Seng Mountain National Scenic Area

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Seng Mountain National Scenic Area
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Location Smyth County, Virginia, USA
Nearest city Marion, Virginia
Coordinates 36°43′00″N81°35′00″W / 36.71667°N 81.58333°W / 36.71667; -81.58333 Coordinates: 36°43′00″N81°35′00″W / 36.71667°N 81.58333°W / 36.71667; -81.58333
Area6,466 acres (26.17 km2)
Established2009
Governing body U.S. Forest Service

Seng Mountain National Scenic Area is a federally designated National Scenic Area within Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in Smyth County, Virginia, USA. The 6,455-acre (2,612 ha) scenic area is administered by the U.S. Forest Service as part of Jefferson National Forest. Mountains and ridges within the scenic area include Seng Mountain, Chestnut Ridge, Round Top, Double Top and Chestnut Ridge, all portions of the Iron Mountain system within the upper drainage of the South Fork of the Holston River. The scenic area includes Rowland Creek Falls, a campground and a picnic area. [1]

A National Scenic Area in the United States is a federally designated area of outstanding natural and scenic value that receives a level of protection that is less stringent than wilderness designation. Scenic areas are typically occupied or used in some manner by people and either cannot be considered for wilderness designation, or are seen as suitable for a wider range of uses than those permitted under wilderness designation.

Mount Rogers National Recreation Area

Mount Rogers National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area (NRA) located in southwestern Virginia near the border with Tennessee and North Carolina. The centerpiece of the recreation area is the Lewis Fork Wilderness containing Mount Rogers, the highest point in the state of Virginia with a summit elevation of 5,729 feet. The recreation area is under the jurisdiction of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. The recreation area was established by an act of the United States Congress on May 31, 1966.

Smyth County, Virginia county in Virginia, United States

Smyth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 32,208. Its county seat is Marion.

The National Scenic Area was established by Public Law 111-11, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. [2]

Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009

The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 is a land management law passed in the 111th United States Congress and signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 30, 2009. The bill designates millions of acres in the US as protected and establishes a National Landscape Conservation System. It includes funding for programs, studies and other activities by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, and in some cases bars further geothermal leasing, oil and gas leasing, and new mining patents on certain stretches of protected land.

The area is part of the Mount Rogers Cluster .

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Raccoon Branch Wilderness

The Raccoon Branch Wilderness is an area in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area protected by the Eastern Wilderness Act of Congress to maintain its present, natural condition. As part of the wilderness system, it is intended to preserve a variety of natural life forms and contribute to a diversity of plant and animal gene pools. Over half of the ecosystems in the United States exist within designated wilderness.

Little Wilson Creek Wilderness

The Little Wilson Creek Wilderness is an area in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area protected by the Eastern Wilderness Act of Congress to maintain its present, natural condition. As part of the wilderness system, it is intended to preserve a variety of natural life forms and contribute to a diversity of plant and animal gene pools. Over half of the ecosystems in the United States exist within designated wilderness.

Lewis Fork Wilderness wilderness area in Virginia

The Lewis Fork Wilderness is an area in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area protected by the Eastern Wilderness Act of Congress to maintain its present, natural condition. As part of the wilderness system, it is intended to preserve a variety of natural life forms and contribute to a diversity of plant and animal gene pools. Over half of the ecosystems in the United States exist within designated wilderness.

Devils Den-Ewing Mountain

Devil's Den-Ewing Mountain is a wildland in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of western Virginia that has been recognized by the Wilderness Society as a special place worthy of protection from logging and road construction. The Wilderness Society has designated the area as a “Mountain Treasure”.

Horse Heaven (conservation area)

Horse Heaven is a wildland in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of western Virginia that has been recognized by the Wilderness Society as a special place worthy of protection from logging and road construction. The Wilderness Society has designated the area as a “Mountain Treasure”.

Shaw Gap

Shaw Gap is a wildland in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of western Virginia that has been recognized by the Wilderness Society as a special place worthy of protection from logging and road construction. The Wilderness Society has designated the area as a “Mountain Treasure”.

Mount Rogers Crest Zone

Mount Rogers Crest Zone is a wildland in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of western Virginia that has been recognized by the Wilderness Society as a special place worthy of protection from logging and road construction. The Wilderness Society has designated the area as a “Mountain Treasure”.

Whitetop Laurel

Whitetop Laurel is a wildland in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of western Virginia that has been recognized by the Wilderness Society as a special place worthy of protection from logging and road construction. The Wilderness Society has designated the area as a “Mountain Treasure”.

Rogers Ridge

Rogers Ridge, a wildland in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of western Virginia and the Cherokee National Forest of eastern Tennessee, has been recognized by the Wilderness Society as a special place worthy of protection from logging and road construction. The Wilderness Society has designated the area as a “Mountain Treasure”.

Mount Rogers Cluster Protected natural area in Virginia, United States

The Mount Rogers Cluster is a region recognized by The Wilderness Society for its unique high elevation mountains, vistas, trout streams and wildlife habitat. The heart of the region is Mount Rogers, the highest mountain in Virginia. The area extends over the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and into part of the Cherokee National Forest.

References

  1. "Seng Mountain National Scenic Area". Virginia Wilderness Committee. 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
  2. "Public Law 111-11 - Mar. 30, 2009" (PDF). Government Printing Office. 2009. Retrieved 9 July 2012.