THE BLAZE

Newsletter of the Mount Rogers Appalachian Trail Club 

Summer 2025

MRATC Fall 2025 Newsletter.pdf

MRATC RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES REPORT: 
Summer 2025

     Five recreational hikes were planned for summer quarter: AT South from Elk Garden to Buzzard Rock, a hike presented for the Virginia Highlands Festival (Doug Levin); AT South to Buzzard Rock via Beech Mountain Road parking lot (Felicia Mitchell); AT North of Atkins (Donna Barkley); Brumley and Hidden Valley Lake trails (Jim Warden); Grayson Highlands State Park trails including Wilson Creek, Seed Orchard, and Scales (Sharon Trumbley). Carol Broderson led two rare plant monitoring hikes at Whitetop and Massie Gap to Scales. Thanks to hike leaders for presenting hikes and for accommodating trail conditions and introducing different hikes as needed. If you are interested in learning about the process to lead a recreational hike, contact Felicia at fmitchell@emoryhenry.edu  Photos include a recreational hiking group at Grayson Highlands in July (photo by Felicia) and a natural scene at Hidden Valley Lake in August (photo by Jim). We are looking forward to a beautiful fall quarter with some great hikes planned.  – Felicia Mitchell

                                                                   Quebec Branch                              Tri-State Marker

Twin Pinnacles                                                                                     Wise Shelter

Higlands Festival Hike                                                                 Grayson Highlands 

Swallowtail and Bees - photo by Jim Wilson

TRAILS REPORT

    Over the summer the club work days were concentrated, some might say mercilessly so, between the Damascus stairs and the Straight Branch bridge. We methodically filled root-ball hole after root-ball hole and removed many new blow-downs in the process.  As of this writing the section is finally restored to what can be considered normal for this time of year.  The other section with many remnants of Helene was the section between 859 and Lost Mountain shelter. While the club was working near Damascus, the Konnarock crew spent multiple weeks working that stretch and it is now in equally good shape.   There is always more to do, but the urgency has decreased dramatically and as we approach the one-year anniversary of Helene.

     It finally feels like we can turn our attention away from storm damage to other things.  At the end of Sept, ATC has plans in place to install a hardened stone crossing at Comers Creek Falls. Club help will be welcome and dates and opportunities will be shared as we get full details.  Additionally, we are hopeful that our two remaining pit privies at Lost Mountain and Saunders will be replaced by the club with new composting bins between now and the 2026 hiker bubble.   –Doug Levin

NATURAL RESOURCES REPORT

     Thanks to Karen McCormack for volunteering to help with monitoring rare plants; we decided to go in search of one of a group of grasses and sedges that we had never monitored, drooping woodreed (Cinna latifolia).  We were roughly looking for a grass in bloom that drooped.  As you can see from the picture, that grass looks like many other grasses, but we were very happy to pinpoint our target high on Whitetop Mountain, in the woods near the radio towers.  We had to navigate a new chasm on Whitetop Road to get there, but there are plans to fix the road.   Cinna latifolia is a native bunchgrass, which grows in clumps with spaces between, rather than solid mats.  These grasses have long, extensive roots and are very important for soil stabilization and carbon sequestration.  Cinna latifolia grows to 6’ tall and likes the moist forest understory.  The plant is a hermaphrodite, with both male and female parts that are pollinated by the wind.  Since the wind does all the work spreading pollen, grasses don’t need showy petals and flowers. While in search of drooping woodreed in the Whitetop forest, we also encountered alpine enchanter’s nightshade, a delicate small flower none of us had seen before.  If you would like to join our adventures in nature, email Carol at mtrogersatc@gmail.com  A special thanks to Felicia Mitchell for the photo of drooping woodweed and many other pictures. – Carol Broderson

RPC REPORT

     The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) announced its Centennial Campaign on June 11, 2025, at our 100th Anniversary Gala, held at Washington, D.C.’s Union Station. The landmark event welcomed 200 guests, celebrated 100 years of dedication to the Appalachian National Scenic Trail (A.T.), and honored the legacy of conservation, education and advocacy that has shaped the Trail into a cultural and environmental treasure.

     The ATC benefited from prompt support from A.T. Clubs to sign-on to a letter about appropriations and reconciliation: The letter opposed steep cuts to federal land management agencies, sell off of public lands, and diversion of Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) dollars. Currently, the Congress is debating Reconciliation language (a type of budget law that can be passed by a simple majority in both chambers) and annual appropriations (which requires a supermajority in the U.S. Senate). Both of these bills would have impacts on public lands and to the ability of our federal partners in the NPS and USFS to fully engage in cooperative management.

     The ATC continues to advocate for appropriate funding to support federal land management partners. Related to FY26 appropriations, ATC submitted testimony to the House Appropriations Committee in support of increased appropriations for the ANST and supported the annual U.S. House and U.S. Senate Appropriations Dear Colleague letters led by Congressmen Lawler and Beyer and Senators Tillis and Hassan. Both letters were bipartisan, with 17 signatories on the House side and 19 on the Senate side. We are hopeful that the Appropriations Committees will continue to include encouragement to increase the APPA budget line as well as the budget lines for our connected unit partners.  The ATC Volunteer Leadership Meeting was held Aug 15-17 in Maryland.  Information from that meeting will be shared in the next newsletter.

The ATC is continuing to actively search for a new CEO.  – Frank White

MRATC MEMBERSHIP REPORT

       Membership for the Mount Rogers Appalachian Trail Club now has its’ own email address: mratcmemb@gmail.com  If you want to check on your membership status or make sure we have your correct address (physical or email) or other information, email our membership coordinator, Sharon Trumbley, at this address instead of her personal email. Welcomes to new members and reminders sent at the end of the year to annual members will also be sent from this address. 

-Sharon Trumbley, Membership Coordinator

     Welcome new members, Sara Combs, Anne and Charles Kling, Lisa Coltrane, Gary Lewis, Lydia St Peter, Susan Fleming, Stanley and Andrea Hirtle, and Dede Goldsmith. 

Forest Service News Release

Contact Title: Meg Cirullo

(406) 548-1867

megan.cirullo@usda.gov

https://www.fs.usda.gov/r08/gwj

Forest Service Awards Salvage Sales to Support Hurricane Helene Recovery and Economic Resilience

DAMASCUS, Va., August 21, 2025 — Three salvage timber sales are underway on the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, with two on the Clinch Ranger District and one in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. These projects are part of a broader effort to reduce wildfire risk and support long-term recovery following significant blowdown damage from Hurricane Helene.

“These salvage operations are just one of several tools we’re using to manage the sudden increase in fuel,” said Tiffany Cummins, district ranger for the Clinch Ranger District. “By removing downed trees, we reduce wildfire intensity, improve firefighter access and create better conditions for long-term forest regeneration.”

Motorists are advised to exercise caution and remain vigilant for increased logging traffic and other heavy equipment near the sale areas. On the Clinch Ranger District, the 144-acre High Knob salvage sale is near the communities of Norton and Tacoma, while the 149-acre Thunderstruck salvage sale is near East Stone Gap. The 76-acre Straight Mountain salvage sale within the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area will impact stretches of Highway 58 between Damascus and Konnarock.

About 80 percent of the salvage timber sale areas fall within Forest Service- designated high-risk firesheds, where wildfire behavior modeling indicates elevated potential for extreme fire conditions, especially near communities, infrastructure and valued recreation areas. Trees blown down by Hurricane Helene make the risk for extreme fire conditions worse by providing extra fuel to make the fires burn hotter and longer.

In addition, the downed trees can block roads or other means of accessing areas to fight fires, rescue people in need of assistance or otherwise conduct the necessary business of managing a forest. Allowing companies to salvage the timber enables the downed trees to be removed, reducing the risk of extreme fire conditions and restoring access.

Salvage operations in these areas serve multiple goals:

· Reducing fuels to prevent extreme wildfire behavior

· Stimulating the local economy through timber sales awarded to local businesses

· Improving strategic road corridors used for fire control and public safety

· Supporting ecological recovery by managing for native, desirable species

“We’ve been thoughtful about where to place these sales,” Cummins said. “We considered access, environmental impact and how the projects could benefit the community. Salvage is one way we can act quickly, address risk and keep forest management aligned with our long-term goals.”

Southwest Virginia’s communities are working to reshape their economies through recreation, tourism and conservation. The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests serve as a lynchpin in that reorientation through recreation opportunities on the forests and timber sales. While that economic shift is gaining momentum, it remains vulnerable to setbacks like major wildfires.

“A major fire wouldn’t just damage forest health and infrastructure, it could jeopardize years of economic progress,” Cummins said. “That’s why acting now is critical.”

About the Forest Service: The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in world-class science and technology—and rooted in communities—the Forest Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological, and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900 million forested acres within the United States, of which over 130 million acres are urban forests where most Americans live.

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