Braley Pond
Join us for a picnic lunch and rally in support of the Roadless Rule
at the Braley Pond Day Use Area.
WHAT: Picnic at the Braley Pond Day Use Area with a special focus on a current threat to our national forests - rescission of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Bring your picnic lunch and lawn chair and enjoy this public recreation area just west of Churchville in the George Washington National Forest.
Immediately following the picnic and program, you are invited to go on an easy guided nature walk at the pond and take in its beauty, including late-summer wildflowers, butterflies, and mushrooms.
WHEN: Saturday, September 12, at 12:00 PM with a guided Nature Walk immediately following the program at 1:30 PM.
WHERE: Meet at the Braley Pond Day Use Area. Shady setting with picnic tables and public restrooms available.
DETAILS:
On September 12 at 12 noon, join members of the Shenandoah Group of the Sierra Club, the Friends of Shenandoah Mountain, and the Virginia Wilderness Committee at the Braley Pond Day Use Area for a picnic and social to celebrate our national forests at a beautiful recreation area surrounded by roadless areas and learn more about what you can do to help preserve the “Roadless Rule.”
Today, 640 million acres—nearly one-third of the United States—are designated as federal public lands, managed by the National Park Service, the National Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Fish and Wildlife Service. In a recent publication, the Sierra Club noted that as the United States celebrates 250 years, these public lands are a uniquely American ideal and that wild places need to be protected and free to all.
Hailed as one of America’s most successful conservation measures, the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule protects drinking water, wildlife habitat, and world-class recreation opportunities across 58.5 million acres of our national forests, and supports hundreds of local economies. The Roadless Rule protects over 100,000 acres of national forest on Shenandoah Mountain and Great North Mountain. Braley Pond is a scenic spot in the midst of the largest concentration of roadless areas in the eastern US.
Last June, the Trump administration announced plans to revoke the Roadless Rule–a decision that would threaten hundreds of millions of acres of national forest land that provides wildlife habitat, clean drinking water, old forests, and the outdoor spaces that millions of Americans rely on. The Sierra Club, the Friends of Shenandoah Mountain, and the Virginia Wilderness Committee are working to get the word out to recreators of all kinds here in Virginia about the details of proposed changes to the Roadless Rule and the potential impacts these changes will bring. We hope you will attend to share your thoughts and concerns.
After lunch and the program, you are invited to take a guided nature hike to enjoy the natural beauty of this special place. See wildflowers, butterflies, and mushrooms and perhaps an osprey or bald eagle.
Schedule of Events
12:00-12:30 pm: Enjoy your lunch and make new friends; Welcome and Introductions from hosts
12:30-1:30 pm: Speakers and Q & A
1:30 pm: Optional guided nature walk at Braley Pond
Level: Easy
Cost: None
Signup Instructions: Please register so we can plan for the number of attendees
Recommended Items: Picnic lunch, lawn chairs or make use of the available picnic tables.
Cancellation Policy: Activity is held rain or shine, but may be altered due to inclement weather
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