The story of America's wilderness is filled with wonderful tales of citizens rising up to defend the wild places they cherish, but Friends of the Sandwich Range gives this story a new twist. The group formed in 1998, not only to protect wild areas in New Hampshire's popular White Mountain National Forest, but also to preserve the historic buildings of the abandoned Sandwich Notch community whose heritage was threatened by a major timber sale.

Instead of simply fighting the timber sale, the new wilderness group decided a smarter thing to do would be to also work to extend the boundaries of the existing Sandwich Range Wilderness to protect the surrounding wild areas. That way, this region would be permanently protected by Congress, and not subject to changes and whims in forest management.

Today, the Friends of Sandwich Range is working to add eight special areas to the Sandwich Range Wilderness. The proposed Black Mountain Pond Wilderness Extension contains some of the richest bird habitat in the area. Other proposed extensions provide homes to wildlife like peregrine falcons, moose, bear, and other creatures. The Friends of the Sandwich Range is also proposing that the abandoned community of Sandwich Notch be designated as an Historic Area to provide long-term protection for the many significant sites including barn foundations, mill sites, and wells, in addition to the remains of one of the longest logging railroads in White Mountain history.

The birth of Friends of the Sandwich Range was fortuitous, as it occurred just at the start of the revision of the White Mountain National Forest's forest management plan. Six years later, that planning process -- which had numerous delays -- is finally nearing an end. The delays, however, gave the conservation group an important opportunity to do more wilderness education in the community to help build support for a forest plan that will emphasize wilderness protection. Friends has used this time well, reaching out to U.S. Forest Service personnel, snowmobile users, and the timber industry, among others. "We don't always agree, but we can all talk to each other," says Fred Lavigne, one of the founders of Friends of the Sandwich Range.

In addition to working on the management plan for the White Mountains, Friends of the Sandwich Range also educates local, state, and congressional leaders, and members of the public about wilderness, and why it's important to New Hampshire. "We all do things to help steward these lands, take care of the trails, and work on other issues that impact the forest," says Lavigne.

The Friends of the Sandwich Range, with their energy, dedication, and inclusive approach to protecting wilderness, shows just how a group of concerned, committed citizens truly can make a difference. Fore more information, please visit http://www.whywilderness.org/ [1].

**Attention Wilderness Supporters in the Northeast: The Friends of the Sandwich Range would like to invite you to their National Trails Day event on June 4th. It will be held at the Mead Conservation Center in Center Sandwich, NH. At 8am, people will meet for a trail maintenance project. At 5pm, there will be a potluck and hootenanny of sorts, where you can learn more about the Sandwich Range, meet other wilderness supporters, and have fun.

for more information visit: http://www.whywilderness.org/ [2]