Dear Mr. Reed,

I am a member of the WVHC and am writing in reference to your upcoming Sept. 29 outing which includes a trip to Bowden Cave.

As an experienced caver and trained cave rescuer, I must take exception to the description that "caving is pretty easy and very safe." It is actually neither one of these, and it is this assumption by inexperienced people that leads to the most accidents. Bowden Cave, in fact, consistently has the highest number of accidents of any cave in West Virginia.

I have enclosed some statistics and some NSS [National Speleological Society] accident reports; if you could please pass these on to the leader of this trip, and keep them in mind for future trips, maybe some accidents can be prevented.

Caving can be a wonderful experience, it is a journey into another world that many people will never see. For some of us, it is a consuming passion. It is never "very safe" and rarely "pretty easy." To describe it this way to inexperienced people is irresponsible and could lead to them not only having a very bad time but could result in a serious accident. Also, tired and unprepared people in a cave tend to cause the most damage to the cave environment.

Be safe, be prepared and please don’t add to the number of people we have to rescue every year.

Sincerely,

Cynthia Adam
Galion, OH August 21

West Virginia Highlands Conservancy

To Whom It May Concern:

On behalf of the SALS Board and Organization, I would like to express deep appreciation for your donation to our Flood Relief program.

We are working with numerous families in new and rehabilitated housing. Money is being used for building supplies, furnishings, and appliances. In addition, we used funds for food that was served to children in an expanded day-long Energy Express Plus program at our Community Center in Beards Fork.

Sincerely,

Dear Bill:

This is in response to Rob Henning’s recent letter concerning the large group size on the recent Flatrock/Roaring Plains three day backpack trip.

To summarize: I was there. Rob was not. The trip was a very rewarding experience for those who went and will have future benefits. There were no adverse impacts. Rob is out of line with much of his criticism, some of which borders on insult.

Most of the impacts Rob is concerned with are functions of total usage over time rather than individual group size. These include trail wear, human waste, and compromise of environmental fragility. In this area, total usage is low. It is a USFS Management Prescription 6.2 area, meaning that "semi-primitive, non-motorized, dispersed recreational activity" is emphasized and group size is not restricted. The trails are actively maintained and include boardwalks and the like in those few areas where they are needed. Other impacts such as possible disturbance to others and wildlife are caused by inappropriate behavior. In this case, the hikers were quiet, dispersed and successfully avoided disturbing anyone. The campsites were carefully chosen and were adequate for the group size. There was no destruction of vegetation. The dogs were tiny (Pomeranians I believe), silent, and always under control.

Bruce’s original plan for this trip included a stringent group size limit. He changed his mind to accommodate the enthusiastic response. I understand there were a couple of people who chose not to go when they learned of the large group size. This was a concern for me beforehand, but not during the hike. As it turned out, the group got on well and bonded to a surprising degree. New friendships and associations were formed. Some of these will benefit our cause of environmental protection. Most of this group had not previously visited this beautiful area, but can now be counted on to support its continued protection. Bruce’s decision turned out wonderfully.

I do agree that a large group size does require increased vigilance regarding adverse impact. In this case, that was provided.

The West Virginia Highlands Conservancy Outings Committee generally leaves event planning up to our well-experienced and environmentally committed trip leaders, and avoids burdening them unnecessarily with specific committee policies. However, we do share Rob’s concern about adverse impacts, and will continue to see that they are considered and avoided.

Sincerely yours,

Dear West Virginia Highlands Conservancy members,

In August, the House of Representatives passed energy legislation that is dirty, dangerous and doesn’t deliver for consumers. The House energy bills, like the Bush energy plan, would do nothing to solve current energy problems. Specifically, these energy bills would:

save more than twice the maximum daily yield from the arctic refuge.

land open to oil and gas development. In addition, they would encourage oil and gas production in sensitive offshore areas.

The Senate will begin voting on energy legislation in September. This is the final opportunity to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and other public lands, increase auto fuel efficiency standards, cut subsidies for fossil fuels and nuclear power, mandate in increase in production of clean renewable energy, and impose stricter regulations on four power plant pollutants. Please join us in calling on Congress for a smarter cleaner energy future by signing your organization on to the following letter.

Sincerely,

Dear Bill,

I am Mary Ann Novascone, a resident of Floyd County, Virginia, which is located at the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in southwestern Virginia.

I am part of a grassroots citizens group, the Floyd County Chapter of the Blue Ridge Coalition, formed to stop Dominion Transmissions' Greenbrier Project – a project that would run a 30" natural gas pipeline through our county. Also, we are trying to organize all along the proposed route which begins through the mountains of southwestern West Virginia (7 counties), crosses 7 counties in Virginia and 4 in northern North

Carolina. We have been working with Carolyn Mullins who is our contact person with folks in WV ... Fayette and Raleigh counties, specifically.

This proposed route affects many highly sensitive areas in terms of environmental integrity, sustainable eco-tourism, and preservation of historical and cultural heritage.

I am writing to your organization because we are interested in networking with other grassroots conservation groups and because we are in need of

technical assistance to do our environmental assessment work as we try to preserve our lands and our way of life which is integrally related to the land. Many of the affected counties in Virginia and West Virginia are headwaters communities whereby no water flows in, but an abundant amount flows out through many watersheds, covering a vast area. Also, this is a very heavily forested area, and we are concerned about additional clear cuts along the proposed route. Many of the affected counties are

primarily riparian zones, lush with biodiversity including a number of Federally Listed Endangered Species.

We would greatly appreciate any assistance you could give; whether it be information, advice, contacts, suggested strategies, or any other resources you think might be useful. Thank you for listening!

Mary Ann Novascone Sept. 7, 2001 _