The World of Josh

Kingsport Times/News
By STEPHEN IGO
sigo@timesnews.net

HIGH KNOB. Known for bringing home the bacon, Virginia congressman Rick Boucher can bring the rain, too.

“All I have to do is schedule an outdoor event,” Boucher, D-9th District, told a throng gathered on the flank of a mist-enshrouded, rain-drenched mountain in Wise County on Monday, “and I can help break a drought.”

Lousy weather didn’t cost U.S. taxpayers a dime on Monday, either, but Boucher brought a little of the green to forest-oriented discussions at Norton’s Flag Rock Recreation Area with the announcement of three projects for the Jefferson National Forest’s Clinch Ranger District.

First up is one yet to develop, but huge on the hearts and minds of his constituents. On Halloween arsonists destroyed the
much-beloved High Knob Observation Tower. Monday’s announcement was originally scheduled to be held at the tower site, but heavy fog and persistent rain showers prompted a move to Flag Rock for shelter purposes.

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Richland Balsam is currently the scene of a struggle between the Fraser Fir and the balsam woolly adelgids. Accidentally introduced into the U. S. around 1900, the adelgid first appeared at this site in the late 1970’s. Once infested, most firs die, leaving the gray “snags” as mute testimony. To learn more about this typical Canadian Spruce-Fir forest and its future, walk the moderate to strenuous 1½ mile, self-guiding loop trail to the 6410′ summit of Richland Balsam. The elevation here is 6020′.

1. Change of Pace–As you leave your car and the roadway behind, prepare to slow your pace to enjoy the rich variety of sights, sounds, and smells of the equivalent of a Canadian forest. Only at high elevations can many of these plants and animals survive in the South.

2. Witherod Viburnum (Viburnum cassinoides)–The bark of “Shonny Haw” or “Appalachian Tea” was often brewed into a tea by the Shawnee Indians, and later by settlers, to control fevers. Clusters of small white flowers in spring are followed in late summer by dark blue fruit which provides food for wildlife, giving another common name “Wild Raisin”.

3. Balsam woolly Aphid (Adelges piceae)–You see many dead Fraser Firs killed by the balsam woolly adelgid. During the feeding process, the adelgid injects a substance into the tree, causing an abnormal growth that blocks off the tree’s conductive tissue. Continued loss of water and nutrients eventually causes the tree’s death. As the firs die and fall, they open spaces for fir seeds to sprout and grow into mature trees, beginning the cycle again.

Some scientists believe the Balsam Fir will continue to survive here in this manner, with each new generation of trees becoming more resistant to adelgid damage. As you walk the trail, watch for young firs sprouting up from the forest floor. Red Spruce needles are four-sided and prickly. The cones hang down. Fraser Fir needles are flat, shiny dark green on top, whitish below. The cones are upright on the branch.

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This is a lengthy scenic trail which travels through two recreation areas. Chief Benge Scout Trail begins in High Knob Recreation Area at the observation tower. From this location, you can see five states. The building of this trail was a joint effort between the Lonesome Pine District of the Boy Scouts of America and the Clinch Ranger District. The trail is recommended for 2-day backpacking excursions. Fishermen enjoy this trail because it travels past Mountain Fork and Little Stony Creek which are known trout streams.

Thumper’s Chief Benge Scout Page…Lots of good info

History of Chief Benge 

The Nature Conservancy Applauds Sen. William Wampler and Del. Terry Kilgore for Brumley Mountain Project

Legislators were instrumental in designating $1.6 million toward state’s acquisition of largest privately-owned tract in Washington County
ABINGDON, VA — March 14, 2007 — The Nature Conservancy in Virginia today applauded Sen. William C. Wampler Jr. and Del. Terry G. Kilgore for their efforts to appropriate $1.6 million in the state budget toward the Department of Forestry’s acquisition of Brumley Mountain in Washington County.

Brumley Mountain is a well-known landmark in Washington County. The decommissioned Clinch Mountain fire tower sits on the property, along with a series of unusual rock crevices called the Great Channels of Virginia. The Great Channels were formed by eroded sandstone believed to be more than 400 million years old.  

“We want to commend Senator Wampler and Delegate Kilgore for their tremendous leadership in helping designate $1.6 million from the state budget toward this acquisition—a substantial portion of the funding needed to transfer Brumley Mountain into public ownership,” said Michael Lipford, Virginia executive director of The Nature Conservancy. “Thousands of acres of forestland are permanently lost to development in the commonwealth every year and opportunities to protect large blocks of intact forest like Brumley Mountain are increasingly uncommon. Virginia’s forests need champions, and that’s exactly what Senator Wampler and Delegate Kilgore are for southwest Virginia’s unique natural landscapes.”

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By Bob Downing  Akron Beacon Journal

DAMASCUS, Va. - The Mount Rogers National Recreation Area is one of the best hiking and backpacking areas in the East.

The 120,000-acre tract in southwest Virginia ranks right up there with Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee for being among the very best.

It features three wilderness areas, high-mountain country and more than 350 miles of hiking trails.

Now there’s a new way to explore Mount Rogers: a seven-trail, 134 and one-half mile adventure for hikers, bicyclists and equestrians.

It’s called the Ridges and Rivers Route and winds from Abington, Va., in the southwest to Pulaski, Va., in the northeast. The route runs through the heart of the federal recreation area in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests and extends beyond the park boundaries to the two cities.

It follows the Virginia Creeper, Beech Grove, Iron Mountain, Hickory Ridge, Virginia Highlands Horse, Mike’s Gap and New River trails.

The route includes existing trails and roads. It varies from narrow single-track trail to well-maintained roads to old railroad rights of way. It ranges from rugged and rocky to railroad flat.

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BRUMLEY MOUNTAIN, VA. — The proposal to establish a lake-to-lake mountain biking and hiking trail from Hidden Valley Lake in Washington County to Laurel Bed Lake in Russell County took a giant step forward when the Brumley Cove Baptist Camp conveyed an easement along the crest of its 1800 acre Clinch Mountain tract to Mountain Heritage, a St. Paul, Virginia based conservation group that proposed the trail.

The trail will, when completed, stretch twenty-two miles along some of the most scenic surroundings in the eastern United States according to Frank Kilgore, volunteer legal counsel for Mountain Heritage. “Less than two years ago we proposed that the state of Virginia purchase a 5000 acre tract on Clinch Mountain from The Nature Conservancy and at least one third of those funds have been designated with the balance being pursued by local legislators, especially Senators William Wampler, Jr. and Phillip Puckett and Delegates Terry Kilgore and Joe Johnson. Congressman Rick Boucher has also advocated this project.”

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