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Monongahela [National Forest] expanded
- Hikers, hunters now have 6,813 more acres to roam
(Note: The price paid -- with your taxpayer dollars -- is never
divulged, but you know it is more than three million dollars, because
land trusts are not in existence to lose money. Note the carefully
orchestrated land deals that have brought this about. More timber
cropland gone from timber harvesting, more control over water and more
'instant inholders.' The fact that roads WILL be closed -- not 'may'
or 'might' -- and that development will be restricted and roads/access
restricted should be raising a raft of Red Flags. Recreationists, you
are being duped with this carrot of "...6,813 more acres to
roam." The gates will slam shut on your access, sooner or later,
as they are slamming shut all over America, while the resource
providers whose responsible use of lands and waters is the very reason
that we HAVE roads -- the same roads that are being closed and removed
by such practices as 'vertical mulching' -- are being removed
wholesale from America. For all the talk about America being
independent, those elected officials and their appointed, unelected
cronies that are rotten to the core, continue to 'outsource' American
self-sufficiency to foreign countries, to the point where it is
difficult to 'buy American' food, fuel, housing/construction
materials, furniture, and so much more. Promise of 'access' is worth
as much as the average campaign promise. Please consider, then
consider getting involved and learning more about these stalking
horses at http://www.PropertyRightsResearch.org)
December 20, 2003
By John McCoy Daily Mail Outdoors editor
wild.word@verizon.net or
304-348-1231
The Daily Mail
Charleston, West Virginia
To submit a Letter to the Editor: editor@dailymail.com
U.S. Forest Service officials expanded the forest by purchasing a sprawling tract of mountainous timber-company land just east of White Sulphur Springs. MeadWestvaco Corp. sold the property, formerly known as the Buskirk Tract, to the Trust for Public Land for $2,795,000. The Trust for Public Land then re-sold the land to the Forest Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Forest Service spokeswoman Kate Goodrich described the property as "timbered, but not stripped." "It's a significant acquisition because the majority of the property we bought is the recharge area for the springs that feed the White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery," Goodrich said. The hatchery, located on the spring-fed headwaters of Howard Creek, grows rainbow trout for stocking in West Virginia's lakes and streams. Goodrich said hatchery officials "were happy to see the springs' recharge area come under federal ownership." Development in spring recharge areas can compromise springs' flow rates. Construction of Corridor H east of Elkins, for example, has been blamed for ruining one of the two springs that feed the Bowden Fish Hatchery. Goodrich said Forest Service officials "want people to know that (the tract) is now public land, and we want them to use it." "But if anyone wants to explore it, they should visit one of our offices in Marlinton or White Sulphur Springs and get a map," she added. "The property isn't yet marked, and there are a couple of small private in-holdings that people need to be aware of." Nearly 50 miles of roads crisscross the property. Goodrich said some of the roads would eventually be closed. "Until we develop a management plan, those roads will be gated," she said. "People can still walk them or ride bikes on them, but they'll be closed to motorized traffic." The area's ecosystem consists mostly of dry oak and oak-pine habitat. Goodrich said timber rattlesnakes, a "sensitive species" with declining numbers, are relatively abundant on the property. The new piece of Forest Service land extends from just east of W.Va. 92 to the Virginia border, and from Interstate 64 north to the Monongahela Forest's former southern boundary. |