Proposed Wilderness Areas in Tennessee and Virginia Clear U.S. Senate
The Tennessee Wilderness Act and the Virginia Wilderness Additions Act would preserve wildlife habitat, clean water, and outdoor recreation in two critically important areas.
The Pew Charitable Trusts
Hunters, anglers, and others who cherish the outdoors have long known that the rugged mountains of Appalachia hold some of most alluring terrain in the eastern U.S.—forested hills, rocky peaks, rolling rivers, and meandering streams that are home to a variety of wildlife.
On June 28, two of those landscapes—in Tennessee and Virginia—moved closer toward protection as wilderness with the U.S. Senate’s passage of the Farm Bill. That legislation includes two other bills, the Tennessee Wilderness Act and the Virginia Wilderness Additions Act, which together would designate as wilderness roughly 25,500 acres of national forest lands. These bills will permanently preserve wild areas in a quickly developing region of the United States that are important places for recreation, hunting, and fishing, and as habitat for a variety of wildlife.
Tennessee Wilderness Act (S. 973)
In each of the past five Congresses, Republican Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker have introduced legislation to protect nearly 20,000 acres of the Cherokee National Forest in eastern Tennessee as wilderness. In 2017, Representative Phil Roe (R-TN) introduced similar legislation in the House (H.R. 2218), and the bill has broad support from small business owners, sportsmen, veterans, faith leaders, and other community members.
Here are six stunning areas this bill would protect:
Upper Bald River Wilderness Area
The act would create the 9,000-acre Upper Bald River Wilderness Area, including nearly the entire headwaters of the river, which delivers clean water to the Watauga, Nolichucky, Little Tennessee, Tellico, and Ocoee rivers watersheds.
Bill and Laura Hodge
Joyce Kilmer Slickrock Wilderness Addition
A 1,836-acre addition in the act would help bridge the gap between the Citico Creek and Joyce Slickrock Wilderness Areas, safeguarding a corridor for bear and other wildlife between the Cherokee National Forest and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Chris M. Morris
Big Frog Wilderness Additions
The Big Frog, which today covers 8,132 acres in Tennessee and Georgia and is part of the Cohutta-Big Frog complex—one of the most visited wilderness areas in the nation—would grow by 348 acres. The expansion would increase the area available for quiet recreation, such as backpacking, day hiking, and hunting.
US Forest Service
Little Frog Wilderness Additions
The 4,691 acres of Little Frog Mountain are home to abundant wildlife, including black bears, white-tailed deer, bobcats, and gray foxes. The legislation would add nearly 1,000 acres to the safeguarded area.
Bill and Laura Hodge
Big Laurel Branch Wilderness Additions
Designated in 1986, the Big Laurel Branch Wilderness boasts stirring views of mountains and valleys, along with waterfalls and a wide variety of wildlife, and trout fishing in the Watauga River watershed. More than 10 miles of the Appalachian Trail run through Tennessee’s Big Laurel Branch Wilderness Area, which would grow from 6,365 acres to 10,811 acres under the bill.
Bill and Laura Hodge
Sampson Mountain Wilderness Additions
Sampson Mountain Wilderness, designated under the 1986 Tennessee Wilderness Act, preserves nearly 8,000 of old-growth pine, hardwood stands, rollicking whitewater rivers, and much more. The clean rivers are home to the Hellbender, North America’s largest salamander, which can grow up to 29 inches long. The legislation would add 2,922 acres to this lush wilderness area.
Dave Herasimtschuk/Freshwaters Illustrated
Virginia Wilderness Additions Act (S. 1975)
In 2017, Virginia Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats, introduced legislation to designate roughly 5,500 acres of the George Washington National Forest as wilderness. The measure would safeguard wildlife habitat, numerous mountain streams that are sources of clean drinking water, and outdoor recreation opportunities some 200 miles from the nation’s capital.
Here’s a snapshot of what this bill would preserve:
Rich Hole Wilderness Additions
The Rich Hole is prime habitat for bears, deer, raccoons, and other wildlife. The elevation ranges from the Cowpasture River, at 1,200 feet, to the 3,300-foot peak of Mill Mountain, and streams amble through the area, feeding this lush landscape. The legislation would add 4,575 acres to Rich Hole’s existing 6,450 acres and include part of the Pads Creek Valley, protecting mountain ridges, old-growth trees, and cold-water streams.
The Pew Charitable Trusts
Rough Mountain Wilderness Additions
Under the proposal, the Rough Mountain Wilderness would gain 1,027 acres on its northern end, expanding this picturesque area to 10,327 acres. The addition would encompass the Big Hollow watershed, a narrow canyon containing small tributaries. The Cowpasture River (pictured) is a tributary of the James River, and flows just outside Virginia’s Rough Mountain Wilderness.
Bruce Thompson
Pew welcomes the Senate passage of these important wilderness bills and urges Congress to ensure that these measures remain in the final version of the Farm Bill.
John Gilroy is a director and Anders Reynolds is an officer with The Pew Charitable Trusts’ U.S. public lands program.
