ness areas in the state. Harlan said he felt the House Natural Resources Committee would be open to new wilderness legislation and he knows the Forest Service is aware of the wilderness characteristics of the Craggies and Big Ivy. He hopes to secure a recommendation for CWNSA from the Forest Service in its new 30-year management plan. Heart Craggy campaign. Harlan is also an Friends of Big Ivy, Forest Keeper and others author (Untamed: The Wildest Woman in are working with Congress to introduce a America and the Fight for Craggy Cumberland Island,) editor Wilderness and of Blue Ridge Outdoors National Scenic Magazine and a renowned area Act. trail runner. He lives near According to Big Ivy and has spent many Harlan, “The hours on the trails that Craggies offer a meander through old rare opportunigrowth forest, climb steep ty to protect and rocky slopes, pass thousands of waterfalls and pass more acres of wild than 40 species of rare ancient forest, plants and animals. full of old Harlan believes the time growth, rare is right for CWNSA to plants and anibecome only the 11th mals and outNational Scenic Area in the standing scenic U.S. Harlan said the beauty all just CWNSA would include 15 miles from Gray’s lily — one of the rare about 16,000 acres with a downtown species known from the proposed core wilderness area of nearAsheville.” CWNSA. Don Hendershot photo ly 8,000 acres. He noted the Josh Kelly, Tennessee Wilderness Act public lands enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress (all biologist for MountainTrue, has also spent wilderness areas must be recommended by time exploring the Craggies. “There are some Congress) and was recently signed into law exemplary areas of old growth in the creating new and adding to existing wilderCraggies,” Kelly said, “including some virgin
The naturalist’s corner BY DON H ENDERSHOT
Give Craggy extra protection “The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness.” — John Muir nd if a coalition of local, regional and national businesses, governments and conservation/environmental organizations is successful, one way into the universe will be through the Craggy Wilderness and National Scenic Area (CWNSA) less than 20 miles from downtown Asheville. Supporters of the CWNSA include Friends of Big Ivy, the Sierra Club, MountainTrue, Mountain Bizworks, Outdoor Gear Builders of Western North Carolina, Liberty Bicycles, Carolina Climbers, Buncombe County Commissioners, Asheville City Council, Defenders of Wildlife, Southern Environmental Law Center and hundreds more. More than 4,000 people have signed a petition asking the U.S. Forest Service to protect the Craggies. Will Harlan is co-founder of Friends of Big Ivy and one of the organizers of the I
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MARCH 4 -7
Classes offered by internationally-recognized quilting instructors Celebrate our 26th Anniversary and enjoy all our special activities and giveaways!
Smoky Mountain News
More than 500 quilts on display and 60 onsite vendors
March 4-10, 2020
LECONTE CENTER, PIGEON FORGE
timber.” Kelly said he felt the reason for the nearly 3,000 acres of old growth in the area is because it was some of the first forests purchased by the Forest Service —a some of it as early as 1914-1915. Kelly said most of the old growth was northern hardwood but there was some montane oak forest and even a little rich-cove forest. Some of the rare species Kelly noted included Aconitum reclinatum, trailing wolfsbane, Dodecatheon meadia, shooting star, Cypripedium parviflorum var. parviflorum, small yellow lady’s slipper, northern flying squirrel, Alleghany wood rat, cerulean warbler, black-billed cuckoo, pygmy salamander, rock vole and others. Dr. Alan Smith, a professor of biology at Mars Hill University, surveyed old growth in Big Ivy back in 1999. Smith concluded there were 3,250 acres of forest that could be classified as old growth. And he documented some trees that pre-date the Revolutionary War by 100 years or more. In conclusion Dr. Smith wrote, “In sum, the Big Ivy Watershed represents a magnificent, biologically significant area which contains a relatively large amount of old growth forest that should be recognized and protected.” You can go to https://iheartpisgah.org/ and/or www.change.org/o/i_heart_craggy to sign the petition to the Forest Service and/or comment on the new FS 30-year management plan. Comment period is open till March 14. (Don Hendershot is a writer and naturalist. His book, A Year From the Naturalist’s Corner, Vol. 1, is available at regional bookstores or by contacting Don at ddihen1@bellsouth.net)
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