Stretching from Alabama to Virginia, and spanning the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee, the Southern Appalachian Mountains provide habitat for many species of birds and its rivers support more kinds of fish than anywhere else in North America. More than 200 fish species are found in Appalachia alone; some nowhere else in the world. The Southern Appalachians also provide clean air and water for local communities, as well as outstanding opportunities for recreation, tourism, hunting, and fishing.
The 4.6 million acres of public lands in Southern Appalachia are championed by the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition (SAFC). Confronted with rapid urbanization and destruction of the forests in their home states, 22 conservation groups from Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia have joined together to form a network of advocates with the experience, expertise, and connections to protect the precious forests of Southern Appalachia.
When SAFC was formed in 1994, the forests were watched over by many local and regional organizations that lacked communication, coordinated strategy or a unified voice. Now, the network is strong, and local grassroots advocates can champion their causes through the infrastructure provided by SAFC.
SAFC works by providing capacity support - organizational development, science, mapping, and regional coordination to its partners to improve management of protected public lands, add new protected lands, and strengthen grassroots organization and citizen leadership.
The goal of SAFC is to achieve a protected network of public lands across the Southern Appalachians--ecologically complete forests functioning as storehouses of biodiversity and providing a contiguous chain of old growth forest habitat, healthy watersheds and pathways for movement of wildlife. Designated wilderness areas act as building blocks for the protection of the Southern Appalachian forests, and recreation areas and other public and acquired lands serve as connectors, allowing water and wildlife to move through and maintain the health of the forests and quality of life for those that call this region home.
Recently, SAFC has worked to encourage the introduction of a valuable wilderness preservation measure in Virginia. The Virginia Ridge and Valley Act of 2007, would protect more than 55,000 acres of Virginia's Jefferson National Forest and create seven new Wilderness Areas, two new National Scenic Areas, and expand six existing Wilderness Areas in southwest Virginia. SAFC's Field Organizer, Mark Miller, has been working on this campaign for the past four years, mobilizing support from local elected officials, hunters, anglers, and concerned citizens in the affected counties. SAFC hopes that with passage of this act, the ecologically and recreationally valuable forests of southwest Virginia will be protected for the future, providing natural, economic, and quality of life values for people in Virginia and visitors from across the country.
The Virginia Ridge and Valley Act was introduced by U.S. Representative Rick Boucher and U.S. Senators John Warner and Jim Webb. SAFC worked with organizations such as the Virginia Wilderness Committee, The Wilderness Society, the Southern Environmental Law Center, Campaign for America's Wilderness, and others to support this campaign. The Forest Coalition is working, along with its partners, in other states of the region to move other Wilderness campaigns forward.
For more information about the Southern Appalachian Forest Coalition, Please visit: http://www.safc.org/index.php [1].