Wilderness for Dolly Sods North

By Jim Sconyers

Dolly Sods North was added to the Monongahela National Forest (MNF) in 1993. It is adjacent to the Dolly Sods Wilderness. Dolly Sods North (DSN) was an expansion of the MNF’s "proclamation boundary" when its 6200 acres were acquired. The transaction was brokered by the West Virginia Chapter of the Nature Conservancy.

Dolly Sods North extends protection upstream in the broad, high headlands of the Red Creek watershed, nearly completing its protection. DSN is made up of huge areas of open heath, the meandering forks of Red Creek, and extensive wetland and bog areas, along with low ridges dividing one fork or run from another. Biologically it is similar to the unique subalpine communities found in Dolly Sods itself.

Logging and fires around the turn of the century devastated the area, burning off all organic soil in many areas and leaving the open heath of today, with its blueberry, azalea, moss, etc. More recently the DSN tract was used by hunters and off-road vehicle (ORV) users. There are remnants of old logging railroads, as well as de facto tracks made by ORV use. Rail and road evidence is gradually fading away. Some of the ORV or jeep tracks are now serving, in effect, as trails.

Land possessing wilderness qualities is rapidly disappearing from the world, and from West Virginia. At the same time population growth and urbanization in the eastern metropolitan areas generate ever greater need for wilderness. Today Wilderness is less than 9% of the MNF, and only one-half of one percent of the land area of West Virginia.

Aesthetics

Dolly Sods North provides a variety of scenery and vistas. Open or rolling terrain gives long views over wetlands and bogs, with forest as a backdrop in the distance. The forks of Red Creek offer moving waters in crystal clear meandering streams.

For the human spirit, DSN today gives the opportunity for solitude and removal from the influences of civilization. Even in West Virginia, this opportunity is fast disappearing. It is increasingly difficult to place yourself in a location free of the sight and sound of human activity, and more than, say, a mile from access by road or rail. DSN has this kind of wild natural isolation.

Recreation

The opportunity for self-sufficient backcountry recreation in DSN is excellent. Here, away from civilization's trappings, recreationists encounter nature on its own terms. Combining DSN with existing Dolly Sods Wilderness will advance the scale of the protected remote area, enabling more meaningful wilderness experiences.

Former jeep or log roads, now deteriorating, have become a reasonably good de facto trail system. Trails generally follow streams and ridge tops. Links to Forest Road 75, and to Blackbird Knob and Big Stonecoal Trails make an expanded trail system and access available to recreational users.

Hunting and fishing are pursued in DSN under West Virginia regulations, and would continue under Wilderness designation.

Management Designation

All parts of a national forest are given a management designation. DSN is the only exception to this rule in the Monongahela National Forest. Without a management designation, Forest Service decisions are strictly ad hoc. There are no guiding principles or direction. Projects may be undertaken just because they "seem like a good idea."

The most protective management designations are Wilderness (Management Prescription or MP 5) or Management Prescription 6.2 (MP 6.2). Wilderness status is well-known in West Virginia. In general, this status seeks to preserve an area in its natural state. Human intrusions to the landscape do not occur (no roads, logging, etc.). In most cases the only "projects" allowed are trails. Dolly Sods North’s 6200 acres are adjacent to the 10,200 acres of the Dolly Sods Wilderness. Combining the two into a larger Wilderness would enable natural processes and would promote recovery of a fragile area damaged in the past.

MP 6.2 provides a high level of protection where it is applied in the MNF. In MP 6.2, logging and road building are prohibited, and semi-primitive non-motorized recreation is featured. There are two major differences of MP 6.2 compared to MP 5 or Wilderness.

First, Wilderness designation can only be given, or changed, by an act of Congress. Thus this is a very permanent kind of status. MP 6.2 designation, on the other hand, is assigned by the Forest Service in the process of adopting, revising, or amending the MNF Plan. This process is mandated to happen every 10-15 years by law as a Plan is revised. Management prescription changes can occur more often than this if the agency decided to amend the Plan. Thus although MP 6.2 has fairly strong protective qualities, it is much less permanent than Wilderness.

Second, MP 6.2 allows for use by bicycles. This is not the case in Wilderness, where all mechanical modes of transportation are prohibited.

Possible Objections to Wilderness Status

The West Virginia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has expressed an interest in liming Red Creek to counteract the acidic condition of the stream due to acid rain. While one-time application of lime is compatible with Wilderness designation, a regular program of periodic treatment with limestone or limestone fines is not. This problem can be addressed by locating any lime application outside of the Wilderness. In fact, the watershed can be accessed, if this were required, from existing roads that reach two tributaries of Red Creek outside the boundaries of Dolly Sods Wilderness and Dolly Sods North. Alder Run and Big Stonecoal Run are accessible by Forest Roads 75 and 80 respectively. Furthermore, South Fork of Red Creek is available for liming, and lies entirely outside the Dolly Sods boundaries. Thus, should it be found necessary to apply lime to raise the pH of Red Creek, this can be done without intruding into Dolly Sods.

The DNR has also mentioned using prescribed burning to arrest natural processes so that Dolly Sods North remains exactly as it is today vegetatively. The purpose, apparently, would be to perpetuate the open blueberry heaths. In fact, however, because of the poor soils and deforested nature of much of the land, forest will not reclaim the open heaths for decades or even centuries. For nearly a century already, once the massive logging of the turn of the twentieth century was finished, there has been little or no change in the vegetative cover there.

There is speculation that the mountain bike community might be opposed to Wilderness designation. Presently mountain biking is permitted in Dolly Sods North. In this regard it can be noted that mountain biking is permitted over hundreds of miles of trail throughout hundreds of thousands of acres in all non-Wilderness areas of the Forest. In addition, further thousands of acres of both public and private land all over West Virginia are open to mountain biking. As noted above, Wilderness protection for landscapes in natural conditions applies to only about one-half of one percent of the land area of West Virginia.

In discussions with mountain bikers, many indicate their sympathy with the goal of preserving some of the best remaining natural areas. While they may wish for places to ride, many appreciate the opportunity to preserve nature intact.

The authors of "A National Study of Mountain Biking Opinion Leaders: Characteristics, Preferences, Attitudes, and Conflicts" state:

"The results reveal that mountain bike opinion leaders are overwhelmingly biocentric in their thinking, believing that nature has intrinsic value exclusive of what it does for humans, that humans do not have moral license to infringe on this right, and that many environmental problems are rooted in our societal tendency to dominate, control, and exploit nature. There was widespread support for the idea that there are indeed limits to growth and that a more sustainable form of society is needed.

Mountain bikers generally see themselves as environmental activists with much of their lives organized around environmental issues.... This finding does much to dispel the conventional wisdom that views mt. bikers as anti- environmental..."

Jim Sconyers is a field coordinator for the Sierra Club. He is a long time West Virginia environmental activist.