The Clinch Coalition has requested a meeting with National Forest Service staff to discuss problems they have discovered on the recently completed Teddy Bear timber sale on High Knob. The logging job is located just above Little Stony Falls, between Bark Camp Lake and the Hanging Rock Recreation Area.

According to Clinch Coalition vice president JR Moore, “We are very much upset with some of the things we found on the site during a field trip Sunday afternoon, April 10. We have thus requested a meeting with District Ranger Doug Jones to discuss those problems.”

The field trip was organized by the Clinch Coalition to train local citizens to monitor logging practices on the National Forest. It was during this training that several apparent violations of best management practices were discovered. Best management practices must be followed in order to protect the waterways flowing from High Knob and these rules are mandatory on National Forest land.

Of most concern to the Coalition was what appeared to be oil spills, some discovered seeping from beneath mounds of earth at the Teddy Bear logging site.

According to Moore, “In several locations it appeared that dirt had been dozed over the oil in an attempt to keep anyone from seeing it. But despite the cover up, we saw one oil slick that was approximately 8 by 10 feet in size. Now we all know that oil has disastrous effects on water quality and aquatic species.”

A dozen citizens participated in the training conducted by Ben Prater, an ecologist with the Southern Appalachian Biodiversity Project, and by Sherman Bamford of Virginia Forest Watch.

Prater explains "On this field trip we witnessed first hand the importance of monitoring our national forests. Without the vigilance of members of the Clinch Coalition and other concerned citizens there would be no one to hold the agency accountable. Knowing we are out there, the Forest Service will be more responsible with our natural resources".

Other problems were observed at the site as well. Apparently the logging had occurred at a time when the ground was too saturated to support machinery. According to Moore there were numerous deep ruts with standing pools of water and it was evident that machinery had been deeply mired in the mud and “the ground was so chewed up that walking was extremely difficult.”

Prater says many of the trees left for regeneration had been uprooted due to the combined effects of saturated soil and the removal of supporting adjacent trees. In addition, he adds, many regeneration trees were so severely damaged there was no hope for recovery.

The Clinch Coalition is committed to protecting the national forest and its trainees will continue monitoring logging sites to ensure that Best Management Practices are followed. Anyone interested in receiving monitor training may contact Detta Davis at 276-395-2051.

(Clinch Coalition Press Release - April 14, 2005)