At a Glance: National Scenic Areas

Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine
May 2007

With the recent shift in Congress, 2007 looks to be the year of Wilderness. Half a dozen Wilderness bills have been introduced to Congress so far with more expected in the upcoming months. Of the six Wilderness bills to be introduced so far, only two contain language that would create new National Scenic Areas, a relatively new land designation that is seen as a compromise between the oft-maligned mountain bikers and Wilderness activists. Both bills come from Southeastern representatives.

The Virginia Ridge and Valley Act would create two National Scenic Areas in Virginia, while also adding 40,000 acres of uncompromised, bike-free Wilderness. The Chattahoochee National Forest Act would also add over 8,000 acres to an existing Wilderness while carving out a new Scenic Area in north Georgia.

Wilderness, the most permanent form of land protection, excludes mountain biking from its boundaries, along with other mechanized modes of transport. It also excludes permanent structures and development, and is intended to be "an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, retaining its primeval character and influence, which is protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions."

The three new National Scenic Areas proposed in the Southeast offer nearly all of the protections of Wilderness, but they also allow mountain biking. Some wilderness advocates fear that this compromise further dilutes Wilderness and risks "trammeling" the trails with mountain bikes. Others applaud the National Scenic Area designation and hope it brings together environmentalists and recreationists in a stronger, united push for forest protection.

PROS AND CONS OF NATIONAL SCENIC AREAS

The Pros: Established in 1984, National Scenic Areas are legislatively protected tracts of land not subject to U.S. Forest Service management whims. Once a Scenic Area is protected, it's protected forever, just like Wilderness. Unlike Wilderness, certain roads may remain open during hunting season and mechanical equipment can be used to maintain trails. The trails within a Scenic Area are shared use, open to mountain bikes and other forms of non-motorized recreation.

The Cons: National Scenic Areas don't have the backing of the original Wilderness Act, so each National Scenic Area is managed differently. As a result, the quality of environmental protection depends on the language written into each bill. Once mountain bikers are allowed into Wilderness, other user groups may want similar access for snowmobiles, motorized bikes, and off-road vehicles.

"If you want a good scenic area, you have to write a good bill," says Mark Miller, vice president of the Virginia Wilderness Committee and brainchild behind the Ridge and Valley Act. "The Forest Service wanted language that would allow for timber harvesting inside the Scenic Area. We fought tooth and nail to keep it out, and we succeeded."

PROPOSED NATIONAL SCENIC AREAS IN THE SOUTHEAST

Seng Mountain National Scenic Area: 6,455 acres located inside the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. The land includes 45-foot Rowland Creek Falls and the Iron Mountain Trail, a long distance bike trail, 30+ miles of which traverses the National Recreation Area.

Bear Creek National Scenic Area: 5,128 acres within the Jefferson National Forest, extending from the crest of Walker Mountain to the crest of Brushy Mountain. Four miles of the A.T. travel through the area as well as an extensive network of hiking and biking trails, including the popular Crawfish and Channel Rock Trails, which offer ten miles of big climbs, ridgeline views, and creek crossings for mountain bikers and hikers.

Mountaintown National Scenic Area: 13,382 acres southeast of the existing Cohutta Wilderness. The proposed Scenic Area would protect the Mountaintown Roadless Area, which includes a large stand of old growth forest. Only a handful of trails exist in this remote stretch of forest, including a section of the Benton Mackaye Trail. Mountain bikers travel to the area for the Mountaintown Creek Trail, a huge eight-mile singletrack descent from the ridgeline to the valley floor. "It's one of the most pristine and remote rides in Georgia," says Tom Sauret, president of SORBA. "It's true backcountry riding, and really, the only of its kind in the state."

PERSPECTIVES

"We were given explicit instructions from Congressman Boucher. He said if you want forest protection, you're going to have to get local support. We went into each county and identified the user groups that would be most impacted, whether positively or negatively by Wilderness in their backyard, and started a series of discussions. I figured out early on if various user groups weren't brought into the discussion, we weren't going to get additional land protected. Mountain bikers played a big role in that."

"Recreation communities and conservationists need to get together and talk about the next 10 to 20 years. Then we need to go together to the agencies and representatives and say, 'We all agree that this is what we want to do with our forests.' Fragmented, we aren't a strong voice for anything. We have too much to lose otherwise."

"We want to see these new legislative tools being used more often in the future. We either want to see muscle-powered recreation like mountain biking accepted within Wilderness, or see more of these new Scenic Areas designated. We just don't want to be left out."

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	At a Glance: National Scenic Areas Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine May 2007 With the recent shift in Congress, 2007 looks to be the year of Wilderness. Half a dozen Wilderness bills have been introduced to Congress so far with more expected in the upcoming months. Of the six Wilderness bills to be introduced so far, only two contain language that would create new National Scenic Areas, a relatively new land designation that is seen as a compromise between the oft-maligned mountain bikers and Wilderness activists. Both bills come from Southeastern representatives. The Virginia Ridge and Valley Act would create two National Scenic Areas in Virginia, while also adding 40,000 acres of uncompromised, bike-free Wilderness. The Chattahoochee National Forest Act would also add over 8,000 acres to an existing Wilderness while carving out a new Scenic Area in north Georgia. Wilderness, the most permanent form of land protection, excludes mountain biking from its boundaries, along with other mechanized modes of transport. It also excludes permanent structures and development, and is intended to be "an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, retaining its primeval character and influence, which is protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions." The three new National Scenic Areas proposed in the Southeast offer nearly all of the protections of Wilderness, but they also allow mountain biking. Some wilderness advocates fear that this compromise further dilutes Wilderness and risks "trammeling" the trails with mountain bikes. Others applaud the National Scenic Area designation and hope it brings together environmentalists and recreationists in a stronger, united push for forest protection. PROS AND CONS OF NATIONAL SCENIC AREAS The Pros: Established in 1984, National Scenic Areas are legislatively protected tracts of land not subject to U.S. Forest Service management whims. Once a Scenic Area is protected, it's protected forever, just like Wilderness. Unlike Wilderness, certain roads may remain open during hunting season and mechanical equipment can be used to maintain trails. The trails within a Scenic Area are shared use, open to mountain bikes and other forms of non-motorized recreation. The Cons: National Scenic Areas don't have the backing of the original Wilderness Act, so each National Scenic Area is managed differently. As a result, the quality of environmental protection depends on the language written into each bill. Once mountain bikers are allowed into Wilderness, other user groups may want similar access for snowmobiles, motorized bikes, and off-road vehicles. "If you want a good scenic area, you have to write a good bill," says Mark Miller, vice president of the Virginia Wilderness Committee and brainchild behind the Ridge and Valley Act. "The Forest Service wanted language that would allow for timber harvesting inside the Scenic Area. We fought tooth and nail to keep it out, and we succeeded." PROPOSED NATIONAL SCENIC AREAS IN THE SOUTHEAST Seng Mountain National Scenic Area: 6,455 acres located inside the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. The land includes 45-foot Rowland Creek Falls and the Iron Mountain Trail, a long distance bike trail, 30+ miles of which traverses the National Recreation Area. Bear Creek National Scenic Area: 5,128 acres within the Jefferson National Forest, extending from the crest of Walker Mountain to the crest of Brushy Mountain. Four miles of the A.T. travel through the area as well as an extensive network of hiking and biking trails, including the popular Crawfish and Channel Rock Trails, which offer ten miles of big climbs, ridgeline views, and creek crossings for mountain bikers and hikers. Mountaintown National Scenic Area: 13,382 acres southeast of the existing Cohutta Wilderness. The proposed Scenic Area would protect the Mountaintown Roadless Area, which includes a large stand of old growth forest. Only a handful of trails exist in this remote stretch of forest, including a section of the Benton Mackaye Trail. Mountain bikers travel to the area for the Mountaintown Creek Trail, a huge eight-mile singletrack descent from the ridgeline to the valley floor. "It's one of the most pristine and remote rides in Georgia," says Tom Sauret, president of SORBA. "It's true backcountry riding, and really, the only of its kind in the state." PERSPECTIVES "We were given explicit instructions from Congressman Boucher. He said if you want forest protection, you're going to have to get local support. We went into each county and identified the user groups that would be most impacted, whether positively or negatively by Wilderness in their backyard, and started a series of discussions. I figured out early on if various user groups weren't brought into the discussion, we weren't going to get additional land protected. Mountain bikers played a big role in that." "Recreation communities and conservationists need to get together and talk about the next 10 to 20 years. Then we need to go together to the agencies and representatives and say, 'We all agree that this is what we want to do with our forests.' Fragmented, we aren't a strong voice for anything. We have too much to lose otherwise." "We want to see these new legislative tools being used more often in the future. We either want to see muscle-powered recreation like mountain biking accepted within Wilderness, or see more of these new Scenic Areas designated. We just don't want to be left out."


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