Wilderness Act Clears Congress

[Waumbek]

The 2006 New England Wilderness Act quietly cleared Congress today. In the WMNF, that means that the three Wild River shelters (Spruce Brook, Blue Brook, and Perkins Notch) are back on the block for possible removal and replacement with soil tent pads in 6/2007.

 

[Mattl]

Political comment deleted by moderator.

Something unclear about the rules for posting? If you can't keep it factual post somewhere else.

 

[kltilton]

I believe one of the senators from Vermont that was against the original bill because it didn't include enough protected land in Vermont may have changed his tune.

I guess I'll have to get out to the Wild River valley this spring before they tear down the shelters.

 

[arghman]

I assume the President plans to sign this....

I guess I'll have to get out to the Wild River valley this spring before they tear down the shelters.

Or make sure you give your comments to USFS and/or your congressional reps.... the shelters won't be gone until USFS approves a plan to remove them, which is probably imminent but I don't think it's happened quite yet.

It also means a 10-person limit on all groups hiking within these areas. AMC Cold River Camp used to have family group hikes to Moriah Gorge and Rim Junction (as well as a few other areas) as a sort of lowest-common-denominator hike for people not interested in the more strenuous hikes. These two destinations will effectively be off the table, as lowest-common-denominator hikes usually have to accomodate 10-20 people.

 

[Peaks]

As I recall, the USFS White Mountain Forest Plan called for additions to several wilderness areas. Which areas & additions did congress approve? Just the Wild River area, or other areas as well?

 

[CaptCaper]

As I recall, the USFS White Mountain Forest Plan called for additions to several wilderness areas. Which areas & additions did congress approve? Just the Wild River area, or other areas as well?

I'm not positive but Owlshead,Mount Martha area was adopted into the National Forest. I'm not sure about Cherry Mountain.

 

[arghman]

As I recall, the USFS White Mountain Forest Plan called for additions to several wilderness areas. Which areas & additions did congress approve? Just the Wild River area, or other areas as well?

the final Forest Plan's Record of Decision chose Alternative 2 which would put in place the Wild River area + expanded Sandwich range.

This assumes the Final Wilderness Act's choice of areas is identical to the Forest Plan... my understanding was that the text of the Act contained boundary clarifications.

See http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?p=123290#post123290 for some maps I had posted earlier.

 

[arghman]

I'm not positive but Owlshead,Mount Martha area was adopted into the National Forest. I'm not sure about Cherry Mountain.

? They are part of WMNF but not part of any Wilderness Area.

For the precise bill text, see the Library of Congress's bill text/status of S.4001 at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:S.4001:

which includes the following:

New England Wilderness Act of 2006 (Referred to House Committee after being Received from Senate)

S 4001 RFH

[stuff omitted --arghman]

SEC. 102. DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS AREAS.

In accordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), the following Federal land in the State is designated as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System:

(1) Certain Federal land managed by the Forest Service, comprising approximately 23,700 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled `Proposed Wild River Wilderness--White Mountain National Forest', dated February 6, 2006, which shall be known as the `Wild River Wilderness'.

(2) Certain Federal land managed by the Forest Service, comprising approximately 10,800 acres, as generally depicted on the map entitled `Proposed Sandwich Range Wilderness Additions--White Mountain National Forest', dated February 6, 2006, and which are incorporated in the Sandwich Range Wilderness, as designated by the New Hampshire Wilderness Act of 1984 (Public Law 98-323; 98 Stat. 259).

SEC. 103. MAP AND DESCRIPTION.

(a) In General- As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall file a map and a legal description of each wilderness area designated by section 102 with the committees of appropriate jurisdiction in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

(b) Force and Effect- A map and legal description filed under subsection (a) shall have the same force and effect as if included in this Act, except that the Secretary may correct clerical and typographical errors in the map and legal description.

(c) Public Availability- Each map and legal description filed under subsection (a) shall be filed and made available for public inspection in the Office of the Chief of the Forest Service.

 

[jjmcgo]

Wilderness fires

I just thought about this. A wilderness area is supposed to be an area untouched forevermore by the hand of man.
That means no shelters, no bridges, no new trails, no signage, etc.
But do they put out forest fires in Wilderness areas?
That would seem, if not hypocritical, at least inconsistent.
Or, is it a case of they'll make sure we don't impact the forest but government workers will, as they see fit?

 

[arghman]

I just thought about this. A wilderness area is supposed to be an area untouched forevermore by the hand of man.
That means no shelters, no bridges, no new trails, no signage, etc.
But do they put out forest fires in Wilderness areas?
That would seem, if not hypocritical, at least inconsistent.
Or, is it a case of they'll make sure we don't impact the forest but government workers will, as they see fit?

I would check the Forest Plan (don't have time anytime soon to find the relevant sections... search this site for some of my previous posts & you will probably find references to the right pages). Or call up WMNF and ask what their policy is. I believe Wilderness is a fairly hands-off thing in WMNF unless it comes to extreme urgency (e.g. if a helicopter rescue to save a life were an issue, that would not be prohibited in Wilderness). My recollection is that there are certain forest stewardship activities that would otherwise be practiced (wildlife management, habitat restoration, invasive species / pest control etc.) that are not done in Wilderness.

Congressional Wilderness is a political consensus, not a scientific one; there are as many quirky things about it as there are in food labeling or tax laws. It is what it is, as each managing agency (USFS in this case) determines.

 

[RoySwkr]

arghman had a letter published in the Concord Monitor on this topic, search for it on cmonitor.com

Right next to it was a letter from a woman who said more Wilderness was great for snowmobilers, lots of support for Wilderness may be from people who misunderstand it

But do they put out forest fires in Wilderness areas?

Sometimes

I knew a guy who was a fire lookout in Glacier NP and generally they let Wilderness fires burn, it was a way to study natural fire behavior.

If there is high fire danger and it might threaten stuff outside Wilderness, they may well fight it in Wilderness.

Yes, Congress passes the laws and bureaucrats set policies and they aren't always consistent.

 

[Jack Waldron]

NE Wilderness Bill signed by President

SUNUNU, GREGG ANNOUNCE
"NEW ENGLAND WILDERNESS ACT OF 2006" SIGNED INTO LAW
President Bush signs bill to permanently protect
34,500 acres of land in White Mountain National Forest

WASHINGTON, DC - United States Senators John Sununu and Judd Gregg
(R-NH) today (12/1) announced that President Bush has signed the "New
England Wilderness Act of 2006" (S. 4001) into law. The measure,
authored by Sununu and co-sponsored by Gregg, will permanently protect
34,500 acres of land in the White Mountain National Forest in the
Sandwich Range and the Wild River areas by designating the acreage as
"wilderness."

The legislation, which also designated approximately 42,000 acres of
Vermont land as "wilderness," passed the United State House of
Representatives on November 15, 2006 and the United State Senate on
September 29, 2006.
In explaining the background of the New Hampshire portion of the "New
England Wilderness Act of 2006," Sununu and Gregg said, in November of
2005, the Forest Service recommended the designation of additional
acreage as "wilderness" in its Management Plan for the White Mountain
National Forest. The legislation incorporates the recommendations of
this Management Plan by designating approximately 23,700 acres in the
area of the Wild River as "wilderness" and adding approximately 10,800
acres to the existing Sandwich Range Wilderness. The land would remain
as White Mountain National Forest land under the protection of the
National Wilderness Preservation System. Wilderness areas consist of
federal lands that are permanently closed to such activities as mining,
logging, road construction, vehicular traffic, and building
construction. By law, the establishment of new wilderness must be
approved by Congress.
Sununu stated, "The 'New England Wilderness Act of 2006' -- one of the
more significant bills I have worked on in Congress -- represents the
best of New Hampshire's history of land stewardship. The Forest Service
Plan provides a consensus view of how best to protect land in the White
Mountain National Forest while ensuring the Forest's traditional
mixed-use role."
"Local and state officials, citizens groups and other concerned
individuals have been working for a number of years toward the goal of
designating more wilderness in the White Mountain National Forest. I
commend their dedication toward permanently protecting land in the
Sandwich Range and the Wild River area - work that will benefit New
Hampshire residents and visitors for generations to come."
Senator Gregg stated, "Today marks a wonderful occasion for our state
and for all those who cherish the White Mountain National Forest. New
Hampshire's landscapes and natural resources are a big reason why our
state is such a great place to live and raise a family, as well as such
a big draw for visitors who love the outdoors. By designating more than
34,000 acres of the White Mountain National Forest as new wilderness,
the 'New England Wilderness Act of 2006' will help further protect our
state's environment and represents a balanced approach on how we manage
our natural resources. By signing this bill into law, President Bush has
today made a strong statement about the importance of establishing new
wilderness in our state, and I applaud him and all those who worked so
hard on this effort."

 

[Jack Waldron]

Forest Fire in Wilderness area

The current Forest Plan has been altered to give the USFS the ability to let a fire burn itself out rather than requiring immediate suppression. If a forest fire occurs in Wilderness the Forest Supervisor decides whether motorized access will be used to fight the fire. That access in the WMNF would typically be dropping water from airplanes of some sort.