NEW WV WILDERNESS AREAS COULD BE DESIGNATED

(07/05/2004)

West Virginia's designated wilderness areas could be expanding. Planners have chosen 14 areas covering more than 138,000 acres for potential wilderness areas. The areas were chosen based on their natural integrity and opportunities for solitude, challenge and adventure. Wilderness status means that logging, road building, campground development, mineral extraction and motorized vehicle and mountain bike use is prohibited. Planners will start deciding in November whether to designate each of the 14 areas with wilderness status. The forest's current five wilderness areas are Cranberry, Otter Creek, Dolly Sods, Laurel Fork North and Laurel Fork South. These areas cover more than 78,000 acres. The 14 areas up for further study include Big Draft, Canaan Loop, Cheat Mountain, Cranberry Expansion, Dolly Sods Expansion, East Fork Greenbrier, Middle Mountain, Roaring Plains West, Seneca Creek, Spice Run, Tea Creek Mountain, Turkey Mountain, Upper Shavers Fork East and Upper Shavers Fork West.

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