Place: Lamb Brook Wilderness (Vermont)
Threat: Logging, ORV Damage
 The Lamb Brook roadless wild forest encompassed by Vermont's Green Mountain
National Forest is one of the best summer places for those who enjoy a true nature
experience.
The forest is one of a kind with its 5,000 acres of rugged and mountainous
country regarded as priceless habitat for black bears and a recreational haven for visitors.
"The Lamb Brook is one of the last real wild forests in Vermont that is easily accessible
but also once inside it is very quiet and renewing. It is also recognized as one of the best
places to spot wildlife – especially black bears," says Kimberly Marion with the Sierra
Club in Vermont.
Countless activities are part of the Lamb Brook experience, including hunting, fishing,
hiking, camping, skiing, snowshoeing and birding. Yet this pristine and unique area is
threatened by the Bush administration's misguided forest policies. Under a federal court
order in 1995 affirmed by the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 1997, Lamb
Brook is temporarily off-limits to logging and road-building. However, without
Wilderness designation and with the current direction of the Bush administration's Forest
Service, it is a potential target for harmful activity.
Another huge threat facing this area's conservation is the use of motorized vehicles,
which currently under the law is prohibited in the forest. Richard Andrews, a Sierra Club
volunteer in Vermont, sees this threat becoming a reality: "If wilderness designation is
not put into effect, we could see a host of logging projects which have an adverse effect
on black bears. If permitted in the area, motorized vehicles could disrupt bear denning
and the raising of cubs."
Currently, only 1 percent of the land in Vermont is permanently protected by federal
wilderness designation and only 12 percent of land in the state is publicly owned
compared to a national average of 32 percent. To increase these numbers and save this
area America needs to look to their chosen leaders to make a difference.
There is a better way. We can
protect this area as Wilderness
and maintain the spectacular
landscapes and rich wildlife
habitat.
"Vermont needs more wilderness
areas to not only save wild
habitat and land from future
development but for our future
generations to explore and
enjoy," says Marion. "Protecting
the Lamb Brook is a great place
to start."
Sierra Club Contact:
Kimberly Marion, Vermont: (802) 229-5151
kimberly.marion@sierrraclub.org
Additional Info:
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