official boundary description of Pemigewasset Wilderness

[RoySwkr]

I am trying to find the official boundary description of the Pemigewasset Wilderness for a project soon to be unveiled. The WMNF has ignored my query, a Wilderness advocacy group doesn't know where it is to be found, and the authorization bill has only the summary and not the text online. A Smart fellow told me where to find brief boundary descriptions of newer Wildernesses but not the Pemi. Has anybody been around long enough to have it in hardcopy?

 

[--M.]

Have you tried asking bookstore proprietors in the area?

 

[Becca M]

You'd think the Pemi Ranger District office would be happy (!) to provide this information. Hopefully you don't want to build a bridge within 200'.

 

[swamp]

Hey Roy,
I have no answer to your question but I'm very curious about your project. Keep us appraised of your progress (as required per article 3 in the Bushwhacker's Code).

 

[MichaelJ]

I was unable to find a written description online. Public Law 98-323 established the Pemi, Sandwich, and Dry River Wilderness on June 19, 1984. This was known as the "New Hampshire Wilderness Act of 1984."

Title I, Sec. 101:
In furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131-1136), the following are designated as wilderness and, therefore, as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System —

(a) certain lands in the White Mountain National Forest, New Hampshire which comprise about forty-five thousand acres, are generally depicted on a map entitled "Pemigewasset Wilderness— Proposed" dated July 1983, and which shall be known as the Pemigewasset Wilderness Area;

...

Sec. 3. (a) As soon as practicable after this Act takes effect, the Secretary of Agriculture shall file maps and legal descriptions of each wilderness designated by this Act with the Committee on Agriculture of the Senate and the Committees on Agriculture and Interior and Insular Affairs of the House of Representatives.

(b) Each map and legal description shall —

(1) be subject to correction of clerical and typographical errors;

(2) be on file and available for public inspection in the office of the Chief, United States Forest Service, Department of Agriculture; and

(3) have the same force and effect as if included in this Act.

Nowadays it seems the only thing online is the GIS data at
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/whi...wnload_page/MapBook/Map_data/lands/lands.html

Wilderness.Net has this GIS data available in a more convenient format (Google Earth .kmz) at
http://www.wilderness.net/index.cfm?fuse=NWPS&sec=geography&letter=P

While the WMNF website has maps
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/white_mountain/projects/forest_plan_revision/Downloads.php
this Geobook format, when unzipped, has the same files as the GIS data. A note inside proclaims "The Wilderness Boundaries were identified from the MAPPED MA data."

The level of detail in the map is extraordinary. My guess is that it's from an actual ground survey ("recovery") of the boundary from the written material. Certainly, a lot can be inferred from it (ie, "runs along the ridge line" or "along the trail") and that inset for Guyot Shelter is pretty cute. But alas, it is still not the written, legal description.

ps - the statute does say "Maps, legal descriptions, and regulations pertaining to wilderness within their respective jurisdictions also shall be available to the public in the offices of regional foresters, national forest supervisors, and forest rangers."

 

[RoySwkr]

One key question is whether certain portions of the boundary are along the watershed or downslope - the A.T. is specifically outside for instance

I was unable to find a written description online. Public Law 98-323 established the Pemi, Sandwich, and Dry River Wilderness on June 19, 1984. This was known as the "New Hampshire Wilderness Act of 1984."

Yup, although the act referenced a map this is not online anywhere I could find it, nor in the hard-copy Congressional Record which I consulted

ps - the statute does say "Maps, legal descriptions, and regulations pertaining to wilderness within their respective jurisdictions also shall be available to the public in the offices of regional foresters, national forest supervisors, and forest rangers."

Hmm, I didn't see that part of the statute and the advocacy group I contacted said it was very unusual for the district ranger to have a copy - peculiar as one would think they had probably written it

 

[evilhanz]

Have you considered a FOIA request? I was successful in getting some information from the USFS that way after failing through more informal means. Here's how to file one: http://www.fs.fed.us/im/foia/ The response I received was prompt and thorough and they didn't charge me for the documents. Give it a shot.

 

[MichaelJ]

Hmm, I didn't see that part of the statute and the advocacy group I contacted said it was very unusual for the district ranger to have a copy - peculiar as one would think they had probably written it

it was pretty late at night when I looked this all up, but I believe that was in the original 1964 document.

 

[MichaelJ]

I tried to put this on a Topo using one of my links above to the KMZ data as well as searching for topo maps that display as overlays on Google Earth. I had limited success, but it does show that once the boundary leaves the Ethan Pond Trail, it precisely follows the ridgeline/watershed boundary to the top of Nancy, Anderson, skipping Lowell, the height-of-land in Carrigain Notch, Vose & Carrigain, the Hancocks, Hitchcock, 3194', 2255', then it hits the East Side Trail, does the bump-out around Franconia Falls and Black Pond, Follows the west side of the Wilderness Trail back to around Osseo, then follows that and all the other trails around the loop. There's not enough detail to say exactly how far off the ridgeline/trail/AT/drainage boundary it is or isn't. I certainly can't tell if it's along the AT corridor boundary line or not, sorry.

 

[RoySwkr]

it precisely follows the ridgeline/watershed boundary to the top of Nancy, Anderson, skipping Lowell, the height-of-land in Carrigain Notch, Vose & Carrigain, the Hancocks, Hitchcock, 3194', 2255'

I know that the Wilderness boundary sign is not on the summit of Carrigain but a short ways down Desolation Trail, similarly I don't remember crossing any Wilderness boundary on the Hancock Loop although the trail is often on the NE side of the ridge. So until I see the written description to the contrary I will assume that ridgeline features are outside Wilderness.

 

[RoySwkr]

I finally received an answer from the WMNF surveyor, the official document is a scanned PDF which I can't post here (e-mail if you want to OCR or host it).

As suspected, it is defined as a distance from trails so most trailed summits are outside Wilderness but bushwhack summits are on boundary. My summary:
* 66 feet from Osseo, Franconia Ridge, Garfield Ridge Trails
* 100 feet outside Galehead Hut permit area
* 66 feet from Twinway to Bondcliff Trail
* 33 feet from Bondcliff Trail to point 100 feet S of Guyot Shelter spur, then 100 feet from spur and shelter returning 33 feet from other side of Bondcliff Trail
* 66 feet from Twinway and Whitewall Brook
* 66 feet from Ethan Pond Trail to ridge S from Mt Willey
* follows ridgeline all the way to East Side Road with 100' deviation at summit of Mt Carrigain - no such deviation at Mt Hancock so apparently part of Hancock Loop Trail is in Wilderness although not signed as such
* 66 feet from East Side Road to 66 feet beyond gate
* across to Wilderness Trail and back to 33 feet from Franconia Brook
* up Franconia Brook to E of northern tip of Black Pond, then over to pond
* follow pond shore (which not specified but presumably W to connect below)
* 33 feet SW from Black Pond Trail
* 66 feet from Wilderness Trail back to Osseo Trail