On November 18, 2005, the White Mountain National Forest released its final revised Forest Plan, which will govern management on the National Forest for the next 10-15 years.
The final plan recommends expansion of the existing Sandwich Wilderness and the addition of a new Wilderness in the Wild River area, for a total of 34,500 acres of new wilderness recommendations. The Forest Service made some small but significant improvements in their wilderness recommendations in the final plan. In particular, they added some lower elevation wildlands along the Algonquin Trail as part of their Sandwich Range wilderness recommendations. This small but very significant addition was the result of persistent advocacy efforts by grassroots stalwarts.
A press statement released by New Hampshire Senator John Sununu said, “Placing additional acreage under ‘wilderness’ designation – including tracts in the Sandwich Range and Wild River watershed – are recommendations that local officials support in order to bring more diversity to the White Mountain National Forest,” said Sununu, who joined Friends of the Sandwich Range and Friends of the Wild River in hiking a portion of the Flat Mountain Pond Trail in the Sandwich Range in August of 2005. “There will be a time in the near future when federal legislation is required to designate these recommended wilderness tracts. Local officials should know that I have already begun work to accomplish this goal.”
Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH) said, “The White Mountain National Forest is truly one of the most spectacular areas of New England. For generations, its beauty and resources have been enjoyed by residents and visitors alike, and the revised plan announced today will take additional steps to ensure that this area remains the gem it is today. In addition to reviewing the plan, I look forward to working with Senator Sununu and the rest of our state’s congressional delegation on implementing legislation that will further protect this area at the federal level.”
Representatives Bass (R-NH) and Bradley (R-NH) issued a joint statement in which they said, “We look forward to working with our New Hampshire colleagues in the Senate and the Forest Service to protect valuable areas for future generations to be able to enjoy.”
Local groups applauded the Forest Service’s wilderness recommendations a significant step forward. They will continue to advocate that key lands adjacent to the Forest Service recommended Sandwich Range and Wild River areas be eventually protected as Wilderness by the New Hampshire Congressional Delegation.
The Concord Monitor published an editorial on November 25 titled, “Good compromise for White Mountains.” The editorial stated, “Wilderness was described in the landmark 1964 Wilderness Act as a place "where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man." The act made the Great Gulf Wilderness in New Hampshire's White Mountains one of the first areas it protected. There are other areas in the forest worthy of wilderness status, and the plan protected too few of them to suit us. But the agreement is a reasonable compromise, and Congress should approve it.”
Background
The White Mountain National Forest makes up 14% of New Hampshire’s land mass and is one of the largest tracts of public land in the Northeast. With six to seven million visitors a year, the Forest provides recreational opportunities as well as remote wilderness experiences to people from throughout New England and beyond. There are four existing wilderness areas on the Forest – the Sandwich Range, Presidential Range-Dry River, Pemigewasset, and Great Gulf.
The Forest Service began revising its management plan for the National Forest in 1997. Local citizens and groups including the Friends of the Sandwich Range and Friends of Wild River have been working tirelessly throughout the process to get the best possible new wilderness recommendations from the Forest.
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