NELSONVILLE, Ohio — The Wayne National Forest is seeking public input to identify lands or rivers on the national forest that may qualify for designation as a “wilderness area” or a “wild and scenic river.”
The Forest Plan Revision Team is working through two separate inventory processes, and would like to receive initial public input by April 2019.
Both of these processes are required by the 2012 Planning Rule, which sets the ground rules for all Forest Plan revisions within the USDA Forest Service.
Under the 2012 Rule, the Forest Service must conduct these inventories and may choose to recommend suitable areas for Congressional designation. An act of Congress, signed by the president, is necessary for the designation of any wilderness or wild and scenic river.
The Wayne National Forest has completed the initial step in the wilderness inventory and evaluation process by eliminating National Forest System lands that are less than 1,000 roadless acres.
Wilderness characteristics are defined by the Wilderness Act of 1964, and include “outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation.”
Additional information is available on the Wayne National Forest Plan revision website at http://bit.ly/WayneWilderness.
The second process, in accordance with the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968, requires the Forest Service to identify and evaluate potential rivers for addition to the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System during the Forest Plan revision process.
The Wayne National Forest has created a list of named streams that flow on or near the national forest, and is now seeking public input on these streams and any others that may possess “outstandingly remarkable values.”
Additional information is available on the Wayne National Forest Plan revision website at http://bit.ly/WayneRivers.
If you are interested in getting involved with the Wilderness or Wild and Scenic Rivers inventories, contact the Forest Plan Revision Team at wayneplanrevision@fs.fed.us or by phone at 740-753-0555. You can also send written comments, care of Plan Revision, to Wayne National Forest, 13700 U.S. Highway 33, Nelsonville, OH 45764-9552.
