Today, only about one percent of Vermont's area is protected as Wilderness, some 60,000 acres. The Vermont Wilderness Association (VWA), of which The Wilderness Society is a part, proposes to double that amount with protection of another 60,000 acres, including some of the state's most spectacular wild areas such as Glastenbury Mountain and Lamb Brook.
The VWA proposal would also add acreage to several existing Wilderness areas, and would also create several National Conservation Areas. These areas would be off limits to commercial logging but remain open to snowmobiling and other motorized recreation on existing roads and trails.
A Majestic View
From atop Glastenbury Mountain, visitors have a 360-degree view of the majestic Green Mountains of Vermont. This view, and the wild land that provides it, are threatened-by road-building, logging, cellular telephone towers and motorized recreation.
Glastenbury, and Vermont's other wildest places deserve permanent protection of their ecological and recreational values. That protection is the goal of the Vermont Wilderness Association (VWA). VWA is a coalition of 16 organizations that, taken together, represent tens of thousands of Vermonters and actively seeks the designation of additional Wilderness on the Green Mountain National Forest.
A Tradition
Wilderness is part of Vermont's tradition and a valued part, according to polls of residents of the Green Mountain State. When the Forest Service asked in 1995, 80 percent of Vermonters said they want remaining undisturbed forests protected. Many have attended agency-sponsored forums and 9000 signed a petition in support of Wilderness protection. Letters to the editor also reflect broad support for additional designations.
Citizen's Proposal
Despite such support, today only around 60,000 acres -- about 1 percent of the state -- is permanently protected under the Wilderness Act of 1964. And it has been over 20 years since Wilderness was designated in the state. The VWA means to change that. The coalition has spent three years developing a balanced, moderate and broad-based proposal for additional Wilderness.
The citizens' proposal would designate:
- 15,000 acres in the Romance Mountain area, which provides some of Vermont's cleanest water from its steep, rocky streams.
- 40,000 acres in the Glastenbury Mountain region, the largest single area in the proposal. Glastenbury hikers earn unparalleled views of both the Long and Appalachian Trails.
- 5,000 acres at Lamb Brook, an enclosed basin that is a critical denning and feeding area for black bears.
The proposal would add acreage to the existing 3,685-acre Bristol Cliffs Wilderness, bringing the protected area to over 3,800 acres. It would boost the size of the 21,043-acre Breadloaf Wilderness to over 30,000 acres and the Lye Brook Wilderness from 15,847 acres to over 25,000.
Other Protective Designations
The proposal also includes several National Conservation Areas (NCAs) and National Recreation Areas (NRAs). These less restrictive designations would protect the ecological and recreational values in the candidate areas by setting them off limits to commercial timber activity but leaving them available for snowmobile and other motorized recreation on established roads and trails. Those areas include:
- Abbey Pond NCA, 6,000 acres
- Lincoln Ridge NCA, 4,000 acres
- The Cape NCA, 5,000 acres
- The Robert Stafford NRA, 38,000 acres
- Moosalamoo NRA, 7,000 acres
In developing its proposal, the VWA has looked to science that increasingly shows the need for Wilderness areas of at least 25,000 to 40,000 acres in size to adequately protect and restore a region's plant and animal diversity. Wilderness areas east of the Mississippi average around 27,000 acres in size; New Hampshire has three that top 25,000 acres. Sadly, today Vermont has only one that even comes close: the Breadloaf Wilderness at 21,000 acres.
Your support can help change that.
For More Information
