YourVoice.Now Summary
EnvironmentYour MoneyCorporate BenefitsTransparency & AccountabilityAbout 92,562 acres of Virginia forest would be protected — you could still hike, but logging and mining stop.
Environment
The land sits in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. It would become the Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area the day the bill becomes law.
Four new wilderness areas would be created: Skidmore Fork, Lynn Hollow, Little River, and Beech Lick Knob. A fifth tract of 6,961 acres is added to the existing Ramseys Draft Wilderness.
The bill tells the Forest Service to run the area in a way that keeps water clean and makes it better. Protecting water quality is one of the stated purposes of the new area.
The Forest Service could still cut trees to control fire, insects, or disease, or to keep trails and overlooks open. Firewood for personal use stays allowed along area roads.
New mining claims, mineral leases, and geothermal leases could not be issued inside the area. Claims and leases that are already valid would keep working.
The federal land would be closed to wind, solar, and other renewable energy projects. The bill sets no end date for that closure.
No new roads could be built inside the scenic area. Roads that already exist stay open, and the Forest Service keeps the power to open or close them.
The bill blocks new utility corridors, rights-of-way, and communication sites. Communication sites include towers that carry phone and radio service.
Your Money
The Forest Service must let recreation that is allowed today continue, and try to improve it. It can still adjust uses for public safety or to protect the land.
The plan covers trails for foot, horse, and bike use outside the wilderness tracts. It must include a new trail from the Wolf Ridge Trail parking area to the Wild Oak National Recreation Trail.
You could keep cutting firewood for your own use along roads inside the scenic area. The Forest Service can set conditions on it.
Existing dams and reservoirs would keep running. A town could still build a new dam or reservoir if it needs the water for public supply.
Corporate Benefits
Companies could no longer buy timber, stake mining claims, or lease the land for oil, gas, wind, or solar inside the area. Rights that are already valid would continue.
Transparency & Accountability
When it writes the trail plan, the Forest Service must seek input from the public and other interested groups. The plan is due within two years.
Maps and boundary lines would be filed with Congress and open for the public to see at the Forest Service chief's office. If a map and the stated acres disagree, the map is what counts.
More about this bill
About 92,562 acres of national forest in western Virginia would get new protection. You could still use the trails and recreation sites that are there today. Inside that area, five tracts of land would become wilderness. Together they add up to about 33,900 acres. Wilderness is the strictest status federal land can have. One stated reason for the protection is the Cow Knob salamander. It lives along the mountain crest above 3,000 feet. The bill also aims to protect water quality and forests that may become old growth. Timber cutting would stop inside the scenic area, except in a few cases. The Forest Service could still cut trees to fight fire, keep trails and overlooks open, or stop pests. You could still gather firewood for your own use along the roads. The land would also be closed to new mining claims, oil and gas leases, and wind or solar projects. No new power lines or communication towers could be approved. No new roads could be built, though no road there would close. Within two years, the Forest Service must write a trail plan for the area. It must ask the public for ideas first. The plan would add a trail from the Wolf Ridge Trail parking area to the Wild Oak National Recreation Trail. A broader management plan is due on the same two-year deadline. Motor vehicles would stay on roads outside the wilderness tracts, and none may drive inside them. People who own land inside the area would keep the right to reach it. Virginia would keep the right to maintain Route 924, the road to the mountain crest. A town could still build a reservoir there if it needs the water.
Congressional Summary
Shenandoah Mountain Act This bill establishes the Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area, consisting of approximately 92,562 acres of National Forest System land in Virginia in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forest. The bill designates specified lands in the forest as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System, including approximately (1) 5,088 acres as the Skidmore Fork Wilderness, (2) 3,568 acres as the Lynn Hollow Wilderness, (3) 12,461 acres as the Little River Wilderness, and (4) 5,779 acres as the Beech Lick Knob Wilderness. It also incorporates approximately 6,961 acres into the Ramseys Draft Wilderness.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Reported to Senate
- Action Date
- 2025-10-27
- Date Added
- 2026-07-28
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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