acre Little Horse Heaven Inventoried Roadless
Area.
Livestock Grazing - There are currently three
separate proposals for grazing allotment renewals on the Mt.
Rogers NRA. Approx. 7,650 (92%) of the 8,200 acres of livestock
grazing in the Jefferson National Forest takes place in the Mt.
Rogers NRA, in some of the highest and most sensitive ecosystems
in the National Forest. In the Mt. Rogers NRA, cattle grazing has
delayed restoration and reforestation of important forest
communities, like spruce, spruce-fir, northern hardwoods,
hemlock, and rich cove forests; has impacted streams and riparian
areas; and has impacted habitat for important species like brook
trout, northern flying squirrels, rare herbaceous plants and
salamanders. Grazing keeps some formerly forested areas in a
perpetual unforested condition, disrupts existing or past
wildlife corridors. Grazing can lead to sedimentation and other
water pollution. And grazing can impact forests, forest soils,
and the roots of trees, since some secondary grazing is expressly
allowed in wooded areas
Elk Garden Grazing - The FS proposes to continue
livestock grazing on 307 acres in a two-part allotment that
covers (1.) the 4500-4700 ft. high gap between Whitetop Mtn. and
the Mt. Rogers Crest Zone and (2.) a 3,800+ ft. high valley along
Helton Cr just southwest and west of Lewis Fork Wilderness Area.
Cripple Cr. Grazing - The FS proposes to
continue livestock grazing on 1,336 ac. of the recently acquired
Pellbridge tract and other lands near Cripple Creek and its
various tributaries. Most of this area lies within the approx.
7,320 acre Devils Den-Ewing Mtn. Virginia Mountain Treasure area.
Portions of the area contain rare habitats and biological
communities identified by Virginia Division of Natural Heritage.
Comers Cr./Konnarock/Iron Mountain Grazing - The
FS proposes to continue grazing on three separate allotments
totalling 1,100 acres: the Comers Cr., Konnarock, and Iron
Mountain allotments. The FS proposes to continue grazing near
trout streams (e.g., Big Laurel Creek and Whitetop Laurel Creek),
on the lower western slopes of Whitetop Mountain, and along a
segment of Comers Creek upstream from scenic Comers Falls. The
Forest Service also proposes continuing grazing in several tracts
in the Iron Mountain section in the central portion of the
National Recreation Area. The Forest Service sought initial
comments on this proposal in January 2004. We anticipate that
there will be another opportunity to comment when the
environmental assessment is released for this project. The Forest
Service states that planning for the Comers Creek and Iron
Mountain allotments is “on hold,” although grazing is
presumably continuing in the meantime.
Whitetop Mtn. Noxious Weed program - According
to the FS, the Whitetop Mtn. area "is comprised of one of
the most diverse assemblages of flora and fauna in Virginia and
ranks very high throughout North America. It is the northern
limit of range for such species as Fraser fir, umbrella lead,
Wellers salamander, pigmy salamander, and shovel-nosed
salamander." Two mountaintop balds exist in the area that
were recorded as open as early as the mid-1700s, "but their
origin is sometimes the subject of dispute" (Jefferson NF
Proposed Plan Revision 3-55&56). The FS is proposing a
"noxious weed program" for this rare ecosystem. Will
this project consist of chemical spraying or, hopefully, other
less-toxic treatments, including manual treatments?
Mt. Rogers Prescribed Burning - Over 17,000
acres of prescribed burning in the Glade Mountain area.
Pugh Mountain Mine Reclamation –
reclamation of abandoned sand mines. On hold.
RECENT
Cripple Creek Grouse timber sale - This
controversial timber sale in the heart of the 7,320 acre Devils
Den-Ewing Mtn. Va. Mtn. Treasure area calls for clearcutting and
even-aged logging on 99 acres, 3.2 miles of road reconstruction,
and construction of 1.3 miles of new road construction, impacting
one of the largest unroaded blocks of habitat on the eastern end
of the Mt. Rogers NRA. The project is purportedly being logged
for grouse even though most of the cutting unit acreage is
required to be managed for wild turkey, not grouse, according to
current management plan. Relatively older stands (particularly
important for black bear and turkey found in the area) are
lacking but will be reduced even further by the project.
Biological Hemlock Wooly Adelgid controls -
Hemlocks are dying out as a result of the non-native hemlock
wooly adelgid (HWA). The loss of the hemlock is already affecting
numerous riparian ecosystems, trout fisheries, and other forest
resources throughout Virginia. The Forest Service and scientists
from Virginia Tech are releasing Laricobius nigrinus, a beetle
native to the western United States that has been successful in
reducing HWA infestation in previous experiments and field tests.
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