Gov. Joe Manchin announced Wednesday that he supports a State-developed alternative for wilderness legislation as a constructive improvement to the legislation introduced last week by the West Virginia congressional delegation.

            “Conserving West Virginia’s special places for this and future generations is one of my top priorities,” said Gov. Manchin. “I support wilderness designation for appropriate areas on our National Forests, but good decisions about wilderness require a site-by-site assessment of the positive and negative impacts of each designation.”

            The State alternative announced by Gov. Manchin was developed by the West  Virginia Division of Natural Resources in consultation with sportsmen and other concerned individuals, and has been forwarded to the West Virginia congressional delegation and other interested groups. Division Director Frank Jezioro indicated that, given the history of human activities on some of the areas, managing their fish and wildlife requires more than simple preservation. It often requires active management of land and water habitats that can’t be done effectively in wilderness areas. 

            “Instead of protecting wildlife, the establishment of wilderness designation for areas like Cheat Mountain would hamper beneficial wildlife management efforts to restore red spruce and stream habitats for endangered species and brook trout,” said Jezioro. He also indicated that the State’s alternative would create fewer isolated wilderness areas that would be difficult to manage because they do not have adequate trail systems for recreational use.

            The State’s alternative would include expansions to the existing Dolly Sods, Cranberry and Otter Creek Wilderness Areas and would create the new areas of Roaring Plains in Randolph, Pendleton and Grant counties, Seneca Creek in Pendleton County and Big Draft in Greenbrier County.  These areas have been supported by wilderness advocates, but some were not included in the legislation introduced by the congressional delegation.  Under the State’s alternative, the proposed Roaring Plains Wilderness Area would be almost 15,000 acres in size, encompassing some of West Virginia’s most spectacular high-elevation landscapes and dovetailing with the existing Dolly Sods Wilderness Area.  Seneca Creek in Pendleton County is one of the nation’s best trout streams and is one of the state’s most popular and traditional back-country destinations. The State’s alternative would increase the new acreage under wilderness designation by almost 4,000 acres more than the introduced legislation and would result in larger, more easily managed areas that pose fewer problems for fish and wildlife. 

            “This is an excellent enhancement to the wilderness legislation introduced by our congressional delegation and I believe it will be supported by an even broader coalition of West Virginia’s citizens,” Gov. Manchin said.