GEORGE D. AIKEN WILDERNESS MANAGEMENT PLAN AND

IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE

U.S.D.A. Forest Service

Green Mountain National Forest

Manchester Ranger District

Prepared by:

\ $2- ^- Dick Andrew~,Vt. Wilderness Assoc. Date

Recommended By: ^K/(^f^;^^ ~fchaelK. Schrotz +strictRanger

-- - - 2 &, / ^t-^^l^L Robert Pramuk, ~ecredtionPlanner Date

Approved By:

>(MA&A*È. Forest Supervisor

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary ...... I

Introduction Preface ...... 3 Area Description ...... 4 Summary of Current Situation ...... 5 Process ...... 5 Summary of Management Recommendations ...... 6 Explanation of Format ...... 6

Recreation Management Recreation Overview ...... 8 Access and Trailheads ...... 12 Trails ...... 16 Camping ...... 20 Pack and Saddle Animals ...... 22 Domestic Pets (Dogs)...... 24 Outfitters and Guides ...... 26 Information and Education ...... 28

Resource Management Air ...... 32 Water ...... 34 Soils ...... 36 . Minerals ...... 38 Vegetation ...... 39 Cultural Resources ...... 43 Wildlife ...... 46 Fisheries ...... 53 Fire ...... 56 Insects and Disease ...... 58

Administration Vehicle Intrusion ...... 59 Search and Rescue ...... 62 Private Structures ...... 64 Management of Surrounding Lands ...... 67 Research ...... 72

Implementation Schedules Explanation and Abbreviations ...... 75 Schedule A: Management nativities by Topic ...... 77 Schedule 8: Management Activities by Fiscal Year ...... 31

Appendices Mppendix A: pub1 1; Involvement Process ...... 117 Appendix 8: Wilderness Policy Background: Excerpts ...... 123 Appendix C: Actions Requiring E.nvironmental Analysis ..... 139 EXECUTIUE SUMMflRV

This Plan and Implementation Schedule for George 0. Aiken Wilderness was preoared as a cooperative venture uith interested members of the pu~lic. It essentially calls for maintaining the wild character of the area, as set by Congress and directed by the Forest Plan, with increased protection against adverse influences and more attention to research and public eaucation.

George D. Aiken Wilderness should continue to be a lightly used trailless area primarily affected by natural forces. Ideally, it will be biologically connected with other areas of mature forest, so wide-ranging interior-dwelling species of wildlife can live in it.

Subject to environmental assessment, exotic species may be eradicated and extirpated species reintroduced. Fish stocking will be ended, and fish habitat may be restored.

Visitation will be managed by the least restrictive means, with education first and regulation last. Information and interpretation, but not promotion, will be provided by publications, rangers, office displays, entry point bulletin boards, and similar efforts at Woodford State Park. Some provision for improved public parking will be made.

Control of off-road vehicles in Aiken Wilderness, including snowmobiles, will be effected through signs and on-site monitoring, and by informing vehicle users that the entire Forest is closed to vehicles except for designated trails or areas.

George D. Aiken Wilderness will be closed to pack and saddle animals, but open to dogs under owner control. Commercial outfitter-guiding wlll be prohibited, and applicants directed to other areas of the Forest. Leased camps will be removed unless found to be historically significant.

Groups will be limited to 10 people, with a recommended maximum of six. There will be no trails or designated campsites unless they become necessary to limit damage. Video and audio tapes will be the only special accommodation for people uith disabilities, unless trails are built, in which case special trail construction uill be considered.

Physical and social resources will be monitored for deterioration. Research will be encouraged, with the least intrusive methods required.

This plan depends on managers of George D. Aiken Wilderness to advocate on its behalf for coordination with influencing entities, ranging from other Forest Service employees to the State of Vermont, and from planning commissions to military commanders. Only through managers and a public who care can the vision embodied in this document become a reality. INTRODUCTION

The goal of wilderness management is to give free play to the forces of nature, while making wilderness available for the use and enjoyment of the American people--forever.

Wilderness management is nore than setting land aside and leaving it alone. To retain the enduring value of wilderness, the Forest Service controls uses and activities to preserve natural c nditions, and to keep the imprint of man's work substantially unnoticeable.

George D. Aiken Wilderness was designated in 1984. Until now there has been no strategy to ensure its lasting wil derness character. Wilderness integrity is already compromised by vehicl e trespass, and with increasing population pressure, it could be affected by human use and air or water pollution. A sound management strategy is necessary to address these and other issues.

This Wilderness Plan and Implementation Schedule specifies activities to accomplishthisgoalforGeorgeD.AikenWilderness,inaccordancewiththe 1964 Wilderness Act, the 1975 Eastern Wilderness Act and the 1984 Uermont Wilderness Act. It enables continuity for long-term wilderness management.

The Wilderness Plan compares Forest Service goals, objectives, standards and guidelines for wilderness management and Acts of Congress to conditions in George 0. Aiken Wilderness. It identifies management actions needed to brin~wilderness conditions into conformance with this management direction. Where wilderness conditions conform to this direction, the Plan lists management actions to maintain or to improve conditions. Monitoring outlined in the Plan should ensure a quality wilderness experience for future generations.

This Plan is addressed primarily to Forest Service employees responsible for managing George D. Aiken Wilderness. Management direction can become effective only through than. - - - - In some cases, achieving the desired results will require changes in Forest policies outside the scope of this Wilderness Plan (for instance, the fire policy in the Forest Plan). In other cases, it will require the cooperation of entities outside the Forest Service (such as military authorities or regional planning commissions).

In all such instances, the management direction in this Plan asks those responsible for managing the wilderness to work to influence the appropriate policies or entities on behalf of wilderness goals. The authorsofthePlandonothavetheauthoritytorequirecomplementary policies, so diplomatic and skilled action by wilderness managers is the only instrument that can obtain them. This Wilderness Plan &s not a oecision document. Rather, it provides guidance to move this area of land closer to an untrammeled condition.. It is an intermediate document between the Forest Plan and subsequent environmental analyses outlined in the National Environmental Policy Act, which will be required before an:' actions that could have significant environmental impacts. Examples of such actions are new trail construction and use of prescribed fire. Low impact activities that will not require further environmental analysis include resource inventories, removal of incompatible structures, wilderness ranger coverage and public education.

Following approval of this Wilderness Plan, management policies that differ from or further refine those outlined in the Forest Plan for wilderness (Management Area 5.1) will be incorporated in a proposed Forest Plan amendment. Examples of such policies are those calling for no trails in George 0. Aiken Wilderness and for a recommended limit of six on the size of groups (with an absolute limit of 10). An environmental assessment of these policies will be prepared and public comment solicited before the Forest Supervisor decides whether to incorporate them in the Forest Plan. In the interim, the recommended policies will be implemented, because they are more protective of wilderness character than the existing Forest Plan.

AREA DESCRIPTION

George D. Aiken Wilderness is south of Vermont Route 9 in the town of Woodford in the southern Green Mountains of Vermont. The 1984 Vermont Wilderness Bill (P.L. 98-322) designated the 5,060-acre wilderness.

George 0. Aiken Wilderness is named after the late U.S. Senator George D. Aiken of Uermont, who valued the remote, undeveloped areas of his state as much as the settled portions. Senator Aiken was a strong supporter of the the 1975 eastern Wilderness Act (P.L. 93-622), which established wilderness criteria tailored to Eastern conditions. The senator also was a primary force behind the inclusion of Lye Brook dilderness and Bristol Cliffs Wilderness in the 1975 act,

The area encompassing the George 0. Aiken Wilderness is marked on some maps as the "Woodford Plateau." This is an apt description, for most of it is more than 2,000 feet above sea level, with less than 700 feet of relief --- - (the highest point is 2,618 feet, and the lowest is about 1,940 feet). The wilderness is densely wooded and rolling. It has many streams, ponds, beaver meadows and boggy areas. Since the plateau rises abruptly east of Bennington, it receives and holds some of the heaviest snowfall in Vermont, and has a relatively cool and moist climate in summer as well.

Abundant streams and beaver-created wetlands make the area an attractive place for many kinds of wildlife, the heart and soul of any wilderness. Beaver, river otter, moose, f isner, black bear, wood duck and an array of birds, fish and other wetland life appeal to naturalists as well as hunters and fishermen.

The area has been logged, but not as frequently or as intensively as most of the Green Mountain National Forest. Most of the wilderness is forested with northern hardwoods, with the remainder mostly spruce and fir. The wild forest forms a core of mature, closed canopv vegetation, habitat necessary for the survival of interior dwelling species, wnich can contribute significantly to biological diversity in the region. These include black bear, bobcat anG several species of neotropical birds.

There are no maintained travelways in the wilderness, except for a short piece of a trail from Woodford State Park and for access routes to two camps on leased sites (the leases have now expired). There are remnants of old roads or trails that woods-wise travelers can follow for considerable stretches. Travel generally is difficult, uith deep snow in winter, mud and bugs in summer and thick brush and fallen trees the year round.

SUMMARY OF CURRENT SITUATION

Overall, natural ecological processes appear to be operating freely in George D. Alken Wilderness, partly because it has been logged less intensively than some other wildernes~areas on the Forest. Baseline data is lacking or sketchy for most natural resources including vegetation, wildlife and water quality. Reliable data will be necessary to track ecological processes over time, and to assure that natural processes are not impeded.

The greatest natural resource concern is acid deposition. George D. Aiken is not a Class I Air Quality area, but it is close to Lye Brook Wilderness, which has this designation. Measures taken to protect Lye Brook Wilderness also should benefit George 0. Aiken Wilderness, but this Plan recommends testing that assumption.

Fortunately, George D. Aiken Wilderness has almost entirely escaped the intense recreational pressures often found in wildernesses that are more scenic or closer to urban areas. In General, recreational use is not a problem.

One of the most significant challenges facing wilderness managers is to increase public awareness of the value of wilderness, without attracting so many people that they damage what they wish to enjoy. Many people do not know what wilderness is and why it is protected, and they do not realize that non-wilderness National Forest land is often better suited for some back-country uses than designated wilderness.

The Green Mountain Forest Plan addresses wilderness mana~ement in general terms. Because this Plan applies specifically to George 0. Aiken Wilderness, the Forest Service asked the public and land managers to identify the topics of concern. News releases in area newspapers and in the Long Trail News, the newsletter of the Green Mountain Club, described the planning process, requested comments from the public, and invited readers to send for a questionnaire. Letters were mailed to the Green Mountain National Forest s standing list of parties interested in all forest management decisions. Cuestionna-ires also were distributed at meetings of several interested c lubs.

Twenty-five questionnaires were returned and analyzed for comment. Telephoned contacts and letters also provided comments, and Forest Service employees identified wilderness management issues as well.

About two dozen Forest Service employees and members of the public formed an active core team that reviewed and added to the list of management concerns, researched and analyzed then, and developed a draft Wilderness Plan. The core team met about once a month from December, 1992, to October, 1993. Appendix A contains a list of the core team members and nore details of the public involvement process.

After development by the core team, the draft received additional public comment and review and revision by the Forest Service before approval by the Manchester District Ranger.

SUMMARY OF MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS

This Wilderness Plan recommends public education, recreation use and natural resource inventories, water and air quality monitoring, a cultural resource inventory and interpretation, and wilderness ranger coverage. These activities and others will help maintain the natural quality of George D. Aiken Wilderness, while providing recreation for those seeking the challenge and opportunity for solitude that wilderness provides. The Plan also encourages research that will help manage the wilderness or add to our knowledge of the world we live in.

EXPLANATION 0s FORMAT

The issues addressed in this Plan are grouped in three categories. The Recreation Management category contains topics related to recreational use, such as camping, trails and domestic pets. Uisitor information is included in this section. The Resource Management category covers natural resource issues, like air quality and vegetation. It also includes human-related ..-- - resources, such as cultural resources. The third category is Administration. It includes camp leases, search and rescue, management of surrounding lands and research.

Each issue in these three categories is discussed in the following order:

I Objective 2. Current Situation 3. Assumptions 4. Management Direction 5. Management Activities

The Objective depicts the conditions we are striving for, and determines what management methods will be necessary. The Current Situation section describes conditions and trends in the wilderness or the context surrounding the issue. Assumptions represent our judgement of pressures, problems and trends pertinent to each issue. ~anagementDirect ion provides broad direction that--considering the current situation and assumptions about the future~arenecessary to guide actions toward the objective. Management Activities outline specific actions and programs needed to achieve the objective.

There is a fair amount of repetition in the discussion of the issues and in the management direction and activities related to them. For example, monitoring of closed access routes to sites of leased camps is a management activity in both the Trails section and the Private Structures section. This is necessary because we have found that users of wilderness plans often photocopy one or two sections, rather than reading the whole plan. This is sensible, but it means that we must repeat material, sometimes several times, to meet the needs of plan users.

After the issues have been discussed individually, the recommended activities for each issue are compiled in Implementation Schedule A, where we have tried to avoid repetition. Here, monitoring of closed access trails to sites of leased private camps appears only under Trails, although it is also recommended under Private Structures in the issue discussions. Also in Schedule A are the planned year for each activity and its cost. ft second version of the Implementation Schedule, Schedule 8, groups the activities by planned fiscal year, providing a summary of wilderness management activities for a given fiscal year.

Appendix A contains a detailed description of the public involvement process, including a list of team members and summary of public comments. Appendix 8 depicts overall wilderness management guidelines through excerpts from various Wilderness Acts, the Forest Service manual, the Regional Guide, and Green Mountain National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (the Forest Plan). Appendix C lists proposed activities that mould require an environmental analysis before implementation. RECREATION OVERVIEW

The major challenge in managing wilderness is to protect and enhance wilderness resources while allowing for wilderness recreation and scientific research. Recreational use should be primitive and unconfined, with quiet behavior and levels of use low enough to allow the opportunity for solitude for recreationists who seek it. Preserving natural wilderness character is most important, and recreation use will not be allowed to compromise this quality. Establishing Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) for recreational impacts and monitoring these changes will be critical to ensure that wilderness values are preserved for future generations.

Recreational O~oortunitv Soectrum Manaaement The Recreational Opportunity Spectrum incorporates a range of recreational opportunities from primitive to urban. Through effective wilderness management, wilderness users should be able to enjoy primitive or semi- primitive recreation. The revised Recreation Opportunity Spectrum criteria outlined in the Green Mountain Forest Plan (Recreation/Visual Resource on the Green Mountain National Forest--1983) describe these classes as follows:

Primitive Recreation * The environment is the product of natural succession. * The area is accessible by foot. * At least three miles from roads, railroads or trails with motorized use. Interaction between visitors is very infrequent, although there is occasional evidence of other visitors. * There is little or no evidence of controls. * The basic recreational experience is isolation from other people, independence, closeness to nature, and self-reliance. with a high degree of challenge and risk.

Semi-Primitive Non-Motorized Recreation The environment is natural or predominantly natural appearing. * The area is accessible by foot or on horseback. * At least 1/2 mile from roads, railroads or trails with motorized use. Visitor interaction is infrequent, with evidence of other visitors. * There are minimum on-site controls and restrictions. * The recreational experience provides a high probability of isolation, remoteness, independence, closeness to nature and self-reliance, uith challenge and risk.

Most of George D. Aiken Wilderness does not meet remoteness standards for primitive recreation opportunity management because it is close to roads or trails with motorized use. If roads are under state or town jurisdiction, the Forest Service cannot control traffic on them. Apart from the remoteness criteria, the wilderness can provide primitive and semi- primitive non-motorized recreation opportunities other than the use of pack and saddle animals, and it is capable of meeting the intent of the Wilderness Act that designated it.

Human Imoacts Sounds of human activities are evident in some places in the wilderness. Traffic on Vermont Route 9 can be heard from some northern sections, and vehicles on Forest Road 74 (Yaw Pond Brook Road) on the east and Forest Road 273 (Prospect Mountain Road) on the west can be heard occasionally from nearby sections of the wilderness. Noise from snowmobiles also is evident in the winter.

Because there are no distant views from George 0. Aiken Wilderness, human activities other than aircraft cannot be seen. Except for camps on two leased sites, there are no structures and no known points of heavy use in the wilderness. The camp leases expired in 1993.

Current Usam Recreational use in George D. Aiken Wilderness has not been recorded in Recreational Visitor-Days (defined as 12 hours of use); the only data available is total use for all wildernesses on the Forest. Comments from members of the core team who are acquainted with the wilderness suggest that recreational use has increased modestly in recent years as Bennington area residents have become more aware of the wilderness and have come to value it.

There is no dramatic scenery in the wilderness to attract users, though some people enjoy the tranquil beauty of its ponds and wetlands. A few fishermen seek the ponds, and hunters use parts of the area as well. Spring and summer hiking and camping appear to be uncommon, probably because of wetness, insects and lack of trails. Hiking is more pleasant in the fall, but even then one seldom meets people in the wilderness. In winter, some cross country skiers find the wilderness an enjoyable challenge.

Access for Peoole with Disabilities. About 37 percent of the American public have varying degrees of physical impairments. In addition to people who use wheelchairs, this includes other types of mobility limitations and conditions such as impaired vision, impaired hearing and asthma.

Wilderness is intended to present a challenging, primitive recreational experience, with feu if any improvements. This Plan calls for no trails in George D. Aiken Wilderness, which raises the question of access for mobility-impaired people.

This issue has received considerable attention nationally, and the core team considered it as well. A recent study of wilderness access policies of federal land management agencies (the Forest Service, the Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the Fish and Wildlife Service) polled handicapped wilderness users, and found the majority did not consider special facilities either necessary or desirable within wilderness. Of course, they did want accessibility to peripheral facilities, such as information stations, parking lots and toilet buildings. Neither the Forest Service nor any other agency is legally required to

provide special facilities for handicapped access within wilderness. , Correspondingly, there is no requirement for facilities for able-bodied people, either, and in fact many people af normal ability find it difficult or impossible to reach some places in wilderness.

Considering all of these factors, this Plan provides for no special facilities for access by mobility impaired people within George D. Aiken Wilderness. However, if trails eventually must be built to protect the resource, the Plan calls for an assessment of demand for wheelchair access and consideration of building a portion of any trail network to accommodate it.

A videotape could provide an avenue for oeople unable to visit the area to appreciate its beauty, while learning about the concept of wilderness. An audiocassette version could be helpful for sight-impaired people.

Limits of Accwle Chaw Changes in physical and social resource conditions will be monitored using the Limits of Acceptable Change methodology. This process identifies resource concerns and designates indicators to measure changes in areas of concern.

Examples of physical resource concerns are water quality and conditions of informal campsites. Indicators minht be bacterial concentrations and the extent of soil erosion or compaction.

Social resource concerns include opportunity for solitude, and conflicts generated by group size or behavior (such as loud noise or dogs). Indicators ni~htinclude the number of groups encountered, or complaints by users.

The Limits of Acceptable Change methodology inventories these indicators and sets standards which define unacceptable levels and specify action to mitigate unacceptable changes. In time, new indicators may be established in response to changing social conditions.

General Manaoement Direction (Detailed policies and activities are addressed under each recreation - - - - topic. ) 1. The wilderness will be managed to maintain, perpetuate and enhance wilderness qualities in the long term.

2. The area will be managed for primitive and semi-primitive non- motorized recreation opportunities.

3. Recreation facilities and landscape alterations will be permitted only to protect wilderness resources, not for user convenience.

4. Emphasis will be placed on helping users enjoy, appreciate and use the wilderness properly, not on promoting or encouraging additional use. 5. User controls such as permits or reservations will be considered onlv as a last resort.

6. Information and education will be provided outside the wilderness as much as possible. Ranger coverage in the wilderness will be unobtrusive, and rangers will concentrate on informing and educating wilderness users. However, rangers will be uniformed to provide a visible indication that the Forest Service cares about what happens on this land, and enforcement of federal rules and regulations will take place.

7. Limits of Acceptable Change will be established by a team of resource specialists, users of the area, and wilderness advocates. These limits will address the following biological and social components as a minimum: campsite and travelway conditions; number of users; capacity and condition of outside support facilities.

8. The recommended maximum group size will be six, with an absolute limit of 10 (including the leader in groups from clubs or other organizations). This recommendation and restrictibn will be posted on wilderness entry bulletin boards and added to the revised George 0; Aiken Wilderness brochure. ACCESS AND TRAILHEADS

To provide safe year-round access points that offer the opportunity to educate visitors about wilderness, to control the amount of use to preserve wilderness qualities, and to control the type of use (prevent mechanized use ).

Current Situation

Trailheads George 0. Aiken Wilderness is now managed as a trailless area. No managed trails enter the wilderness, except for a short section of the Woodford State Park trail system. Also, there are no designated parking areas or entry points to serve the area.

Users reach the area from several locations:

Prosoect Mountain Ski Area Some users park at the Prospect Mountain Ski Area to reach the wilderness via the ski area's trails or other routes. The parking lot is maintained by the Prospect Mountain Ski Area Corporation, and the Forest Service has made no arrangement with the corporation for the public to use its parking lot or its trails to reach the wilderness. The corporation has been cooperative with users, and has not denied permission to use the parking lot, provided it does not interfere with customers' access to the ski area. Any long range plan to continue this practice will call for a formal agreement with the corporation for public use of its parking lot and trails.

Prosoect Mountain Road Some users park along the Prospect Mountain Road 'Forest Road 273) near the intersectior with Uermcnt Route 9. No par-king facilities were designed into the road, so parking here often interferes with traffic to private lands. The Prospect Mountain Road is not maintained for winter use.

The Adams Parking Lot, across Uermont Route 9 from Woodford State Park, provides year-round parking just north of the wilderness. The lot provides winter parking for the Woodford snowmobile trail system and cross-country ski users of Woodford State Park. The lot is filled to capacity most winter weekends and holidays, forcing users to seek other parking facilities or park illegally along the shoulder of Vermont Route 9. No other winter facilities are available within a reasonable distance of the ftdams lo?.

Yaw Pond Brook Road Yaw Pond Brook Road (Fore3t Road '74 provides access and parking for the western portion of the wilderness. The road has stump dumps that 7 provide adequate summer porking. It is not maintained for winter use. Heartwellvi1le The West Branch Road (Forest Road 73) provides access and parking for the southern part of the wilderness. The road has old log landings that provide adequate summer parking. It is not maintained for umter use.

Woodford State Park Users of Woodford State Park can easily reach the wilderness. In fact, a short section of one of the state park trails is in the wilderness. The state park charges a use fee, and it is not open to camping or wheeled vehicles in winter. Officials at the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation have indicated reluctance to plow snow beyond the park gate because they fear vandalism to park structures. In addition, the road is not designed to withstand the deep frost that snow removal uould cause.

Concerns have been raised about inaccessibility of George 0. Aiken Wilderness in winter.

Offsite Uiews Offsite views have not been addressed in planning or management, nor has information on them been presented in brochures. Nevertheless, people who appreciate wilderness from a distance can enjoy views of George D. Aiken Wilderness with no direct impact. Uiewpoints along Vermont Route 9 and the Yaw Pond Brook Road (Forest Road 74) could be developed to tell the story of the Green Mountain National Forest and George D. Aiken Wilderness to passing motorists or users who cannot or choose not to enter the area.

1. Winter parking is not adequate to accommodate area users. Total winter use of the Woodford area will increase, further straining parking facilities.

2. Most visitors do not know the difference between George 0. Aiken Wilderness and other National Forest land.

3. There is a need to make contact with the visiting public. There 15 a general lack of information about the National Forest in the area. The Toun of Woodford does not want to become an information station.

4. High volumes of traffic uill continue along Uermont Route 9. Many motorists know nothing about the Green Mountain National Forest or George D. Aiken Wilderness.

Manaaement Direction

I. Provide adequate winter parking opportunities for area users.

2. Place standard wooden signs at all customary entry points to inforw visitors that they are entering the wilderness. ftlong customary routes ^ leading to the wilderness, place information and warning signs describing- the dangers and challenges of wilderness travel (for instance, lack of marked trails and reduced rescue capability) and restrictions on activities ( for instance, no mechanised use).

3. Place signs along the wilderness boundary in areas of known abuse by all-terrain vehicles, mountain bikes and the like.

4. Provide bulletin boaras to accommodate general National Forest information as well as information on wilderness, including maps, narratives and ethics messages.

5. Experiment with developing offsite views by signs informing people about George D. Aiken Wilderness but not directing them to it. Develop several locations if monitoring indicates that such signs improve public awareness of the national forest and the wilderness without encouraging overuse of the wilderness.

Manaoenent Activities

1. Explore the oppportunity to develop an agreement with the owners of Prospect Mountain Ski Area to provide for public use of their facilities for parking and access to the wilderness.

2. Develop a comprehensive sign plan that includes informational signs on all known routes used to reach the wilderness. Provide standard wilderness signs at all known entry points and along private land boundaries. Post vehicle restriction signs along areas of known illegal entry.

See the following sections of this Plan for recommendations relating to a sign plan:

Information and Education: Current Situation; Management Direction 4, 6; Management Activity 6.

Management of Surrounding Land: Management Activity 13.

Trails: Management Direction IF (blazing and signs).

Pack and Saddle Animals: Management Direction 3.

Vehicle Intrusion: Current Situation; Management Direction 2i Management Activity 5.

Search and Rescue: Management Activity 2.

Cultural Resources: Management Direction 4,

Domestic Pets: Management Activity I. 3. Place site approach and warning signs along Uermont Route 9 at Adams 7 Parking Lot to alert motorists to slow down for hikers and skiers crossing the road 4. Update all bulletin boards to include wilderness related narratives, maps and educational materials, in addition to general Green Mountain National Forest information. Also, include information on low-impact and no-trace camping techniques.

See the following sections of this Plan for recommendations relating to bulletin boards:

Recreational Overview, General Management Direction 10.

Information and Education: Management Activity 10.

Water: Management Activity 3,

5. Identify opportunities for offsite viewing from Vermont Route 9, the Yaw Pond Brook Road (Forest Road 741, the Prospect Mountain Road (Forest Road 273), and the West Branch Road (Forest Road 73). Develop one location initially, and add others if results are favorable. Consider installing the George D. Aiken Wilderness commemorative plaque at one of the spots identified (see Information and Education, Management Activity 15). TRAILS

Ob iect ive

To provide a trailless experience and the maximum opportunity for visitors to George 0. Aiken Wilderness to explore the wilderness through their own orientation skills.

Current Situation

The wilderness has remnants of roads and trails associated with past use. Most of these travelways are on the periphery of the wilderness. Today, these are used for hiking, hunting, cross country skiing and access to hunting camps. Cross-country skiers also can traverse waterways and wetlands once they freeze and acquire a deep snowpack. None of these routes is actively managed.

Access to hunting camps is maintained by owners of camp rights. No travel routes to these camps have been identified or designated by the Forest Service, so some camp owners or their guests are operating motor vehicles on several routes, creating greater impact on wilderness qualities.

A short segment of the Woodford State Park Trail System is in the wilderness. The trail was relocated onto Forest Service land under Special Use! Permit #2730 to avoid conflicts with the spray irrigation sewage disposal system in the park. The trail is maintained with non-motorized tools, and offers an opportunity to introduce the concept, values and ethics of wilderness to users of the state park.

There are remnants of cross country ski trails previously under permit to Prospect Mountain Ski Area in the northwest corner of the wilderness. These trails are no longer under permit to Prospect, but have had some minimal maintenance by users to keep them passable.

At least one snowmobile trail is known to exist in the wilderness near Uoodford State Park, and in fact crosses the boundary next to a boundary marking sign. The trail is not identified in the cooperative use agreement between the Uermont Association of Snow Travelers, Inc., and the Forest Service.

People with impaired mobility cannot travel easily in George D. Aiken Wilderness. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, they may use wheelchairs (defined as 'a device designed solely for use by mobility impairea persons for locoiotion, that is suitable for use in an indoor pedestrian area") in any wilderness. There are feu places in George 0. Aiken Wilderness where a wheelcnair could be maneuvered, but it might be oossihle on the trail loop fr-nrn Wosdford State Park, on some access routes to hunting camps, and in some other spots. Limited travel by boat also may be possible. The Forest Service is not required "to provide any form of special treatment ...or modify any ronditions of lands within a Wilderness to facilitate such use," according to the same act. Similarly, the Forest Service also is not required to build trails for able-bodied people. Because it has essentially no managed trails, George 0. Aiken provides one of only two opportunities on the Green Mountain National Forest for a trailless wilderness (the other is Bristol Cliffs Wilderness in the Middlebury District).

System-wide National Forest guidelines permit up to 3 miles of managed trails per 1,000 acres in wilderness, or 15.2 miles in George 0. Aiken Wilderness.

1. In the absence of restraint, camp rights owners and their guests will continue motorized access to their camps by several routes, diminishing wilderness qualities.

2. Adjacent landowners may desire to have their trail systems connected to travelways in the wilderness.

3. Snowmobile trails will continue to be used in the wilderness until its boundary is marked and enforcement is exercised.

4. Some visitors will continue to want trails that are marked and maintained to a standard they are used to, and will be dissatisfied with a trailless wilderness.

5. Some visitors enjoy off-trail travel (bushwhacking).

Mananement Direction

1 Maintain George 0. Aiken as a trailless area as long as possible. If Limits of Acceptable Change monitoring indicates unacceptable impacts, try to divert use to other areas before building trails. Develop trails in the wilderness only as a last resort, and then build as few as possible and try to confine trails to the periphery of the area.

If a trail system is introduced to mitigate or control unacceptable impacts:

A. Incorporate changes to the trail system in response to visitor impacts, as monitored through the Limits of Acceptable Change process.

B. Determine whether there :s a significant demand for access to the wilderness by nobility impaired people. If there is, consider building a portion of the system in suitable terrain to accommodate wheelchairs.

C: Include some primitive trails to challenge routefinding skills

D. Reserve some areas for bushwhacking. E. Limit the trail system to no more than 15 miles (3 miles per thousand acres ) .

F. Observe the following design and maintenance criteria:

* Maintain irregular widths and edges (3- to 5-foot width, 8- foot maximum height, 12- to 18-inch tread width).

Do not surface the tread; leave roots, embedded rocks, and some logs. Do not grade the tread except on side slopes over 50 percent, or where safety or resource damage is a problem.

* Obscure or remove cut vegetation and stumps

Leave naturally downed material that does not seriously impede movement.

Provide bridges or other structures, such as waterbars or puncheon, only when there is danger (life-threatening under normal conditions at some time during the year), or the possibility of resource damage. Re-route trails to safely fordable crossings if possible. If a bridge or other crossing structure is needed, use the least obtrusive method.

Use native materials in trail and bridge construction unless on-atmaterials minimize the consumption of local materials or the need for frequent maintenance or replacement. Use designs appropriate to wilderness when using non-native materials.

Blaze only when necessary for reassurance. Place signs only at intersections.

2. Permit continuation of the segment of the Woodford State Park Trail System in the northern edge of the wilderness, and ask the District 11 Trails Coordinator of the Uermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation to use the maintenance standards defined above.

Manaaement Activities

I. Working with owners of expired private camp rights, identify and designate the route to each camp that has the least impact on wilderness qualities when removing personal property. Monitor access routes to ensure that the designated route is the only one in use. (See also the Private Structures section of this Plan, Management Activities 3 and 4.)

2. Identify indicators of social and resource conditions to be monitored for unacceptable changes through the Limits of Acceptable Change process.

5. If trails are determined to be necessary:

* Design and perform a trail and route inventory that includes baseline data on social and resource condition indicators, Set limits for each indicator, and prescribe preventive or corrective actions if limits are exceeded.

* Monitor trail indicators every two years for unacceptable changes, as outlined in the Limits of Acceptable Change process. Modify or add indicators as necessary. Take corrective actions.

4. Conduct reconnaissance to identify and collect data on unknown trails and routes.

5. Take steps to close the unauthorized snowmobile trail near Woodford State Park. Work with the Uermont Association of Snow Travelers and other snowmobile groups to inform snowmobilers that snowmobiles are permitted in the Forest only on designated and marked trails. (See also the Vehicle Intrusion section of this Plan, Management Activity 2.)

6. Ask wilderness rangers, volunteers and others to report flagging or other route markings. If flagging or other marking is discovered, try to determine who placed it and explain to then why it is not appropriate. Remove marking. CAMP I NG

Ob iect ive

To provide an opportunity in George 0. Aiken Wilderness for visitor camping that has minimum impact on natural processes and is consistent with wilderness character. To orovide opportunities for solitude.

Current Situation

Although the Forest Service has no data on camping in the wilderness, it is evident that very little occurs. Charles and Barbara Hine of Bennington, who have spent many days exploring the wilderness, report that they have never seen any sign of a campfire. With no sign of camping apparent, there is probably no significant resource damage.

There are fire rings and some debris indicating camping at several spots Just outside the wilderness along Forest Road 74 (Yaw Pond Brook Road). There has also been a report of a heavily used, littered campsite with several leantos at the boundary of the wilderness along the West Branch of the Deerfield River, with a wilderness boundary marker uprooted. This spot is accessible by four-wheel-drive vehicle.

When drought conditions require a ban on outdoor fires, campfires are automatically prohibited in the wilderness just as they are elsewhere.

Assumot ions

1. It is unlikely that camping will become popular in the wilderness, although it may become more common than it is now. Winter camping is rare anywhere, and in summer George 0. Aiken Wilderness is wet, brushy, buggy and inaccessible. In addition, apart from its ponds it has no scenic attracticns (such as waterfalls or mountain views).

Management Direction

1. Permit leave-no-trace backcountry camping.

2. Do not establish campsites unless there is resource damage from cooncentrated camping. If there is damage in an attractive spot, rehabilitate the affected sites and rearrange their elements (fire rings tent clearings, etc.) to reduce future damage.

3. Utilize education and other non-coercive techniques of influencing the behavior of visitors before considennn pemits or other regulations. Informational materials should stress the importance of:

Silence, since more people can enjoy remote spots if everyone is quiet; Packing out all refuse!

Leave-no-trace camping techniques.

Manaoement Activities

1. Use wilderness rangers and reports from users to monitor for damaging camping practices or impacts of concentrated use. Develop a list of potential trouble spots (for instance, likely travel routes or attractive pond shores) that the ranger can use when monitoring.

2. Clean up and restore damaged informal campsites near the wilderness boundary, including those along Forest Road 74 (Yaw Pond Brook Road) and along the West Branch of the Deerfield River. PACK AND SADDLE ANIMALS

Ob iect ive

To protect wilderness values whlle ensuring a satisfactory experience for recreational users in George D. Aiken Wilderness.

Current Situation

According to the 1964 Wilderness Act, pack and saddle animal use is an appropriate activity in wilderness. It is allowed in some wildernesses, primarily in large Western areas uith remote interiors.

Pack and saddle animals are restricted to designated trails in the Green Mountain National Forest. There are no trails designated in George D. Aiken Wilderness. There have been no reports of illegal equestrian use.

Some people are interested in pack and saddle animal use on the Forest, and the Forest has received proposals from riding organizations and a llama outfitting-guiding service. However, there have been no requests for such use in wilderness specifically.

The majority of those who responded to the public opinion questionnaire opposed the use of horses or other saddle animals in George D. Aiken Wilderness, Many felt the area is too wet, so erosion could not be controlled. Other objections were overgrazing and the possibility of introducing exotic vegetation. Those who approved of horses said there should be separate horse trails, that horses might be a way for handicapped people to experience the wilderness, and that permits mi~htbe needed to control impacts.

Assumo t ions

1. Pack and saddle animals cause considerably more damage than hikers. Pack and saddle animals, especially horses, damage trail tread, stream and pond banks (where a stream or pone is forded or approached for uatering), and potentially, water quality. Repeated tethering of animals can injure trees, disturb soil, and trample and denude vegetation. Ingested seeds from packed-in feed can introduce exotic vegetation.

2. Pack and saddle animals have not been a recreational use in George D. Aiken Yilderness.

3. Future pressure for use of pack and saddle animals in George D. Aiken Wilderness is unlikely.

4. Conflicts do arise between pack and saddle users and other recreationists.

5. The presence or ev idence of past use by pack and saddle anima 1s can dininisn the wilderness experience of other recreational users. 6. Extensive construction and maintenance work would be needed to build horse trails and control and repair damage.

7. Primitive and semi-primitive pack and saddle use can take place in non-wilderness areas of the Forest. A Forest-wide Off-Highway Vehicle Plan will address alternate areas for pack and saddle animal use. flanaoement Direct ion

1. Prohibit pack and saddle animals in George 0. Aiken Wilderness. Cooperate with local horse user groups to identify opportunities for designated horse trails outside the wilderness.

Manaoement Act i v i t i es.

1. Explain why pack and saddle animals are not allowed in the wilderness in wilderness-related displays at the Supervisor's Office and in the Nanchester District Office, and in the George 0. Aiken Wilderness brochure.

2. Ask wilderness rangers, partnership program monitors, and volunteers to record incidents involving pack or saddle animals and include them in their reports.

3. Sign accordingly and enforce through appropriate closure orders. (See the Access and Trailheads Section of this Plan, Management Activity 2, for recommendations on a sign plan.) DOMESTIC PETS ( DOGS 1

Qb iect ive

To protect the wilderness while ensuring an satisfactory experience for recreational users in Georce D. Aiken Wilderness.

Current Situation

There are now no restrictions on dogs in the wilderness. Since there are few hikers, there are few dogs accompanying hikers. There may be some use of dogs by hunters. There have been no reports of conflicts between dog owners and other recreational users of the wilderness.

In Lye Brook Wilderness, the public expressed some concerns over dogs in wilderness: harassment of wildlife, particularly in winter; disturbance to other hikers; sanitation; and a sense that non-native animals are inappropriate in wilderness. Some people supported allowing dogs in the wilderness for companionship , protect ion ( especially in the case of solo hikers), and hunting. It 1s probably significant that Lye Brook Wilderness has much more recreational use than George D. Aiken Wilderness.

A majority of those responding to the questionnaire on George D. Aiken Wilderness felt that dogs on leashes (preferred) or under voice control would be acceptable. One person objected to dog teams.

Assumotions

1 Some dogs harass wildlife, but given the low level of recreational use in George 0. Aiken wilderness, the impact is small.

2. Hunting is an appropriate use of wilderness, and dogs are often used in beer and rabbi-!:hunting.

3. Dogs that are not under owner control (voice or leash) can bother other hikers.

4. Owners are not always be able to maintain voice control of their dogs.

5. Hiking with a leashed dog in George D. Aiken Wilderness is difficult because of dense vegetation.

Manaaement Direction

1. Allow dogs in George D. ^.iker. !~!iider~e55,but require them to be under owner control (leash or voice), discourage wilderness users from bringing dogs,

2. Monitor the presence and activities of dogs in the wilderness, and consider restrictions if social problems or wildlife harassment develop. Manaoement Activities

1. At entry point5, post the requirement that dogs must be under owner control. Include the requirement, and explain the adverse effects of dogs on wilderness, in the George 0. Aiken Wilderness brochure and in wilderness-related uisplays at the Supervi5or'i Office and in the Manchester District Office. Submit requests to the Conservation Education Section of Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation to include this information in the Woodford State Part. trail brochure and in other appropriate informational materials.

2. Ask wilderness rangers, partnership program monitors, and volunteers to record any complaints about dogs and include then in their reports. Also, ask them to explain the requirement that dogs must be under control to dog owners who use the wilderness. OUTFITTERS AND GUIDES

Ob iect ive

To provide the maximum opportunity for visitors to George 0. Aiken Wilderness to explore the wilderness through their own orientation skills

Current Situation

No outfitters or guides have permits to operate in the wilderness, and none have requested permits for at least five years. It is possible there is unauthorized outfitter-guide use of the wilderness, which has not been patrolled regularly, but there have been no reports of this.

Commercial outfitters and guides are permissible in wildernesses, according to the Wilderness Act of 1964. However, guided groups could compromise the opportunity for solitude and other wilderness qualities in George 0. Aiken Wilderness, especially considering its small size.

In addition, guides reduce or eliminate the element of challenge in visiting a wilderness, which is a key quality for many wilderness users. Wilderness-dependent outfitters and guides are permitted by the Wilderness Plan for Lye Brook Wilderness, which is more than three tines as large as George D. Aiken Wilderness. Outfitters and guides also are permitted on other wilderness areas in the forest. Thus, there are other opportunities for guided wilderness experiences on the Green Mountain National Forest.

In normal Forest Service usage, the term "outfitter-guide" includes establishments that equip parties for wilderness trips but do not supply guides. However, as the term is used here, it does not include enterprises like equipment stores which nay sell or rent equipment to buyers who use it in the wilderness, but are not specially catering to users of George D. Aiken Wilderness. It also does not include unpaid leaders of small parties such as youth groups or hiking clubs uhose members do not pay the sponsoring organization for leadership.

Assumot ions

1. There will continue to be little or no demand for guides or outfitters in connection with George 0. Aiken Wilderness. Potential exceptions are guides for fishing and backcountry cross country skiing.

2. Guided groups would detract from the wilderness experience of those seeking solitude.

Â¥-, Increased understanding of the silderness concept will help oiitfittws and guides understand the reasons for restricting use in George 0. Aiken Wilderness. Management Direction

1 Do not permit outfitter-guide use in George D. Aiken Wilderness.

2. Educate outfitters and guides on wilderness.

Management Activities

I. Issue no permits for outfitter-guide use in George D. Aiken Wilderness.

2. If outfitter-guides ask about George 13. Aiken Wilderness, encourage those whose proposed activities do not require a wilderness setting to choose non-wilderness areas of the Forest. Inform operators whose proposed activities do require a wilderness setting (for instance, a guide who wishes to show clients differences between the evolution of wilderness and non-wilderness land) of the opportunity to use Lye Brook Wilderness or other wildernesses uhere outfitter-guiding is permitted. INFORMATION AND EDUCATION

Ob iect ive

To eaucate and inform the public (inside the Forest Service and outside) to understand and respect wilderness and wilderness ethics.

Current Situation

George 0. Aiken Wilderness is about 10 miles east of Bennington (population 16,451) and about 10 miles west of Wilmington (population 1,968), both significant centers of tourist activity, Within a 25-mile radius are three major ski areas: Bromley, Stratton and Mount Snow. The recreational complex associated with these ski areas includes both winter and summer homes and many tourist attractions. Vermont Route 9 passes within a quarter mile of the northeastern boundary of the wilderness, and Forest Road 74 (F.R. 74, or Yaw Pond Brook Road) parallels the eastern boundary only 100 yards away. The wilderness also borders Woodford State Park.

These facts indicate that at least parts of the wilderness are easily accessible to large numbers of people. In addition, the wilderness has some publicity. F.R. 74, in particular, attracts visitors because of the sign at Route 9 announcing the wilderness. The wilderness also has been mentioned in the Bennington Banner's tourism promotional supplement, "In Vermont," as an interesting destination.

Despite reasonably convenient access to some of the wilderness boundaries and some publicity, there is little evidence of visitors in the wilderness. George D. Aihen Wilderness is relatively unknown, and few visitors to the flanchester Ranger District office inquire about it. Still, it probably has some visitors who do not know what a Congressionaily designated w~lderness is, and who come and go without realizing the special qualities of the place they have visited.

The Forest Service has published a brochure with information on George D. Aiken Wilderness, wilderness ethics and safety hints, which includes a map showing access points. This brochure is available at the Forest Service office.

Front line Forest Service employees (public information specialists) have good basic wildermess knowledge. With the brochure as a handout they can give a visitor or caller good information about wilderness. However, some employees have limited knouledge, and feel that they should be better informed.

There is some litter at the end of F.R. 74 indicating casual use for parties and target sh~~ti~g.

A snow'nobile trail parallels the wilderness boundary along Yaw Pond Brook, and a winter off-road-vehicle trail parallels the boundary along the East Branch of the Deerfield River. Snowmobilers travel into the wilderness often, sometimes because of lack of signing and ignorance of restrictions (and sometimes intentionally).

I Recreational pressure uill increase modestly as development increases in southern Uermont and as people become more familiar with the existence of wilderness areas in general. Wilderness education will become more important in order to preserve the integrity of George 0. Aiken Wilderness.

Manaaement Direction

I Increase Forest Service employees' understanding of wilderness

2. Integrate wilderness education into public Forest information sessions.

3. Continue to provide the George D. Aiken Wilderness brochure free of charge, because of its value in protecting wilderness resources.

4. Sign and maintain the wilderness boundary in areas uhere illegal entry is occurring, or is likely to occur, (See the Access and Trailheads Section of this Plan, Management Activity 2, for recommendations on a sign plan.

5. Cooperate with park rangers at Woodford State Park to educate park users about the wilderness and its si~nificanceand restrictions.

6. Educate ~ildernessusers and others about wilderness through signs at parking areas and other regular points of access.

Manaaement Activities

1. Incorporate wilderness education into internal meetings and annual orientations, particularly the annual orientation for seasonal employees and campground hosts .

2. Include a segment on wilderness education in each annual Chamber of Commerce meeting. Expand the audience to include local lodging proprietors when feasible. Incorporate information on minimum impact techniques. Provide "Leave No Trace" and "An Enduring Resource of Wilderness" brochures for distribution at Chamber offices.

3. Work with the White Mountain National Forest to develop a videotape displaying New England's wildernesses while providing wilderness education. Include closed caption for the hearing impaired. Develop a corresponding audio cassette version for sight-inpaired persons. Present to groups of persons with physical disaoilities interested in wilderness. At a minimum, incorporate wilderness information in a videotape describing the entire recreational opportunity spectrum. 4. Coordinate with the White Mountain National Forest to develop a wilderness education program for young people, stressing leave-no-trace techniques for recreational use. Present this to local schools, scout troops and other youth organizations.

5. Evaluate the effectiveness of the George D. Aiken Wilderness brochure before reprinting. Make changes if necessary. Reprint and distribute. Make available at Woodford State Park.

See the following sections of this Plan for recommendations for this brochure :

Water: Management Activity 3.

Pack and Saddle Animals; Management Activity 1,

Search and Rescue: Management Direction 53 Management Activity 2.

Cultural Resources; Management Activity 6.

Domestic Pets (Dogs): Management Activity 1.

Uehicle Intrusion: Management Activity 6.

6. Post signs- at parking- lots and on snowmobile a off-road vehi cle trails in the vicinity of the wilderness reminding users that they must stay on designated and marked trails, and that this policy applies throughout the Green Mountain National Forest. (See the Access and Trailheads Section of this Plan, Management Activity 2, for recommendations on a sign plan.

7. Work with Vermont Association of Snow Travelers (UAST), the local snowmobile club, and snowmobile clubs in southern New England that are active near the wilderness to educate snowmobilers about wilderness. (See also the Vehicle Intrusion section of this Plan, Management Activity 2.)

8. Use reports from wilderness users and wilderness rangers when available to identify areas where illegal access is occurring or is likely to occur, and have rangers try to reach operators of snowmobiles and other vehicles and explain wilderness restrictions to them. (See also the Uehicle Intrusion section of this Plan, Management Activity 2.)

9. Meet with park rangers at Woodford State Park to make sure they know the significance of the wilderness and the restrictions that apply to it. Discover the scheduling of their programs for signing and production of public information materials, in order to help insure that correct wilderness information is incorporated in signs, leaflets, the trail brochure, etc. Coordinate these activities through the Chief of the Conservation Education Section and the Region I1 Parks Regional Manager from the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.

10. Place bulletin boards at access points identified under Trailheads and Access (for example, the end of Forest Road 74, the parking pulloff at -7 Heartwellville and Woodford State Park) with wilderness information. (See the Access and Trailheads section of this Plan, Management Activity 4, for recommendations on bulletin boards).

1. When wilderness rangers are available, assign some time to George D, Aiken Wilderness to monitor conditions there and to create a Forest Service management presence.

2. Consider partnerships uith agencies sucn as the Student Conservation Association to monitor conditions and create a management presence.

3. Incorporate material explaining *.he nature and value of wilderness in public information displays at the Supervisor's Office and the flanchester District Office. The material should oe designed to inform people about wilderness without advocating or encouraging additional recreational use. (See also the Pack and Saddle Animals section of this Plan, Management Activity 1.

4, Arrange with the Uermont Institute of Natural Science to include wilderness education in the Institute's Environmental Learning for the Future program in public schools.

15. Install the commemorative bronze George D. Aiken Wilderness plaque, now in Bob Pramuk's custody in the Supervisor's Office, at an appropriate site in or near the wilderness. An offsite view point could be considered (see Trailheads and Access, Management Activity 5). RESOURCE MRNRGEHENT

Ob iect ive

To protect or enhance air quality in George 0. Aiken Wilderness.

Current Situation

George 0. Aiken Wilderness is a Class I1 air quality area, as is the remainder of the Green Mountain National Forest, except for Lye Brook Wilderness, which is a Class I area. The Class I1 designation means that moderate increases in new pollution may be permitted. This differs from Class I areas, where only small amounts of new pollution are permitted, providing National Ambient Air Quality Standards are complied with and air quality related values are not adversely affected.

Air quality related values are features or properties that are important for preserving wilderness character that could be adversely affected by air pollution. Examples of these values are scenic beauty, water, vegetation. wildlife and odor.

Pollutants of primary concern are ozone, sulfur and oxides of nitrogen. Sources of these pollutants are automobile emissions, burning of fossil fuels and waste incineration.

Protective actions being taken for Lye Brook Wilderness are:

Review of Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSO) permits for new pollution sources and modifications of existing sources within 100 kilometers of Lye Brook Wilderness to determine whether these will have an adverse effect on air quality related values.

* Working with the permitting agency (EPA or State of Vermont) and the applicant to ensure no adverse effects to air quality related values will occur in Lye Brook Wilderness.

Monitoring and evaluating air quality related values in Lye Brook Wilderness to determine effects of air pollution on the5e values.

Assumot ions

1. Adverse impacts on air quality related values are likely to increase, unless significant advances in air pollution control technology and legislation develop.

2. Continued study of the effects of air pollution on air quality related values is needed to assess how to best protect these values. t 3. Protective and monitoring activities in Lye Brook Wilderness will generally provide adequate protection for air quality related values in George 0. Aiken Wilderness. Possible exceptions are pollution from significant local point sources near Aiken Wilderness, and ozone transported from the south that might reach George 0. Aiken Wilderness but fail to reach Lye Brook Wilderness. (This assumption was reviewed by telephone with Jim Kellogg, Vermont State Aquatic Biologist, and Rich Poirot, Director of Air Pollution Control for the State of Vermont. Both considered i t reasonab 1e . )

Manaaenent Direct ion

I Be aware of existing or new sources of air pollution near George 0. Aiken Wilderness, and urge regulators to require state-of-the-art abatement techniques.

2. Test the assumption that protective and monitoring activities in Lye Brook Wilderness will generally provide adequate protection for air quality related values in George 0. Aiken Wilderness. Ifthe assumption is valid, concentrate available protective and monitoring resources on Lye Brook Wilderness.

3. Consult the Research section of this Plan for management direction on guidelines for research.

Manaaement Activities

1. Ask the Vermont Division of Air Pollution Control, the Environmental Protection Agency Region 1 and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to notify wilderness managers of any existing or new local sources of pollution likely to affect air quality related values in George D. Aiken Wilderness.

2. Place passive ozone monitors in George D. Aiken Wilderness to determine whether the results of ozone monitoring in Lye Brook Wilderness correspond with ozone levels in George 0. Aiken Wilderness. Use other economical testing methods to confirm correlation for other significant pollutants if recommended by available experts. -WATER

Ob iect ive

To protect water quality in George D. Aiken Wilderness in a manner consistent with wilderness values.

Current Situation

The West Branch of the Deerfield River drains most of the wilderness. It leaves from the southeast corner, then flows parallel to the southern border. The West Branch is classified as a significant stream, which means it must be further studied to determine whether it is eligible for designation as a Wild, Scenic or Recreational River in the National Rivers System.

Streams in the wilderness leave in different directions: a fair portion of the water goes into Yaw Pond Brook to the east; a small amount of water drains north into Adams Reservoir; and one stream eventually empties into the Rake Branch area to the northeast.

No actual sampling has been done in the wilderness. Based on samples taken just outside the wilderness by James Kellogg, Vermont State Aquatic Biologist, and Mark Cleveland, former Green Mountain National Forest hydrologist, the water in the wilderness is naturally acid, having a pH of around 5. The water is tea colored because it 1s very high in organic matter. The water is slightly buffered by these organic materials, but the streams are still highly sensitive, and they should be protected from additional acid loading. The organic material also helps to bind aluminum, which is toxic to many organisms.

Joel Shorter, a student in the Environmental Studies program at Southern Vermont College, examined bottom-dwelling invertebrates in several streams drsininc the yilderness in ?he fall of 1992 for a study project,. His specimens, taken just outside the wilderness, indicated good water quality. Shorter concluded water quality inside the wilderness also is probably good.

The streams are inhabited by brook trout and beavers. The beavers have made their mark, creating many ponds and wetlands.

I The potential for adverse effects on uater quality by air pollution and wilderness visitors will increase in the future.

2. Although there is little human use of the wilderness, waterborne diseases such as giardia may exist, Management Direct ion

1. Monitor water quality perioaicaily io identify needs for action

Mana~sment Activities

1 Identify the limits of acceptable change for important water quality parameters in the West Branch of the Deerfleld River at the wilderness boundary.

2. Periodically monitor water quality in the West Branch of the Deerfield River.

5. Continue to include information about potential waterborne diseases in the George 0. Aiken Wilderness brochure and on bulletin boards displaying wilderness information, (See the Access and Trailheads section of this Plan, Management Activity 4, for recommendations on bulletin boards). -SOILS

Ob iect ive

To preserve the soils in George D, Aiken Wilderness in as natural a condition as possible, including minimizing the effects of wilderness visitors on soils and correcting past adverse impacts.

Current Situation

Soils in the wilderness formed mainly from loamy, acid glacial till. The soils of the ecological land types that occur in the wilderness are Hogback, Rawsonville, Mundal, Houghtonville, Wilmington, Worden and organic 5011s. Moderately well-drained and well-drained soils dominate the wilderness, but poorly drained soils also occur frequently.

Soil thickness to bedrock is highly variable. Most soils are more than three feet deep, but small areas of very shallow soils (less than 10 to 20 inches) and bedrock outcrops also exist. All soils have a high concentration of organic matter in their upper portions, making them highly erodible.

There are many wetlands throughout the wilderness, especially in the western part. Host of these are classified by the state as Class I1 wetlands, so they are protected by state law. All wetlands are protected by the state or federal government.

I. Because there are no established trails or campsites, there is so little use of the wilderness by visitors that soil degradation through erosion and compaction is not a problem, with the possible exception of spiall areas zsxi ¥t leased car-ips.

Manaaement Direction

I Identify soil problem areas as they occur, and take measures to restore these sites.

2. Consult the appropriate state and federal agencies if trails or other developments are planned in or near wetlands. flanaaement Activities

I. Identify indicators of soil damage to be monitored, following the Limits of Acceptable Change concept. Incorporate these indicators into trail and campsite inventories, if trails or campsites are established. 2. Set Limits of Acceptable Change for soil erosion and compaction indicators. Follow with periodic monitoring to determine whether and where conditions are approaching the limits.

3. Evaluate the best way to resolve soil degradation problems, and implement restoration measures where needed. Restoration measures and methods must be compatible with wilderness values. For example, any seeding should only be done with native species. MINERALS

Ob iect ive

To ensure that mineral exploration, should it occur in George D. Aiken Wilderness, does not compromise wilderness values.

Current Situation

According to "Minerals Overview--Green Mountain National Forest," by Lynn Kanter, George 0. Aiken Wilderness lies in an area of potentially high mineral importance where natural gas and uranium may occur. The wilderness also has peat and possibly gravel deposits. There is an active gravel pit just ouside the wilderness.

The mineral rights of the wilderness are owned by the federal government. There are no mineral leases or mining patents in the wilderness.

As stated in the Forest Plan, wilderness land is unavailable for mineral lease. This complies with the Wilderness Act, which prohibits entry for mineral extraction. Mineral exploration that does not disturb the surface or compromise wilderness values in any way may be permissible. However, an Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement is required before any exploration.

Assumotions

1. The concentration required for an economically attractive mineral deposit is likely to diminish in the future.

2 A new important mineral deposit could be discovered.

Manaoement Direction

I Assure that any mineral exploration complies with Forest Plan standards and guidelines, and does not compromise wilderness values.

2. Evaluate any requests for mineral exoloration using the process required in the National Environmental Policy Act.

Manaaement Activities

1. Seek information about any violation of the Wilderness Act on mineral expioratian, development or extrcictioz (szc1"' 3s recresticna! panning or dredging for gold). VEGETATION

To allow the environment to return to its primeval character, and to assure that natural ecological processes operate freely. To provide protection for significant natural communities, to include both those that are rare and outstanding examples of common communities, and for sensitive, threatened and endangered plant species and communities, and for species of concern.

Current Situation

Comoos it ion Approximately 85 percent of the George D. Aiken Wilderness is a middle succession northern hardwoods community 70 to 110 years old. Species include sugar maple, yellow birch, American beech, black cherry and white ash, with an understory predominantly of striped maple, beech and hobblebush. Understory shrubs also include red elderberry.

In addition to northern hardwoods, wetter areas support red spruce, balsam fir and red maple in the overstory, with red spruce and balsam fir in the understory. There are also incidental amounts of paper birch, aspen and hemlock throughout the area.

Common ground flora include spinulose wood fern and hayscented fern, true NOSSeS, club mosses, sarsaparilla, wood sorrel, whorled aster, clintonia, trillium, Indian cucumber root,jack-in-the-pulpit and twisted stalk. Scattered sand and gravel deposits are indicated by wolf club moss. Wetter areas have highly diverse ground flora, while well-drained sites have relatively low species diversify.

Long-term ecological tendencies indicate that most of the wilderness mill tend toward a late succession community of sugar maple, American beech and red spruce, with minor amounts of hemlock. These species will gradually replace yellow birch, white ash, red maple and black cherry through natural succession. However, windthrow and occasional atoms will provide openings in which early and mid-successional species will be able to maintain a presence.

Seven percent of the area consists of dense balsam fir and red spruce stands. These sites tend to be very wet, often with a hardpan soil layer, and are typically adjacent to wetlands. Stand age is 70 to 100 years. Typical ground flora include sphagnum moss, true mosses, spinulose fern, bunchberry, sarsaparilla, Canadian mayflower and fly honeysuckle. Eventually the balsam fir will die out through natural succession, resulting in a pure red spruce climax. Some of these areas will likely be flooded through beaver activity, later resulting in an early successional stags of paper birch and quaking aspen. There i s also a significant wetland component, comprising the remaining 8 percent of the wilderness. Common plants include a variety of bur-reeds, sedges and rushes.

There are no known exotic species in the wilderness. There may be several apple trees near an old homestead along the southern boundary, but this has not been verified.

This information came from vegetation inventory records and from napping of ecological land types (a system of land classification by landform, soils and vegetative tendencies) known to occur in the wilderness. These include: 703a, 902b, 903a, 903d, 905b and 905d.

Historv The oldest trees in Aiken Wilderness date to around 1870, suggesting that the area was allowed to reforest in the late 1800s. Before the area came into Forest Service ownership, extensive logging occurred, beginning with a hardwood removal by the Hoosick Lumber Company in the late teens to early 1920s. This was followed by a softwood harvest by the Metal Edge Company in the late 1920s. Both operations removed only merchantable trees, and thus did not totally clear the land again. This explains the low incidence of pioneer species such as paper birch, which likely appeared in the late 1800s and has mostly died over the past 40 years (this species typically lives only 80 years).

A thinning on approximately 300 acres occurred in the 1960s in the northeast corner of the wilderness, in which the largest trees were removed. Two other planned timber sales were dropped in the 1970s because of the area's newly assigned RARE I1 (Roadless Area Review and Evaluation) status.

Although the early century logging had a marked effect on vegetative structure and composition, long-term natural succession does not appear to have been permanently altered.

Endanaered. Threatened and Rere Plants Although there are no confirmed reports of endangered, threatened or rare plants or significant communities in Aiken Wilderness, the Vermont Natural Heritage Program has identified four potentially significant sites. They include Camp Meadows wetland complex and an unnamed wetland east of Prospect Mountain Ski Area, which nay support rare aquatic plants or natural communities. Of special interest in the Camp Meadows area are several possible bogs. Records indicate the possibility of an old-growth spruce stand in the southern end of the wilderness. Also, in the northeast corner is an area of calcitic marble bedrock, with cliffs and ledges that may support rare plants. Although these four sites are the only ones identified with potential for special plants and communities, such habitat may exist elsewhere in the wilderness. I. Wilderness provides valuable control data on forest site productivity. This data will be u5eful to gauge effects of forest management practices on the long-term site productivity of other areas.

2. Paper birch and balsam fir will largely die out through natural succession, although periodic natural disturbances (beaver activity, etc.) uill perpetuate these species in small amounts. Yellow birch, white ash, red maple and black cherry will be gradually replaced by sugar mapie, American beech, red spruce and hemlock.

Nanaaenent Direction

I Allow natural succession to restore and perpetuate wilderness character.

2. Collect baseline data on vegetative communities and sensitive, threatened and endangered species.

3. Perform detailed surveys in potential haoitats of threatened, endangered and sensitive plant species to identify trends and needs.

4. Perform any vegetative manipulation in response to insect and disease outbreaks and fire occurrences in accordance with the Insect and Disease and Fire sections of this Plan. Allou disturbed areas to regenerate naturally, unless damage is severe enough to prohibit natural regeneration (i.e. severe fire damage). Do not utilize exotic species.

5. in the event that an updated inventory finds exotic species that uill not die out naturally, or missing native species, consider measures to restore the area to a more natural condition.

6. Consult the Research section of this Plan for management direction on guidelines for research.

Manaaement Activities

I. flap the wilderness according to vegetative types and ecological land types (a mapping method that cnaracterizes the land by landform, soils and vegetative tendencies). Collect inventory data for each stand, and map the location of exotic plant species. Reinventory every 10 to 15 years to tract- natural succession.

2. Install permanent vegetative plots to closely monitor natural succession in specific habitats.

3. Perform inventories of Camp Meadows, Beaver Meadows, and the remaining two sites identified as potential habitat for endangerea, threatenea or rare plant species. 4. Cooperate with the Vermont Natural Heritage Program to identify additional potential habitat for endangered, threatened or rare plant species, and conduct baseline inventories in these areas.

5. Monitor endangered, threatened or rare species habitat and populations on a 10-year basis to identify trends and needs.

6. Monitor succession in the area logged in the 1960s (the northeast corner) to track vegetative succession and assess the impact of logging.

7. Utilize pollen core samples (as mentioned in the Cultural Resources section of this Plan) to determine pre-European vegetative composition of the wilderness. List any missing species and exotic species and devise potential ecological restoration methods, if feasible (restoration of widely extirpated species like elm or chestnut probably would not be feasible ). Ob ieot ive

To identify, evaluate, protect, interpret and, as appropriate, enhance significant cultural resources in George 0. Aiken Wilderness.

Current Situation

Cultural resources are fragile and nonrenewable. They are windows on the past that help us understand the history of land use and human activity in an area. In George 0. Aiken Wilderness, we have an opportunity to create a sense of place for visitors~toprovide them with information that will help them understand the influences of human activities on the land, and the uses earlier visitors made of it.

There has been no systematic survey of cultural resources in the wilderness. Nothing is known of past activity inthe wilderness, which in historic times has always been remote from settlement. However, there is lots of history of activity and transportation around the edges of the wilderness.

Because there has been relatively light disturbance for logging and no European settlement of the interior of the wilderness, it presents an unusual opportunity for archaeological investigation and for other types of research. Other National Forest land that appears similar almost certainly has been disturbed more in the past, and will be disturbed more in the future, than the wilderness. In addition, the remarkable concentration of wetlands in the wilderness may have been especially attractive to prehistoric native Americans.

1. Public use of the wilderness uill increase, as a result of population growth, increased public awareness of wilderness, and a decrease in the number of undeveloped places elsewhere in the region. This may constitute an indirect, but tangible, impact en its cultural resource. However, George 0. Aiken Wilderness will be better protected than other wilderness areas from increased use because of its wetness, insects and lack of trails.

2. The educational and historic value of cultural resources in the wilderness will increase as cultural resources outside the area are lost to development.

3. The visitor experience in the wilderness would be enhanced by some of f-site interpretat ion of its cultural resources.

4. Some knowledge about the history of the wilderness is not recorded; rather, it 1s known by long-term residents and others with an interest in the area. This oral history may well be lost if we do not document it through interviews over the next few years.

5. Historic photographs documenting the area may deteriorate or disappear i.f they are not located, reproduced and preserved.

Nanaaement Direction

1. Gather, assemble and preserve historical information and copies of photos describing the history of George 0. Aiken Wilderness.

2. Inventory and evaluate cultural resources in the wilderness.

3. If appropriate, protect sites identified in the cultural resources inventory and evaluation.

4. Provide interpretation off-site only; signs and other on-site interpretation are not appropriate.

Manaaement Activities

I. Sponsor an oral history project to collect information from informed local residents and other interested persons. This is an oportunity to involve volunteers, and could be done in conjunction with the inventory, Coordination uith the Uermont Folklife Center (or with similar organizations nearby in New York or Massachusetts) on interviewing metnods and curation of the resulting tapes or transcripts would be appropriate. This should be a high priority, because the generation of people with first-hand knowledge of the history of the wilderness is passing.

2. Locate, copy, centralize and preserve historic photographs in the collections of individuals and institutions. Possibly investigate a partnership arrangement outside the Forest for storing or archiving the col1ect:on.

3. Conduct a cultural resource inventory and evaluation survey of the wilderness, including the two camps there (see also the Private Structures section of this Plan, Management Activity 2). The survey should be conducted, or at least supervised, by qualified Forest Service employees, but it could include volunteers as well. Tasks would include identification of potential prehistoric sites and possibly small test pits (to be refilled at the close of the survey) to confirm the sites. (Consult the Research section of this Plan for management direction on guidelines for research. )

4. Itemize and schedule projects that would address site needs, if any An e.

5. Conduct pollen core testing of wetlands with hand-operated coring equipment to provide information on the climate and subsistence base of prehistoric people occupying the area. (Consult the Research section of this Plan for management direction on guidelines for research.) 6. Include brief summar:es of cultural resource information on maps. brochures or other interpretive materials prepared for ihe pu~lic. WILDLIFE

To strive for indigenous wildlife composition, distribution and interactions characteristic of a primeval wilderness where natural ecological processes prevail. To favor protection and restoration of threatened and endangered species, particularly those requiring the solitude or habitat of wilderness.

Current Situation

George D. Aiken Wilderness provides more than 5,000 contiguous acres of habitat for a wide variety of wildlife associated with mid- to late- successional softwood and mixed softwood-hardwood forests, ponds and wetlands. In some cases, current habitat composition results from past logging. In other areas, the habitat is the result of succession from agriculture through grass and forb conditions to shrub stages, and then to today's forest.

Perhaps the number-one agent in successional patterns of wetland and riparian areas in the wilderness is the beaver. As beaver change the locations of dams and pools, so change the vegetation conditions. Beaver tend to move up and down a drainage, flooding flat areas well-supplied with food (primarily willows, aspen and alder). Once the food is consumed-- which may take decades~thebeaver move on. Once an area is abandoned, the vegetation will succeed from grassy marsh, through shrubby swamp, to early successional forest--and then beaver may return.

Ed Meinzer, a student at Southern Uermont College in Eennington, studied the evolution of beaver ponds and uetlands in George D. Aiken Wilderness in 992, using a series of aerial photographs made from 1942 to 1991. He found 81 acres of active beaver ponds in 1991, compared with only 1 acre in 1942. Open wetlands totaled 89 acres in 1991, compared to 4A acres in 1942. Overall, ponds and wetlands increased by 278 percent in five decades.

The wilderness now has some large concentrations of softwood communities and many wetlands--beaver flowages, shrub swamps and streams. Combining these ecological conditions with the area's remoteness creates some of the finest habitat for wildlife seeking mature softwood or mixed forests, abundant wetlands and security from people and their activities. Species preferring these conditions include beaver, river otter, moose, fisher, black bear, ruby-crowned kinglet, wood duck, olive-sised flycatcher, common yellowthroat, belted kingfisher, snapping turtle, red-spotted newt and pickerel frog.

While the wilderness provides excellent habitat for these and other species, the free play of natural forces will not assure habitat in George 0. Aiken Wilderness for all of the wildlife species normally found in southern Vermont. Species dependent on human-disturbed areas are unlikely to be present in significant numbers. For the most part, natural ecological succession will continue to favor wildlife communities already characteristic of the area. Wildlife species associated with large, mature softwoods will benefit. Wildlife communities and habitat carrying capacity probably will stabilize over time as natural vegetation communities and processes themselves stabilize. This presents a unique opportunity to study wildlife response to long term successional change. In addition to the scientific value of the wilderness, it also provides recreational opportunities for wildlife viewing, hunting and trapping.

Hunt ina and Traooinq Hunting and trapping can affect wildlife, but appear to be having no significant effect on natural processes in the wilderness. Records kept by the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife indicate that white-tailed deer populations are increasing in the town of Woodford (no information specific to George D. Aiken Wilderness is available). Annual deer harvest reports have shown a 50 percent increase in the last five years.

Beaver populations are felt to be increasing across Vermont, and river otter populations are believed to be stable and perhaps increasing, according to Kimberly Royar, a bialogist with the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife.

Beaver harvest totals from all of Woodford have been relatively constant over the past 10 years, averaging 20 beaver per year. For the size of the town, this is insignificant. The harvest intensity in the wilderness almost certainly is even less, because of its inaccessibility. The beaver population in the wilderness has probably already reached the carrying capacity of the habitat.

River otter taking has increased slightly over the past 10 years, averaging 0.58 otter from Woodford per year. Otter are usually unintentionally taken during beaver trapping as a non-target species. -Moose The Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife recently developed a moose management plan for Vermont for IS92 through 1996. The plan reviews the recent history of noose in Vermont, their estimated population, and projections of population resulting from public meetings and habitat conditions.

Moose have been expanding their range and increasing in numbers since the early 1900s. This trend is a result of natural reforestation and resultant timber harvesting which followed farm abandonment. Reinforcing the trend was the re-introduction of beaver to Vermont in 1932, which created critical wetland habitat. The current population estimate is that at least 1,000 moose now live in Vermont, and this population is growing about 15 percent annually. The goals of the Uermont Fish & Wildlife Department for Wildlife Management ^ Unit P, which includes George D. Aiken Wilderness, are:

(a) Controlled herd growth; (b) Monitoring of population and carrying capacity; (c) Maximization of recreational benefits of the moose population; and

The moose population in the wilderness will probably grow, given the state's desire to increase the herd. Because the wilderness has relatively abundant wetlands and associated riparian habitat, it has the potential for a strong population.

However, prime moose habitat includes approximately 40 to 50 percent upland feeding grounds, which are regenerating forests typical of those in Essex County. This level of regenerating forest will probably not be found in the wilderness, because it will not be logged. Even if a high proportion of regenerating forest occurred as the result of a natural disturbance, it would probably be short lived. Therefore, moose concentrations in the wilderness probably will never equal the highest densities occurring elsewhere in Uermont.

Threatened and Fndanaered Soecieg. The Green Mountain National Forest is working with the Uermont Department of Fish & Wildlife to protect habitats in George D. Aiken Wilderness for species listed as threatened or endangered. Management direction for these species is provided by the Wildlife Habitat Management Plan for the forest.

The status of listed or potentially listed species changes from time to time. For example, threats to northern goshawks in the Southwest may lead to listing of the species throughout the U.S. Similarly, the occurrence of species changes with time as habitat changes. For instance, northern black-backed woodpeckers, now rare in Uermont, may move in as habitat changes. The key to effective protection of listed species is continuous monitoring of changes in status and occurrence, and prompt action.

A current inventory of existing and potential threatened and endangered species habitat in the Green Mountain National Forest is nearly finished, and should be completed by the end of 1995. No known occupied habitat exists in the wilderness far the four federally listed species of National Forest concern: peregrine falcon, bald eagle, Indiana bat, and eastern cougar.

While habitats for some listed species are limited or absent in the wilderness, they need not be provided there. They can be created elsewhere in the forest, or there is no listed species occurring in or near the wilderness that could take advantage of them. Ext imated S~ecies The Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife feels the following species can be presumed extirpated in Vermont:

Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) Grey wolf (Canis lupus) Wolverine (Gulo luscus) Elk (Cervus canadensis) Woodland caribou (Rangiver tarandus caribou)

Woodland caribou and grey wolf are listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Char, uolverine and ell- have no federal status.

The federal recovery plan for the eastern timber wolf, a subspecies of the grey wolf, was revised in 1992. This plan identifies areas with potential for stocking and reintroduction, but none occur in Vermont (the closest is the Adirondack Mountains of New York).

In 1978 the Green Mountain National Forest and the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife cooperatively developed a Wildlife Habitat Management Plan for the Forest that developed goals for species that occur or could occur there. Goals for the seven species considered by the plan were:

Peregrine falcon ...... Re-introduce and protect Bald eagle ...... Survey, protect and acquire habitat

~ Osprey ...... Survey, protect and acquire habitat Indiana bat ...... No program Eastern cougar ...... No program Canada lynx ...... No program Pine marten ...... Survey habitat. re-introduce and protect

As mentioned earlier, none of these species are known to occur in George D. Aiken Wilderness, and the plan does not call for re-establishing them there. Some of them (grey wolf, wclverine, lynx, cougar) require home ranges many tines larger than the uilderness. They benefit when separated from human presence and activities, but the current primitive management of the wilderness and much of the cres around it 5hould maintain an area of adequate remoteness for them, and some nay re-populate the area with no human help. There appears to be nc need to further restrict human use of the wilderness.

Bioloaical Diversity The George D. Aiken Wilderness plays an important role in central southern Vermont, ecologically speaking. Its significance cannot be fully appreciated without looking beyond the wilderness boundary.

Inside the boundary there is a reiatively limited degree of habitat diversity. As vegetation ages and is replaced, the degree of haoitat diversity will increase. To predict Future species composition is highly speculative, but evidence exists that older, little-managed or -manipulated areas support higher levels of species diversity than those more intensively managed. The greatest regional diversity, of course. 1s provided by a combination of managed and large nature unmanaged creas. Put in the context of southern Uermont, the wilderness could become one of ^ a very limited number of old-growth areas. Again, the significance of a 5,000-acre old-growth area in southern Uermont is highly speculative, and depends on the land uses and other conditions surrounding the wilderness. Still, it is reasonable to predict that species requiring mature forest would find the wilderness attractive. Whether they actually use it uill depend on how well the area is linked to other utilized habitats. The wilderness is now relatively accessible to species like black bear and fisher. If current levels of connectiveness can be maintained, then the biological diversity of all of southern Uermont uill be improved.

1. Natural vegetative succession will be the primary force shaping wildlife community composition, distribution and abundance in the wilderness. Wildlife species composition will not change significantly from the current situation.

2 Wilderness will increase in importance for providing baseline data and as a control for monitoring populations and determining wildlife response to habitat and vegetation management outside the wilderness.

5. Wilderness will gain in importance in the decades ahead as a sanctuary and habitat for threatened and endangered species, and for other species as we1 1.

4. Reintroduction of large predators to George 0. Aiken Wilderness will remain highly controversial. Special requirements of reintroduced species may affect and limit management options for other resources.

5. Hunting and trapping uill continue as compatible consumptive uses in the wilderness. Hunting and trapping will have no significant impacts on uildlife species and populations.

6. Wildlife viewing will continue to be an important part of many visitors' wilderness experience.

7. A general hands-off approach to habitat management will have no significant negative impacts on threatened, endangered or rare species.

8. Without a significant climatic or other environmental change, the amount of wetlands and riparian area will remain at today's levels. Ponds will be created and drained, and vegetation in any particular spot will vary with soil moisture, but overall wetland conditions uill change very little.

Manaaer"e>t Direction

1. Encourage research on the effects of natural processes on wildlife communities. Such research will also develop baseline data to monitor wildlife impacts resulting from vegetation management occurring on adjacent, non-wilderness lands. 2. Continue to identify and protect occupied and potential habitat for federally and state-listed endangered, threatened, rare and sensitive uildlife species.

3. Consult the Research section of this Plan for management direction on guidelines for research.

4. Manage human use to avoid adverse impacts on wildlife, its behavior patterns or habitat. Permit recreational pursuits such as hiking, camping, viewing, hunting and fishing when biologically sound, legal and carried out in the spirit of a wilderness experience. Through visitor education, discourage visitor actions that alter the natural behavior of wildlife.

5. Cooperate with the Uermont Deaartment of Fish & Wildlife in wildlife and wilderness law enforcement.

6. Native species eliminated by the influence of people may be reestablished provided reintroduction is consistent with the wilderness character and natural processes. Give priority to federally and state- listed species. Permit transplants (removal, reintroduction, or supplemental introduction) of terrestrial wildlife species if necessary to: (a) perpetuate or recover a threatened or endangered species; or (b) restore populations of indigenous species eliminated or reduced by human influence. Do not introduce exotic species of wildlife and fish into the wilderness.

7. Work with other managers in the Forest to change wildlife programs outside George D. Aiken Wilderness if adverse impacts occur in the wilderness wildlife community.

Manaaement Activities

1, Establish baseline data on wildlife and fish populations and their habitats by forming research partnerships with the University of Vermont, the University of Massachusetts and the Research Branch of the U.S. Forest Service, and others.

2. Identify sensitive wildlife habitats where human presence should be avoided, and other areas where human presence would be harmless and visitors could enrich their understanding of wilderness wildlife by observation. This information is essential for recreational planning.

3. Attend meetings of local game wardens and other state fish and wildlife officers to strengthen ties, increase their understanding of wilderness management, and gain assistance in wildlife enforcement in the uilderness.

4. Determine the importance of George D. Aiken Wilderness to state and federally listed species, including the location of occupied or suitable habitat and specific recommendations. 5. Cooperate with the Uermont Institute of Natural Science to monitor area-sensitive forest interior songbirds.

6. Support future reintroduction efforts of extirpated native fish and wildlife species provided that environmental analysis shows reintroduction is compatible with overall wilderness objectives.

7. Address potential impacts of all proposed projects on wilderness wildlife and habitat through the environmental analysis process. FISHERIES

To restore and maintain productive fisheries habitat and self-sustaining native fish populations, where feasible, based on natural processes.

Current Situation

There are four perennial streams of which a portion or the entire stream lies within the George D. Aiken Wilderness: Camp Meadows, Yaw Pond, and Rake Branch Brooks, and the West Branch of the Deerfield River. There is also an unnamed tributary that feeds Yaw Pond Brook and another that joins the West Branch of the Deerfield River. These streams support populations of wild brook trout, blacknose dace, creek chubs, longnose dace, and small numbers of brown bullheads and brown trout. The wilderness also contains a few intermittent tributaries that likely contain the same fish species.

Camp Meadows and Beaver Meadows are two large meadow complexes in the wilderness. There are also numerous small meadow complexes as well as small unnamed ponds at the headwaters of perennial streams. The meadow complexes and small ponds, including ephemeral beaver ponds, contain wild brook trout populations and other fish species mentioned above.

Discussions with Ken Cox, a biologist from the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, indicate brook trout fry have been stocked in many streams throughout the wilderness, although the frequency and amount of stocking apparently has been much less than elsewhere in the state. Trout fry have been distributed under the ice in late winter, and grow to catchable sire wlthin a couple years.

According to Cox, records at the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife reveal the following history of stocking since 1970:

1979 5,000 brook trout fry in Yaw Pond Brook

980 4,000 brook trout fry in Camp Meadow Brook

989 15,000 brook trout fry in Stamford Stream

1990 500 yearling brook trout in Stamford Stream

991 500 yearling brook trout in Stamford Stream

In addition, the West Branch of the Deerfield River has been stocked since 1970, at varying levels. In recent years the stocking rate has been 500 yearling brook t-out each year. Stocking has taken place uostream as far as the Readsboro-goodford town line, just outside of the wilderness. Cox said fish do move from their stocking point, ana some of those put into the Uest Branch of the Deerfield prooably have gone upstream into the wilderness. A fisheries crew f~omthe Manchester Ranger District gathered baseline data in Yaw Pond Brook on the eastern boundary of the wilderness in September, 1993. The crew found a good self-sustaining population of brook trout (approximately 2,050 per mile), though most were very small, averaging two to three inches. Larger trout may have been fished out, may have experienced high mortality due to nabitat limitations and/or severe environmental conditions such as law stream flow and icing, or may have moved to beaver ponds upstream of the study area. Alternatively, the population may be stunted by poor stream productivity. Scale analysis should determine whether the population is stunted. The crew found no hatchery fish.

Rake Branch in the northern part of the wilderness also was surveyed and was found to have a self-sustaining brook trout population (approximately 600 per mile), but at a substantially lower density than in Yaw Pond Brook. The crew found no hatchery fish in either stream.

Conductivity measurements made at the same tine in both brooks showed a value of 20 micro Siemens per centimeter (uS/cm), indicating both brooks are fairly susceptible to acidification.

The bedrock geology of the area suggests little to no buffering capacity, and that episodic rain events or a spring pulse of acid meltwater would likely contribute to additional acidification.

Management of the fish population is legally vested with the Uermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, while habitat management is the responsibility of the Green Mountain National Forest.

Improvement of fish habitat is permissible in the wilderness only to restore natural conditions or to preserve an endangered species, and then it must be done uith hand tools.

Assumot ions

1 George D. Aiken Wilderness provides a wide variety of fish, riparian and wetland habitats. As natural processes occur, the ecological relationship will grow and strengthen; healthy, productive fish habitat, riparian areas and wetlands are important components of this process.

2. The importance of wilderness as a control or baseline for evaluating fisheries management will continue to increase. Stocking has apparently had much less influence on the fishery in George D. Aiken Wilderness than elsewhere in Vermont, so the wilderness is especially valuable as a potential control area.

5. Fishing 1s an established use, both consumptive and non-consumptive, and uill ~OR~IDLISto be a" important part of uilderne55 experience for some users.

4. Observing fish and other aquatic organisms is often an integral part of the wilderness exoerience. 5. There will be increased pressure to intensify fisheries management resulting from concerns currently growing in Uermont and the rest of New England. Management of fishery resources in and around wildernesses nay be affected (for example, special regulations or lower daily bag limits).

Manaaement Direction

I Work towards a goal of self-sustaining native fish populations in a naturally functioning ecosystem in George 0. Aiken Wilderness without artificial stocking, unless necessary to restore natural conditions or an extirpated species.

2. Provide information and recommendations to the Uermont Department of Fish and Wildlife pertinent to population and harvest sizes for fish species in the wilderness, to achieve the goal of a fishery based on self- sustaining populations. Base recommendations on the need for protection and maintenance of the wilderness resource (including fish species, their food sources, their predators and their respective habitats) in a productive untrammeled condition. Use the least intrusive feasible method to obtain data on the wilderness fishery.

3. Consult the Research section of this Plan for management direction on guidelines for research.

4. Cooperate with the Uermont Department of Fish and Wildlife in the enforcement of fish and game laws in the region.

Nanaaement Activities

I. Work with the State of Uermont to end stocking.

2. Continue data collection for baseline and control information on fish populations and habitat. Fish shocking may be used to collect data as long as no less intrusive method of obtaining equivalent information is available.

3. Determine whether self-sustaining fisheries are feasible in George D. Aiken Wilderness. If so, develop a plan with the State of Uermont to maintain the fishery, including if necessary, modification of state laws and regulations in the wilderness.

4. Determine whether fish habitats are essentially in a natural condition, and if not, consider restoration measures (for instance, pool construction with hand tools ). Ob iective

To suppress fires in a manner which minimizes the impact on wilderness.

Current Situation

Due to the wilderness' remoteness, human-caused fires have not been a concern since the logging days of the early 1900s.

Detection of fires is inconsistent because of remoteness and the intermittent scheduling of state patrol flights. Supression agreements with volunteer fire departments provide first response to wildfire starts. Forest Service crews augment efforts in more remote areas,.as necessary.

The current Forest policy is to suppress all fires as quickly and economically as possible.

1. Natural fire has occurred at an interval greater than 200 years, ma kin^ its role a minor event over time. Although the extent and frequency are not certain, native Americans are known to have used fire for vegetation management.

2. As wilderness visition increases, the need for fire preven ion work uill increase. Fire risk and hazard will remain relatively low because of vegetation type, elevation, temperature and precipitation.

5. The remoteness of the wilderness may neutralize the effect veness of volunteer fire departments.

Mananement Direction

I. Employ supression strategies that least alter the landscape or disturb the land surface. Emphasize natural barriers and light-hand-on-the-land techniques.

2. Use portable pumps and chain saws only if needed, and subject to approval by the Forest Supervisor.

5. Get Fore5t Supervisor approval for dozers and other motorized equipment, such as wheeled and tracked vehicles. These may be considered in response to a fire when fire danger is worse than normal, or in extenuating circumstances such as close proximity to private lands or property. In general, use dozers and other motorized equipment only when absolutely necessary.

4. Fell snags only when they pose an immediate danger to crew safety or control lines. 5. Naturalize stumps and cut ends as part of rehabilitation (cut stumps as low to the ground as possible, cover with dirt or MOSS, etc.).

6. Obliterate evidence of motorized use as a cost to the fire.

7. Educate volunteer fire de~artmenison wilderness fire policy.

Manaaement 4ctivities

I. Hold meetings to educate volunteer fire departments in the towns of Bennington, Uooaford and Searsburg on wilderness fire policy, including the justification for it.

2. Through research, determine the role fire played in pre-European times. (Consult the Research section of this Plan for management direction on guidelines for research.) Re-establish this influence if appropriate and beneficial to perpetuate natural processes.

3. Review the Forest Fire Management Action Plan with respect to wilderness mana~ementpolicy. Specifically consider expanding allowable suppression strategies in wilderness to include confinement in addition to control. Update the plan if necessary. INSECTS AND DISEASES

Ob iect ive

To allow insects and plant diseases to play a natural role in the wilderness ecosystem, except uhere they would adversely affect resources adjacent to the wilderness.

Current Situation

Native insects and diseases have played an important part of succession. Outbreaks are generally small and short-lived. Most native pest populations are controlled by natural enemies or healthy trees, keeping the pest insignificant most of the time. Non-native insects and diseases can impair natural succession, because there are feu natural controls. Some non-native pests that may affect George D. Aiken Wilderness are the balsam wooly aphid, hemlock adelgid, pear thrips and beech scale.

National Forest lands are observed periodically for insect and disease outbreaks. Forest Pest Managment (Durham, NH) conducts aerial detection flights each summer. When outbreaks occur, a biological evaluation is conducted that predicts damage and outlines possible control measures.

Assumo t ions

1. Introduced pests often pose a greater hazard than native pests because natural controls are lacking.

2. Wilderness provides a living laboratory to observe interactions between pests and hosts. It can also be used to evaluate the cost of control projects outside the wilderness.

Manaaement Direction

1. Control of insect and disease epidemics that threaten adjacent lands and resources or wilderness qualities may be appropriate in wilderness.

2. Use only those methods that have the least adverse impact on wilderness qualities. Evaluate the full range of non-chemical alternatives before using chemicals, and use them only as a last resort. Consider release of parasites and predators and use of biological pesticides as control methods.

Manaaement Activities

1. Perform an Environmental Analysis (which includes extensive public comment) before implementing actions to control outbreaks of insects and disease. Carefully weigh the effects of the outbreak on wilderness -?A -?A qualities and on resources outside the wilderness against the effects of any proposed action. flQllINISTRRTION

VEHICLE INTRUSION

Ob iect ive

To prevent vehicle use in George 0. Aiken Wilderness to preserve opportunties for solitude and to avoid damage to the land.

Current Situation

Vehicles are prohibited by Congress in wilderness areas, according to the Uilderness Act of 1964.

Vehicle intrusion is not a major problem in George D. Aiken Wilderness, except in winter, when there is use by snowmobilers. One reported intrusion apart from snowmobiles is a spot on the-southern boundary where four-wheel-drive vehicles have penetrated a short distance into the wilderness, apparently in connection with a campsite (see also the Camping section of this Plan). Wilderness rangers also have found all-terrain vehicle tracks on several routes 1eading.from the western boundary to the camp leased by Gordon Lyons. (These tracks may not have been made by Mr. Lyons or his guests.) Mountain bike users have not been attracted to the wilderness, because it has no trails.

Some snowmobile use arises in connection with camp rights. Owners of camp rights have not been restricted to a single access route, and they or their guests use more than one route. There have also been reports of trail cutting for snowmobile use in connection with one camp. In addition, there is a short segment of a snowmobile trail that crosses the northwestern corner of the wilderness. Snowmobilers also use the Dewey Road, and some enter the wilderness from Woodford State Park, although there is no longer a designated snowmobile trail in the park. Snowmobiles may also enter the wilderness along drainages and other open travelways from the Stage Road trail on the south and from other snowmobile trails surrounding the wilderness.

In addition, there have been some complaints of trappers using snowmobiles to run trap lines in the wilderness. Clayton Grove, a Green Mountain National Forest wildlife biologist, has discussed this situation with a knowledgeable trapper and with Kimberly Royar, a wildlife biologist with the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife. The trapper said he knew all of the trappers using the part of Woodford including the wilderness, and to his knowledge none of the limited number were knowingly violating the rule against vehicle use in the wilderness. Royar and Grove believe that if there is any use of snowmobiles in the wilderness by trappers, it can easily be stopped through the Vermont Trapper Association, which is quite sensitive to the need to comply with regulations in order to preserve its soort . Illegal use of vehicles is a forest-wide problem. Contacts with drivers in + closed area5 suggest that many of them believe they nay go anywhere they are not barrea from traveling. In fact the reverse is true--throughout the Forest all types of vehicles are banned unless expressly permitted, by existence of either a public highway or trails designated and marked for use by particular kinds of vehicles.

This misunderstanding nay be reinforced by signs closing certain travelways against particular kinds of vehicle use, without an explanation that the designation of vehicle trails is actually an exception to a general ban. An explanation of this policy is posted at some trailheads and gates, but appears not to have had much effect.

Although there have been reports of access to other remote areas from aircraft via parachute or parapente, or from nearby high points by hang gliders, there have been no reports of this in Geo ge D. Aiken Wilderness.

1. The lack of trails and wet ground in George D Aiken Wilderness will continue to discourage significant use of vehicles in spring, summer and fall, though there may be isolated violations.

2. Use of multiple routes by owners or guests to reach camps will continue unless it is actively curtailed or the camp leases expire, the camps are moved and the access routes are effectively closed.

3. Illegal use of vehicles occurs largely because vehicle users m15takenly believe they may go anywhere they are not barred from traveling. It will continue, both in wilderness and elsewhere, until this misinpression is corrected.

4. Attempted access to George D. Aiken Wilderness via aircraft is unlikely.

Mana~ementDirection

I. Enforce the ban on vehicles in the wilderness as well as limited resources allow.

2. Teach people both in and out of the Forest Service that vehicle use in the Forest is prohibited except where allowed. Work to re-orient signing practices to avoid giving the impression that there are onlyicertain places where vehicle use is prohibited.

3. Do not permit access to the wilderness via motorized or non-motorized aircraft . Manaaenent Activities

1 Working with owners of expiring private camp rights, identify and designate the route to eacn camp :hat has the least impact on wilderness qualities. Monitor access routes to ensure that the designated route is the only one used to remove personal property. Close the routes after the property is removed. (See also the Private Structures section of this Plan, Management Action 4. )

2. Work with the Vernont Association of Snow Travelers and snowmobile clubs in southern New England that are active near the wilderness to ensure their memebership understands that vehicles are permitted only on designated and marked trails throughout the Forest.

For further comments or recommendations concerning snowmobile use in or near the wilderness, see the followng sections of this Plan:

Information and Education: Current Situation: Management Activity 6, 7, 8.

Mangement of Surrounding Lands: Current Situation; Assumption 5; Management Activity 9, 10, 11, 12.

Trails: Assumption 3; Management Activity 5.

Search and Rescue: Current Situation: Management Activity 3.

3. Work with the Vernont Trapper Association 50 its membership understands trapping is permitted in the wilderness, but vehicle use is not. Learn what kind or" maps or other infornation trappers need to knou where the wilderness is, and get the information to them.

4. Re-route the snowmobile trail crossing the northwestern corner of the wilderness to run outside the wilderness, if possible. IF not, close the trail.

5. Place signs at known entry points and at other peripheral locations uhere sign5 are installed explaining the ban on vehicle use in the wilderness, including the fact that vehicles are permitted only on designated and marked trails in any part of the Forest. (See the Access and Trailheads section, Management Activity 2, of this Plan for recommendations on a sign plan.)

6. In publications describing or mentioning the wilderness, explain the ban on vehicle use in the wilderness, including the fact that venicles are permitted only on designated and marked trails in any part of the Forest. (See also the Information and Education section of this Plan, Management Activity 5. )

7. Ask uilderness rangers and volunteers to report instances or evidence of vehicle intrusion into the wild~rness.

3. Take stronger enr"cr:ement measures if an improved information program does not curtail venic'e 'ntrusicn. Cuorriina~e41th local low enforcemenx. SEARCH AND RESCUE

To conduct search and rescue operations in a manner that protects life and limb uhile respecting wilderness values.

Current Situation

The Vermont Department of Public Safety has statutory responsibility for search and rescue in Vermont. Existing agreements provide that rescue squads, fire departments, ski patrols, and the Forest Service should not delay in responding to an incident.

Wilderness visitors and local emergency services have a poor understanding of wilderness policy relating to search and rescue. However, motorized equipment is apparently seldom used in George D. Aiken Wilderness for search and rescue without Forest Service knowledge.

Experience in other places, particularly the White Mountain National Forest, indicates that accidents involving off-road vehicles, including snowmobiles, are a common cause of injuries requiring rescue. This suggests that vehicle trespass in George D. fliken Wilderness increases the probability of unauthorized motorized rescue operations. 7

Assumotions

1. Occasional rescue needs will continue to arise in George D. Aiken Wilderness.

2 Unnecessary motorized infractions may occur in the wilderness unless local rescue squads are educated on restrictions on motorized use.

3. Compliance with restrictions on motorized recreation in the wilderness would reduce the need for rescues.

Manaaement Direction

I. Plan recovery operations to take into account wilderness values, state law, safety and comfort to injured people, and respect for the deceased.

2. Limit the use of motorized equipment, including aircraft, to rescue situations involving inescapable ugency and temporary need for speed beyond that available by primitive means. Determine which situations are serious enough to justify ~ctcr-;zedeq~-tp~ent in psscue operations, and define the necessary coordination between the Forest Service and local rescue squads, jointly with the squads. ^ 5. Educate local search and rescue departments on restrictions on the use of motor~zedeauipment in wilderness. 4. Defer to the incident commanaer on the scene for the final decision on motorized access in the event of a rescue.

5. Provide visitors with a clear picture of the risks and hazards of a trip into the wilderness.

Manaaement Activities

1 Host regular workshops with state police and representatives from Bennington, Whitingham, and Wilmington Search and Rescue departments, and from Prospect Mountain Ski Area, to provide information about wilderness values and restrictions, and how they relate to search and rescue operations. Jointly determine which situations may be deemed serious enough to allow motorized vehicle use for rescue operations in George D. Aiken Wilderness. Consider purchasing equipment suitable for non-motorized rescue and assigning it to rescue squads so they can function without vehicles .

2. Use the following means to increase user awareness of the self- sufficiency expected on wilderness trips, and of restrictions on motorized rescue attempts:

The George D. Aiken Wilderness brochure!

Signs at places where people park to approach the wilderness;

Materials distributed at Woodford State Park;

Informational materials and employees at Prospect Mountain Ski Area;

Advice from information specialists at district headquarters and from wilderness rangers.

3. Work with Uermont State Police and the Uermont Association of Snow Travelers to inform off-road vehicle users that vehicles are restricted to designated and marked trails, with emphasis on the ban on motorized use in the wilderness. (See also the Vehicle Intrusion section of this Plan, Management Activity 2.) PRIVATE STRUCTURES

Ob iect ive

TO protect and perpetuate the wilderness character and public benefits by minimizing the impact of private structures and associated motorized access.

Current Situation

The U.S. Forest Service purchased 'J.S. Tract 426e from the t4.J. Dewey and Sons, Inc., Corporation on October 16, 1973. A.J. Dewey and Sons, Inc., reserved for itself, its successors and assigns "for a period of 20 years from the date of this instrument, the right to use and occupy two hunting camps comprising 1/10 acre each and located on tract 42Ge, in the Beaver Meadows area of Woodford Township, Bennington County, Vermont, subject to the Rules and Regulations of the Secretary of Agriculture dated December 30, 1970". These rights to these camps, now located in George D. Aiken Wilderness, are now owned by Mr. Richard Myers of Clarksburg, Massachusetts, and Mr. Gordon Lyons of Bennington, Vermont.

The Forest Service is guided and constrained in its treatment of these camp rights and the associated structures by the following policies:

1. "Cease use and activities and remove existing structures not essential to the administration, protection, or management of wilderness for wilderness purposes or not provided for in the establishing legislation." (Forest Service Manual 2320.3 - Policy, Item $4)

2. The Forest Supervisor is responsible for udeternining if it is in the public interest to continue use of installations or structures that existed under valid special-use permits or easements when the wilderness was designated." (Forest Service Manual 2423-04c. Region 3 supplement NO. 2300-91 -2 dated 4/29/91

3. "Provide facilities and improvements only for protection of the Wilderness Resources. Document and justify conditions for providing facilities and improvements in the Forest Plan." (Forest Service Manual 2325.13)

4, Limit structures and improvements for administrative purposes or under special-use permit to those actually needed for management, protection and use of the wilderness for the purposes for which the wilderness was established. (Forest Service Manual 2324.31)

5. Document the need for administrative and existing special-use permitted ifiprovemsnts in forest plans. Dst/siop rsmc'/al schedules for' those improvements considered necessary. Provide a historical evaluation when needed. Determine the long-term need of :he improvement and its location before authorizing substantial maintenance for administrative or permitted improvements. (Forest Service Manual 2324.32)

6. Unless otherwise authorized bv the Chief, limit existing administrative site5 to the existing structures or replace them with similar structures of compatible design. Justify the need for existing stations in forest plans. Do not plan any new stations in wilderness. (Forest Service Manual 2324.33a)

7. "Because of the limited amount of public land available in New England; the proximity to large urban areas of the eastern United States, which results in heavy recreational use; and in order to provide for equal use for all persons, it shall be the policy not to grant exclusive use privileges to any individual or group for a building site for home or camp on the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont or the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire and Maine." --The Green Mountain National Forest and White Mountain National Forest policy on camps on National Forest System lands. (Forest Service Manual 2704 Special Uses Policy, Green Mountain National Forest Supplement 836, White fountain National Forest Supplement #2, dated January 196 1 )

Definitions:

A permanent im~rovement is defined as a structural or nonstructural improvement that is to remain at a particular location for more than one field season. Permanent improvements include such items as trails, toilet buildings, cabins, fences, tent frames, fire grills and instrument stations. (Forest Service Manual 2320.5 Item $3)

A tenoorarv structure 1s defined as any structure that is easy to dismantle, that could be removed completely from a site between periods of actual use, and that must be removed at the end of each season of use if the non-use period is greater than 50 days. (Forest Service Manual 2520.5, Item 87)

Assumotions

1. Mr. Myers and Mr. Lyons will uant to continue their rights to use and occupy the two hunting camps beyond the October 16, 1993, expiration date.

2 Other members of the public will want to use and occupy the camps or to have them maintained for public use.

3. Other people uith similar rights to use and occupy National Forest System lands will want to have their rights extended beyond the expiration date. Manaaement Direction

I. Upon termination of the reservation on October 16, 1993, Mr. Heyers and Mr. Lyons shall remove all personal property renaming on the premises uithin one year.

2. All personal property not so removed shall become the property of the United States. (Rules and Regulations of the Secretary of Agriculture Governing the Grantor's Rights to Occupy and Use Lands Conveyed to the United States, dated December 30, 1970)

3. As neither camp is needed for the administration, protection or management of George D. Aiken Wilderness for wilderness purposes, remove camps unless a historical evaluation produces a compelling rationale to maintain them. (Forest Service Manual 2320.3 Policy, Item (4). Give priority for action to structures generating the largest adverse impact in the wilderness.

Manaaenent Activities

1. Notify Mr. Myers and Mr. Lyons of the policy regarding their camp rights, explaining the reasons for it, including the fact that local managers have essentially no latitude for interpretation of system-wide policy affecting camp rights in wilderness.

2. Conduct a historical evaluation of the camps before making any decision to dispose of the improvements by the United States (see also the Cultural Resources section of this Plan, Management Activity 3).

3. Remove existing structures if they are not found to have important historical value, scheduling removal in winter to minimize damage and specifying the route to be used fcr removal (see Trails section of this Plan, Management Activity 1 ). Check sites afterward to determine restoration requirements, and restore the sites if necessary.

4. Close and physically block camp access routes after the rights of access have expired. Monitor the routes for vehicle intrusion after closure, and enforce the closure if necessary. MANAGEMENT OF SURROUNDING LANDS

Qb iect ive

To encourage compatible uses and discourage incompatible activities on land surrounding George D. Aiken Wilderness through National Forest management direction, land or rights acquisition, state, regional and local planning and permit processes, and improved communication links with the state, towns and private landowners, and other agencies of the federal government.

Current Situation

George 0. Aiken Wilderness is surrounded by Forest Service land on much of its 10-mile perimeter. About 9 percent of the boundary abuts Woodford State Park, and about 4 percent abuts private land on the north. Another 13 percent is within a quarter of a mile of private land (Prospect Mountain Ski Area, an inholding to the south and a parcel on the northeast). Thus, only about 26 percent of the wilderness boundary abuts or is close to private or state land.

Boundary Lines and Trespass

The boundary of George D. Aiken Wilderness has never been marked, with the exception of the east side of Woodford State Park and the the east-west line south of Red Mill Pond, which were surveyed and marked as landlines in 1991. However, they do not have wilderness markers.

System-wide Forest Service policy now requires marking internal wilderness boundaries whenever a timber sale or other management activity might encroach on the wilderness. No timber sales have required boundary marking for Aiken wilderness.

Commodity trespass such as illegal firewood cutting or grazing is apparently insignificant. However, there are numerous reports of motorized recreational trespass, especially snowmobiles. Every member of the core team (the group which drafted this Wilderness Plan) who has skied in the wilderness has complained of seeing snowmobiles or snowmobile tracks there.

State and Local Land Use Impacts

Because it is small, George D. Aiken Wilderness is easily affected by activities on state and private lands either adjacent to it or close enough to affect its environmental quality. Air and noise pollution are concerns. Traffic on Vermont Route 9 can be heard in some parts of the wilderness, and so can traffic on Forest Roads 74 and 273, especially snowmobiles in winter. Aircraft are sometimes audible, though there havebeen no complaints. Apart from aircraft , visual impacts of activity outside the wilderness are minimal to nonexistent, because heavy forest cover and low relief prevent distant views from the wilderness. The small size of the wilderness also means that it cannot, by itself, assure a high degree of biological diversity, either for plants or animals-an important management goal. However, it can be an important contributor to regional biological diversity, because regional diversity is fostered by a combination of large undisturbed areas with more intensively used areas (see Biological Diversity in the Wildlife section of this Plan). But the ability of the wilderness to provide habitat that can actually be used by wide-ranging species such as large predators depends on the maintenance of travel corridors and other links between the wilderness and other areas of suitable, and occupied, habitat.

According to the hiking trail nap issued by Woodford State Park, one trail loops into the wilderness from the southern boundary of the park. The state has not been using motorized tools to maintain this trail. The leaflet containing the map says "Woodford State Park gives easy access to the lands of the surrounding Green Mountain National Forest," but does not say that some of the National Forest land is wilderness.

Regulations revised in May, 1392, by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources allow snowmobiling in state parks only on marked snowmobile trails and designated play areas. Recently the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation approved a request by the Uermont Association of Snow Travelers to formally designate the unplowed roads in Woodford State Park as snoumobile trails. State regulations also allow snowmobile use on all public waters, so snowmobilers can use 7 Adams Reservoir as well.

In past years Prospect Mountain Ski Area used nordic ski trails in what is now George 0. Aiken Wilderness, but the trails are not in use now and have grown over.

In general, adjacent landowners and state and local authorities have an incomplete understanding of wilderness management objectives. The :~:gnaticn of George 9. ftiksr 'Jilderness continues to be unpopular with some local residents, especially snowmobile and off-road-vehicle enthusiasts. However, there are indications that local governments are coming to appreciate the value of preserving wild land. Both understanding of and support for wilderness management must be fostered through stronger ties with state, regional and local land planning agencies and governing bodies.

Surrounaina National Forest Land

The existence of George D. Aiken Wilderness influences Management Direction on National Forest land along its boundaries. Through its management area designation on surrounding land, the Forest Service effectivsly protects the ~iidemessagainst inconpatibis land use by maintaining a semi-priwtive, backwoods character through limitations on recreational facility development and vegetation managment.

Most Forest Service land next to the wilderness 1s designated Management Area 6.2,which is managed to provide backwoods recreational experiences and high quality sawtimber by growing trees to an old age (typically 150 years). Half of the southern boundary adjoins land designated Management Area 3.1,which is managed to provide roaded recreation and sustained timber production through even-aged silviculture. The long-term result in this area is a mosaic forest with a typical rotation period of 100 years and an average age of 50 years.

The last completed timber saie near the wilderness was the Camp Meadows Sale, which closed in September, 1992. The Prospect Mountain sale, west of the wilderness, defaulted and did not border the wilderness. Three other sales have been on the east side of Forest Road 74 (F.R. 74, or Yaw Pond Brook Road), and two were more than naif a mile from the wilderness. Of these, only one renamed active as of February, 1995, and it should soon be finished.

There are no future timber sales planned within a half mile of the uilderness boundary. Timber sales are subject to strict regulations governing water pollution and other environmental effects, so temporary noise should be the primary impact on the wilderness,

One adverse impact originating on National Forest land outside the wilderness is noise from snownobiles and off-road-vehicles on trails paralleling the eastern and southern boundaries. Both snowmobile trails are ungroomed, but the southern trail is designated as part of the Vermont corridor trail system, so it receives high traffic. There also are snowmobile and off-road-vehcle trails on Forest Service land to the west, but somewhat farther From the wilderne55 boundary.

1. There will be no major changes in land use practices on private Land bordering the wilderness. However, site specific activities could ham wilderness qualities.

2. Interior lines can continue to be approximate boundaries established by compass or other means unless adjacent activities, such as timber soles, could affect the wilderness.

3. Portions of adjacent private land boundaries nay require survey and delineation to protect wilderness values.

4. State and local governments and regional planning agencies will play an increasingly vital role in management of private and state lands affecting the wilderness.

5. Trespass by snowmobiles and off-road vehcles occurs partly because operators are not aware, of Forest ca-ll!p=, . . pol ic;! pe5?ricting motorized travel to designated~trails. (For further comment on this assumption, aes the Vehicle Intrusion section of this Plan, Current Situation.) Manaaement Direction

1. Encourage land use activities on adjacent land compatible with wilderness objectives.

2. Establish and maintain landlines wherever there is a potential for impacts originating outside the wilderness.

3. Keep directly adjacent private parcels high priority for acquisition into the National Forest system.

4. Delineate interior wilderness boundaries (where the wilderness is surrounded by Forest Service land) ~nlyin cases where external projects or influences may affect the wilderness. Specifically, mark the boundary whenever a planned activity or its influences will be nearer to the boundary than three times the limit of error in the method used to locate the planned activity. For example, if a timber harvest will be located using a global positioning satellite transponder with a limit of error of 100 feet, the wilderness boundary must be delineated if the harvest or its influences will reach within 300 feet of the wilderness.

5. Educate state, regional and local governing and regulatory bodies on wilderness management objectives; identify and resolve issues; and foster support for wilderness objectives.

6. Participate in local and regional planning activities to encourage uses compatible with wilderness objectives. Introduce the concept of biological diversity in these planning activities, and urge planners to integrate the concept into management plans for areas adjacent to, or influential to, George 0. Aiken Wilderness.

7. Continue to manage surrounding National Forest lands following current management direction. When the Forest Plan is revised, consider the impact of the plan on biological diversity, and uork for a plan which will maximize linkages to other important habitats and and which will integrate the roles of the wilderness, its surrounding lands, and the entire Forest to conserve and sustain biological diversity in Uermont and new England.

Manaapment Activities

1 Inventory wilderness boundary conditions and activities occurring on directly adjacent private lands. Check for trespass activities that might harm the wilderness.

2. In the event that a harmful or potentially harmful activity is discovered, contact the landowner tc explain the concern and discuss mitigation measures.

3. Schedule private boundary establishment or maintenance as shown necessary from the landline inventory.

4. Contact real estate agents serving the area annually and ask them to inform the Forest when owners of adjacent private parcels may wish to sell. 5. Assess activities on more distant lands that have the potential to harm the wilderness. Contact landowners as necessary.

6. Schedule internal boundary establishment as needed to protect the wilderness from adjacent management activities (e.g. timber sales).

7. Initiate public meetings for local governing and regulatory bodies to provide wilderness education. Give priority to the towns of Woodford and Searsburg.

8. Request state and local notification of land use activities that may affect the wilderness.

9. Monitor noise pollution from snowmobile and off-road vehicle use on trails near the wilderness. (Consult the Research section of this Plan for management direction on guidelines for research.) If noise levels are shown to be a problem, work with the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers to find alternate routes. (See also the Vehicle Intrusion section of this Plan, Management Activity 2.)

10. Work with the Town of Woodford and the Lands Section of the Forest (Terry Harris) to determine which routes in the vicinity of the wilderness are toun roads, toun trails and pent roads, so the Forest Service will know where it can control snowmobile and off-road vehicle use and where it cannot .

I. Work with the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers and snowmobile clubs in southern New England that are active near the wilderness to increase awareness among snowmobilers that snowmobiles may only be operated on designated and marked trails anywhere on the forest, with special emphasis on the ban on motorized use in the wilderness. (See also the Vehicle Intrusion section of this Plan, Management Activity 2.)

2. Discuss wilderness restrictions on motorized use with the Vermont Department of Public Safety, so the state police can help inform snowmobilers and off-road vehicle users when police are patrolling in the vicinity of the wilderness. (See also the Vehicle Intrusion section of this Plan, Management Activity 2.)

3. Meet with Region I1 Parks Regional Manager, who is responsible for Woodford State Park, to increase understanding of uilderness values, among both park employees and users (see the Information and Education section of this Plan for more on this topic). Cooperate with the regional manager to address illegal snowmobile use. (See also the Vehicle Intrusion section of this Plan, Management Activity 2.) Coordinate trail and sign plans with the Trails Coordinator and Parks Regional Manager of District 11 of the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation.

14. Communicate with and try to influence any entity whose activities or regulations are having or nay have an adverse effect on the wilderness. For example, if low-flying military aircraft become a problem, contact the base commanders involved, or work through other mechanisms that have been established to deal with such problems. RESEARCH

To provide appropriate opportunity for scientific studies dependent on a unlderness environment, and to collect information critical to the management of George D. Aiken Wilderness while minimizing impact on the wilderness.

Current Situation

Research is one of the purposes of wilderness stated in the 1964 Wilderness Act. George D. Aiken wilderness provides opportunities for scientific study of an area with little disturbance apart from infrequent logging, now returning to a natural state.

A list of research needs for the wilderness has not been developed. There are no guidelines outlining permissible types and methods of research, or who is "esponsible for approving research proposals.

There is only one known research project being conducted in the wilderness, a study of the prevalance of bear-clawed beech to assess bear habitat in the sourhuest corner of the area by a student of environmental studies at Southern Vermont College. Another Southern Vermont College student recently studied the wilderness as possible habitat for the black-backed "N woodpecker. Neither the State of Vermont nor the Northeast Forest Experiment Station in Durham, N.H., is conducting research in the wilderness or knows of anyone other than the Southern Vermont College students who is. Flagging has been found in several areas, but the purpose and origin are unknown.

I. More knowledge of man's effects on wilderness plant and animal species is neesea if we are to preserve these species as components of wilderness.

2. Basic social and natural resource information is crucial to intelligent management decisions. Many answers to administrative problems can be obtained only through systematic study and research.

Manaaenent Direction

I Appoint one District and one Forest level employee as wilderness research coordinators.

2. Encourage research designed to develop information on basic social and natural t-esources in the wilderness.

5. fill3w only research dependent on a wilderness environment or essential for the ~anagenent of George D. Aiken Wilderness. Research proposals that temporarily infringe on wilderness character may be approved, provided alternative locations outside of the wilderness are not feasible. The Regional Forester must authorize any such activities.

4. Techniques and materials used for research must be designed to minimize adverse impacts.

5. Do not allow motorized equipment or mechanical transport unless the research is essential to meet minimum requirements for administration and cannot be done in any other manner. Such use must be authorized by the Regional Forester.

6. Approve installations, such as temporary shelters for cameras and scientific apparatus and enclosures, on a case-by-case basis only when essential for research and management studies, and subject to satisfactory assurance that the installations will be removed when no longer needed.

7. Permit capturing or inconspicuous marking of animals or plants, including radio telemetry.

8. See the following sections of this Plan for recommended research or monitoring which nay require revieu for its potential impact on the character of the wilderness:

Vegetation: Management Directions 2, 3; Management Activities 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7.

Wildlife: Management Direction 1, 2; Management Activity 1, 2, 5.

Fish: Management Direction 2; Management Activity 2.

Fire: Management Direction 2.

Management of Surrounding Lands: Management Activity 9

Air: Management Direction 2; Management Activity 2.

Cultural Resources: Management Activity 3, 5.

Manaoement Activities

1. Designate a representative from the Supervisor's Office and from the Manchester Ranger District to coordinate wilderness research activities and to discuss wilderness values with Green Mountain National Forest Service specialists likely to conduct research in the wilderness. Current representatives will be Bob Pramuk from the Supervisor's Office and Diane Strohm from the Manchester Ranger District.

2. Establish a committee in cooperation with the Northeast Forest Experiment Station to:

* Identify research needed to collect baseline resource data to answer management ~uestionsi + Screen, respond to and design research proposals to assure they iiaintain wilderness integrity;

Educate the research community on the need for sensitivity to wilderness values when conducting research.

3. Incorporate results of research projects conducted in a George D. Aiken Wilderness Management Information File kept at the Manchester Ranger District. Make data available to the public.

4. Ask wilderness rangers, volunteers and others to report flagging or other boundary markings. If flagging or other marking is discovered, try to determine who placed it and explain to them why it is not appropriate. Then remove marking, and help legitimate researchers find less conspicuous methods of locating routes or plot boundaries. IMPLEMENTRTION SCHEDULES

EXPLANATION AND ABBREVIATIONS

The Implementation Schedules list the management activities recommended for George 0. Aiken Wilderness. The first, Implementation Schedule A, groups the activities by topic (Trails, Research, etc.) The second, Implementation Schedule B, lists activities by fiscal year. The federal fiscal year runs from October through September: e.g., fiscal year 1994 is October 1 , 1993, throu~hSeptember 30, 1994.

Fiscal year assignments are approximate. If an activity is not accomplished in its proposed year, it should be rescheduled for the fillowing year.

The cost of each activity is estimated. The estimates include direct costs only; they do not include district and supervisory office overhead. In some cases, costs will be covered by non-wilderness funds, are negligible, are unknown, or are listed under another activity. These cases are indicated by one of the following explanations:

OTHER FUNDS Covered by non-wilderness funding and/or other wilderness funding - - Negligible funds needed

STATE FUNDS To be funded by the State of Uernont

TO BE DETERMINED Cost is not yet known

SPECIFIC PROJECTS Funds will be included under the project named

The Implementation Schedules include activities for fiscal years 1994-1998, with a few regularly occurring activities in Schedule A extending to 2007. For each year after 1994 in Schedule 0, new activities are listed first2 followed by a list of indefinitely continuing activities. Certain activities, such as monitoring endangered or threatened species habitat and populations, will occur at regular intervals, unless changed conditions warrant a higher frequency. Unplanned activities may become necessary because of unforseen circumstances. Scheduling of planned activities may vary, depending on factors including resource conditions and availability of funds and personnel.

The Implementation Schedules are compiled for budgeting purposes only. In manv cases the descriptions of the management activities have been abbreviated to save space. For full details on activities, please consult the appropriate topic in the Ui1de.-ness Plan.

Also, in some cases management activities specified in the Plan have been broken down into several components in Schedule A, to allow for scheduling at different times. Therefore, the numbers in Schedule A do not always correspond to those listed under the corresponding topics in the Plan.

Abbreviations

AQRU Air Quality Related Value FY Fiscal Year I&E Information and Education LAC Limits of Acceptable Change MA Management Area (refers to Forest Plan) IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE A

MANAGEMENT ACTIVITIES BY TOPIC

Access and Trailheads

1. Discuss the provision of parking for public access to the wilderness with the owners of Prospect Mountain Ski Area, and develop an agreement if possible. Fiscal Year ...... 95 Cost ...... $500

2. Develop a comprehensive sign plan. Fiscal Year ...... 95 Cost ...... 5300

3. Install wilderness signs at entry points and private land boundaries. Fiscal Year ...... 96 Cost...... 52,000

4. Post vehicle restriction signs along areas of know illegal entry. Fiscal Year ...... 94 Cost ...... $200

5. Coordinate with the State of Vermont to place site approach and warning signs along Vermont Route 9 at Adams Parking Lot. Fiscal Year ...... 94 Cost ...... $500

6. Update bulletin boards. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... $300

7. Identify opportunities for offsite viewing. Develop a location if results are favorable. Fiscal Year ...... 95 Cost ...... $500

Trails

1. Designate access routes to private camps for removal of private property . Fiscal Year ...... 94 Cost ...... $200

2. Monitor access routes to sites of private camps after closure. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... I&E #I5 3. Identify indicators of social and resource conditions to b monitored 7 through the LAC process. Fiscal Year ...... 95 Cost ...... $4,000

4. Identify and collect data on unknown trails and routes. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... I&E 813

5. Close the unauthorized snowmobile trail near Woodford State Park. Fiscal Year ...... 94 Cost ...... $200

6. Work with the Vermont State Police, the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers and snowmobile clubs in southern Neu England that are active near the wilderness to ensure their membership understands that vehicles are permitted only on designated and marked trails. Fiscal Year ...... 94-ONGOING Annual Cost ...... $100

7. Request reports of flagging or other route markings. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... I&E #I3

I. Develop a list of potentially overused camping spots for wilderness rangers to monitor. Fiscal Year ...... 95 Cost ...... I&E $13

2. Implement campsite monitoring procedure. Fiscal Year ...... 95-ONGOING Annual Cost ...... I&E 815

3. Clean up and restore damaged informal campsites. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... I&E $13

Pack and Saddle Animals

I Prepare and incorporate material in wilderness-related displays explaining pack and saddle animal policy. Fiscal Year ...... 95 Cost ...... I&E #7

2. Request reports on incidents involving pack or saddle animals. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... I&E #I5 3. Enforce closure to pact- and saddle animals through appropriate closure orders . Fiscal Year ...... 95-ONGOING Annual Cost ...... $100

4. Sign to inform of closure to pack and saddle animals. Fiscal Year ...... 95-ONGOING Annual Cost ...... ACCESS 56

Domestic Pets (Does)

1. Obtain supervisor's order requiring dogs to be under owner control. Fiscal Year ...... 95 Cost ...... LYE BROOK PLAN

2. Post the requirement that dog3 must be under owner control. Fiscal Year ...... 95-ONGOING Annual Cost ...... ACCESS $6

3. Include rules on dogs and the reasons for them in the George D. Aiken Wilderness Brochure. Fiscal Year ...... 95-ONGOING Annual Cost ...... I8.E 87

4, Include rules on dogs and the reasons for them in wilderness-related displays. Fiscal Year ...... 95-ONGOING Annual Cost ...... I&E $15

5. Ask the Conservation Education Section of Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation to include rules on dogs and an explanation in informational materials. Fiscal Year ...... 94 Cost ...... 2100

6. Request reports of complaints about dogs. Ash rangers to explain the rules and their reasons. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... I&E $13

Outfitters and Guides

1 Incorporate guidelines for outfitter-guides in George D. Aiken Wilderness into the Green Mountain National Forest Outfitter-Guide Policy. Fiscal Year ...... 94 Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

2. Prepare information on the George D. Aiken policy on guides and outfitters for presentation to any applicants who request outfitter-guide permits there. Fiscal Year ...... 94 Cost ...... DONE Information and Education

1. Incorporate wilderness education into internal meetings and annual orientations. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... $200

2. Develop and include a segment on wilderness education for each annual Chamber of Commerce meeting. Provide brochures for distribution at Chamber off ices. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... 5100

5. Work with the White Mountain National Forest to develop a videotape on New England's wildernesses for persons with physical disabilities. Fiscal Year ...... 96 Cost ...... LYE BROOK PLAN

4. Work with the White Mountain National Forest to develop an audio cassette version of the videotape on Neu England's wildernesses for sight- impaired persons. Fiscal Year ...... 96 Cost ...... LYE BROOK PLAN

5. Coordinate with the White Mountain National Forest to develop a wilderness education program for young people. Fiscal Year ...... 96 Cost ...... LYE BROOK PLAN

6. Present the youth wilderness education program to local schools, scout troops and other youth organizations. Fiscal Year ...... 96-ONGOING Annual Cost ...... $300

7. Evaluate the effectiveness of the George D. Aiken Wilderness brochure before reprinting. Hake changes if necessary. Fiscal Year ...... 94 Annual Cost ...... $200

8. Reprint and distribute the George D. Aiken Wilderness brochure. Make it available at Woodford State Park. Fiscal Year ...TO BE DETERMINED Cost ...... $2,000

9. Post signs at parking lots and on snowmobile and off-road vehicle trails in the vicinity of the wilderness reminding users that they must stay on designated and marked trails, and that this policy applies throughout the Green Mountain National Forest. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... ACCESS #4 10. Ask rangers and the public to identify areas of illegal access, and to try to reach operators of snowmobiles and other vehicles and explain wilderness restrictions. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... I&E 413

H. Meet with park rangers at Woodford State Park for wilderness education. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Cost ...... I&E #13

12. Install bulletin boards at access points. Fiscal Year ...... 96 Cost ...... $2,000

13. Establish wilderness ranger coverage in George D. Aiken Wilderness. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... $3,000

14. Investigate partnerships with agencies such as the Student Conservation Association to monitor conditions and create a management presence. Fiscal Year ...... 95 Cost ...... $500

5. Develop and incorporate material explaining the nature and value of wilderness in public information displays. Fiscal Year ...... 95 Cost ...... $500

IS. Arrange to include wilderness education in the Vermont Institute of Natural Science Environmental Learning for the Future program in public schools. Fiscal Year ...... 96 Cost ...... $500

17. Install the George D. Aiken wilderness plaque at an appropriate site. Fiscal Year ...... 97 Cost ...... $300

-Air 1. Ask the Vermont Division of Air Pollution Control, the Environmental Protection Agency Region 1 and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to notify wilderness managers of local sources of pollution. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Cost ...... $100

2. Place passiveozone monitors in George D. Aiken Wilderness. Fiscal Year ...... 97 Cost ...... $3,000 3. Consult with experts on ways to test the correlation between air 7 quality in Lye Brook Wilderness and George D. Aiken Wilderness. Fiscal Year ...... 97 Cost ...... $300

Water

1. Identify indicators and set the Limits of Acceptable Change for water quality in the West Branch of the Deerfield River at the wilderness boundary. Fiscal Year ...... 96 Annual Cost ...... TRAILS #3

2. Monitor water quality in the West Branch of the Deerfield River. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... $500

3. Prepare information about potential waterborne diseases for the George D. Aiken Wilderness brochure and for bulletin boards. Fiscal Year...... 94 Annual Cost ...... I&E #8

1. Identify indicators and set the Limits of Acceptable Change for soil damage. ^ Fiscal Year ...... 96 Annual Cost ...... TRAILS 83

2, Monitor soil erosion and compaction. Fiscal Year ...... 96-ONGOING Annual Cost ...... I&E $13

3. Evaluate the best way to resolve soil degradation problems, and implement restoration measures where needed. Fiscal Year...... 96-ONGOING Annual Cost ...... $300

Minerals

1. Request reports on any violation of the Wilderness Act on mineral exploration, development or extraction. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... I&E 813

1. Map the wilderness according to vegetative types and ecological land types . Fiscal Year ...... 97 Annual Cost ...... $5,000 ^\ 2. Collect stand inventory data, and map the location of exotic plant species. Fiscal Year ...... 98 Cost ...... 25,000

3. Install permanent vegetative plots. Fiscal Year ...... 98 Cost ...... 5500

4. Inventory all sites identified as potential habitat for endangered, threatened or rare plant species. Fiscal Year ...... 97 Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

5. Identify additional potential habitat for endangered, threatened or rare plant species. Fiscal Year ...... 98 Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

6. Conduct baseline inventories in additional potential habitat for endangered, threatened or rare plant species. Fiscal Year ...... 99 Cost ...... $2,000

7. Monitor endangered, threatened or rare species habitat and populations on a 10-year basis to identify trends and needs. Fiscal Year ...... 07 Cost ...... $1,000

8. Monitor succession in the area logged in the 1960s. Fiscal Year...... 98, 03, 08 ftnnual Cost ...... $300

9. Determine pre-European vegetative composition of the wilderness. List any missing species and devise potential ecological restoration methods. Consider measures to eradicate exotic species. Fiscal Year ...... 99 Cost ...... $2,000

Cultural Resources

1. Complete an oral history project. Fiscal Year ...... 94, 95 Annual Cost ....,...,....$1 ,000

2. Create a historical photograph collection. Fiscal Year ...... 96 Cost ...... $1,500

5. Investigate and establish a partnership arrangement outside the Forest for storing or archiving historical materials. Fiscal Year ...... 94 Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS 4. Conduct a cultural resource inventory and evaluation. ^ Fiscal Year ...... 97 Cost ...... $3,000

5. Itemize and schedule cultural resource protection projects to address site needs. Fiscal Year...... 98 Cost ...... TO BE DETERMINED

6. Conduct pollen core testing of wetlands. Fiscal Year...... 99 Cost ...... $3,000

7. Prepare brief summaries of cultural resource information for maps, brochures or other interpretive materials. Fiscal Year ...... 98 Coat ...... 5500

Wildlife

1. Form research partnerships to establish baseline data on wildlife and fish populations and their habitats. Fiscal Year ...... 97 Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS ^ 2. Identify sensitive wildlife habitats. Fiscal Year ...... 98 Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

3. Attend meetings of local game wardens and other state fish and wildlife officers and present wilderness education. Fiscal Year ...... 95-ONGOING Annual Cost ...... $100

4. Determine the importance of George D. Aiken Wilderness to state and federally listed species. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

5. Monitor area-sensitive forest interior songbirds. Fiscal Year ...... 95-ONGOING Annual Cost ...... $500

6. Support reintroduction efforts that are compatible with overall uilderness objectives. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

7. Address potential impacts of all proposed projects on wilderness wildlife and habitat through the environmental analysis process. Fiscal Year...... ONGOIN6 Annual Cost...... OTHER FUNDS Fisheries

1. Work with the State of Uermont to end stocking. Fiscal Year...... 94-ONGOING Annual Cost...... $100

2. Continue data collection for baseline and control information on fish populations and habitat. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... $500

3. Determine whether self-sustaining fisheries are feasible in George D. Aiken Wilderness. If so, develop a plan with the State of Vermont to maintain the fishery. Fiscal Year ...... 99 Cost...... $500

4. Determine whether fish habitats are essentially in a natural condition, and if not, consider restoration measures. Fiscal Year ...... 00 Cost...... $500

1. Hold meetings to educate volunteer fire departments in the towns of Bennington, Woodford and Searsburg on wilderness fire policy. Fiscal Year ...... 96-ONGOING Annual Cost...... $200

2. Determine the role fire played in pre-European times. Re-e5tabliah this influence if appropriate. Fiscal Year ...... 99 Cost...... $500

3. Review the Forest Fire Management Action Plan; update if necessary. Fiscal Year...... 94 Cost...... LYE BROOK PLAN

Jnsects and Diseases

1. Perform an Environmental Analysis before implementing actions to control insect or disease outbreaks. Fiscal Year...... ONGOING Annual Cost...... OTHER FUNDS Vehicle Intrusion

1. Work with the Vermont Trapper Association so its membership understands trapping is permitted in the wilderness, but vehicle use is not. Fiscal Year ...... 96 Cost ...... $100

2. Re-route the snowmobile trail crossing the northwestern corner of the wilderness to run outside the wilderness, if possible. If not, close the trail. Fiscal Year ...... 95 Cost...... DONE

3. Place signs at known entry points and at other peripheral locations where signs are installed explaining the ban on vehicle use in the wilderness, including the fact that vehicles are permitted only on designated and marked trails in any part of the Forest. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... ACCESS #4

4. Prepare and incorporate information for publications to explain the ban on vehicle use in the wilderness, including the fact that vehicles are permitted only on designated and marked trails in any part of the Forest. Fiscal Year ...... 94-ONGOING AnnualCost ...... I&E#8-ll 9

5. Ask uilderness rangers and volunteers to report instances or evidence of vehicle intrusion into the wilderness. Fiscal Year...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... I&E #10

6. Monitor vehicle intrusion to determine whether stronger enforcement measures are necessary. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... I&E 89, 10

Search and Rescue

1. Host regular workshops with state police and representatives from

- - ' Bennington, Whitingham, and Wilmington Search and Rescue departments, and from Prospect Mountain Ski Area, to provide information about wilderness values and restrictions. Fiscal Year...... 96-ONGOING Annual Cost ...... 5200

2. Determine with area rescue squads which situations may be deemed serious enough to allow motorized vehicle use for rescue operations in George D. Aiken Uilderness. Fiscal Year ...... 96 cost...... È20 3. Investigate purchasing equipment suitable for non-motorized rescue and assigning it to rescue squads so they can function without vehicles. Fiscal Year ...... 96 Cost ...... $1 ,000

4. Prepare information for distribution to increase user awareness of the self-sufficiency expected on wilderness trips, and of restrictions on motorized rescue attempts. Fiscal Year ...... 94 Cost ...... I&E $8

Private Structures

1. Notify Mr. Myers and Mr. Lyons of the policy regarding their camp rights. Fiscal Year ...... 94 Cost ...... $100

2. Conduct a historical evaluation of the camps. Fiscal Year ...... 94 Cost ...... $500

3. Remove existing structures if they are not found to have important historical value. Fiscal Year ...... 95 Cost ...... $3,000

4. Close and physically block camp access routes after the rights of access have expired. Fiscal Year ...... 95 Cost ...... $500

5. Monitor camp access routes for vehicle intrusion after closure, and enforce the closure if necessary. Fiscal Year ...... 95-ONGOING Annual Cost ...... I&E $10 bnement of Surroundina Lands

1. Inventory wilderness boundary conditions. Fiscal Year ...... 94 Cost ...... I&E 813

2. Monitor for trespass and maintain signs. Fiscal Year.. ...96, 98, 00, 02 Annual Cost ...... IBiE 33

3. Contact encroaching landouners to explain the concern and discuss mitigation measures: Fiscal Year ...... AS NEEDED Annual Cost ...TO BE DETERMINED 4. Schedule and conduct private bo-indary establishment and maintenance. Fiscal Year ...... 95 AS NEEDED Cost ...... TO BE DETERMINED

5. Contact real estate agents serving the area annually and ask them to inform the Forest when owners of adjacent private parcels may wish to sell. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

6. Assess activities on more distant lands that have the potential to harm the wilderness. Contact landowners as necessary. Fiscal Year ,...... AS NEEDED Annual Cost..TO BE OETERNINNED

7. Schedule internal boundary establishment as needed to protect the wilderness from adjacent management activities (e.9. timber sales). Fiscal Year ...... AS NEEDED Annual Cost...... OTHER FUNDS

8. Initiate public meetings for local governing and regulatory bodies to provide wilderness education. Fiscal Year ...... 96 Cost ...... $200

9. Request state and local notification of land use activities that may affect the wilderness. Fiscal Year ...... 96-ONGOING Annual Cost...... $100

10. Monitor noise pollution from snowmobile and off-road vehicle use on trails near the wilderness. Fiscal Year ...... 95-ONGOING Annual Cost ...... $200

11. If noise levels are shown to be a problem, work with the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers to find alternate routes. Fiscal Year ...... AS NEEDED Annual Cost ...TO BE DETERMINED

12. Work with the Town of Woodford and the Lands Section of the Forest (Terry Harris) to determine which routes in the vicinity of the wilderness are town roads, town trails and pent roads, so the Forest Service will know where it can control snowmobile and off-road vehicle use and where it cannot. Fiscal Year ...... 94 Cost ...... $200

3. Discuss wilderness restrictions on motorized use wlth the Uernont Department of Public Safety, so the state police can help inform snowmobilers and off-road vehicle users. Fiscal Year ...... 94-ONGOING Annual Cost ...... TRAILS It6 4. Meet with Region I1 Parks Regional Manager to increase understanding of wilderness values among both park employees and users. Fiscal Year ...... 95 Annual Cost ...... I&E 813

15. Communicate with and try to influence any entity whose activities or regulations are having or nay have an adverse effect on the wilderness. Fiscal Year ...... AS NEEDED Annual Cost ... TO BE DETERMINED

Research

1. Designate a representative from the Supervisor's Office and from the Manchester Ranger District to coordinate wilderness research activities. Fiscal Year ...... 94-ONGOING Annual Cost ...... $100

2. Establish a cooperative committee with the Northeast Forest Experiment Station. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

5. Incorporate research results in an information file at the Manchester Ranger District. Fiscal Year ...... 94-ONGOING Annual Cost ...... I&E #I3

4. Request reports of flagging, and work with flaggers to eliminate it. Fiscal Year ...... ONGOING Annual Cost ...... I&E #I3 JHPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE B

MANAGEMENT ACTIUITIES BY FISCAL YEAR

l-Ã FISCAL YEAR 1994 ^

1. Post vehicle restriction signs along areas of known illegal entry. Cost ...... $200

2. Coordinate with the State of Vermont to place site approach and warning signs along Vermont Route 9 at Adams Parking Lot. Cost ...... $500

3. Designate access routes to private camps for removal of private property. Cost ...... $200

4. Close the unauthorized snowmobile trail near Woodford State Park. Cost ...... $200

5. filsk the Conservation Education Section of Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation to include rules on dogs and an explanation in informational materials. Cost ...... $100

6. Incorporate guidelines for outfitter-guides in George D. Aiken Uilderness into the Green Mountain National Forest Outfitter-Guide Policy. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

7. Prepare information on the George D. Aiken policy on guides and outfitters for presentation to any applicants who request outfitter-guide permits there. Cost ...... DONE

8. Evaluate the effectiveness of the George D. Aiken Wilderness brochure before reprinting. flake changes if necessary. Cost ...... $200

9. Prepare information about potential waterborne diseases for the George D. Aiken Uilderness brochure and for bulletin boards. Cost ...... I&E $8, 15

10. Complete an oral history project. Cost ...... 31 ,000

!!. Investigate a partnership arrangenent outside the Forest for storing or archiving historical materials. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

12. Review the Forest Fire flanagement Action Plan; update if necessary. Cost ...... LYE BROOK PLAN 13. Prepare information for distribution to increase user awareness of the self-sufficiency expected on wilderness trips, and of restrictions on motorized rescue attempts, Cost ...... I&E $8

4. Notify Mr. Myers and Mr. Lyons of the policy regarding their camp rights. Cost ...... $100

15. Conduct a historical evaluation of the camps on leased sites. Cost ...... $500

6. Inventory wilderness boundary conditions. Cost ...... $I&E 813

17. Work with the Town of Woodford to determine which routes in the vicinity of the wilderness are town roads, town trails and pent roads. Cost ...... $200

18. Update bulletin boards. Cost ......

19. Monitor access routes to sites of private camps after c losure. Cost ...... I&E $13

20. Identify and collect data on unknown trails and routes. Cost ...... I&E $13

21. Work with the Uermont Association of Snow Travelers and snowmobile clubs in southern New England that are active near the wilderness to ensure their membership understands that vehicles are permitted only on designated and marked trails. Cost ...... $100

22. Clean up and restore damaged informal campsites. Cost ...... I&E $13

23. Request reports on incidents involving pack or saddle animals. Cost ...... I&E $13

24. Request reports of complaints about dogs. Ask rangers to explain the rules and their reasons. Cost ...... I&E $13

25. Incorporate wilderness education into internal meetings and annual orientations. Cost ...... $200

26. Develop and include a segment on wilderness education for each annual Chamber of Commerce meeting. Provide brochures for distribution at Chamber off ices. ^ Cost ...... LYE BROOK PLAN 27. Post signs at parking lots and on snowmobile and off-road vehicle trails in the vicinity of the uildernesa reminding user5 that they must stay on designated and marked trails, and that this policy applies throughout the Green Mountain National Forest. Cost ...... ACCESS 84

28. Ask rangers and the public to identify areas of illegal access, and to try to reach operators of snowmobiles and other vehicles and explain wilderness restrictions. Cost ...... I8E #13

29. Meet with park rangers at Woodford State Park for wilderness education. Cost ...... I&E $13

30. Establish wilderness ranger coverage in George D. Aiken Wilderness. Cost ...... $3,000

31. Ask the Vermont Division of Air Pollution Control, the Environmental Protection Agency Region 1 and the New York State.Department of Environmental Conservation to notify wilderness managers of local sources of pollution. Cost...... $100

32. Monitor water quality in the West Branch of the Deerfield River. Cost...... $500

33. Request reports on any violation of the Wilderness Act on mineral exploration, development or extraction. Cost...... I8E #13

34. Support efforts to reintroduce extirpated species that are compatible with overall wilderness objectives. Cost...... OTHER FUNDS

35. Address potential inpacts of all proposed projects on wilderness wildlife and habitat through the environmental analysis process. Coat...... OTHER FUNDS

36. Work with the State of Vermont to end stocking. Coat ...... $100

37. Continue data collection for baseline and control information on fish populations and habitat. Cost ...... $500

38. Perform an Environmental Analysis before implementing actions to control insect or disease outbreaks. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

39. Place signs at, known entry points and at other peripheral locations where signs are installed explaining the ban on vehicle use in the wilderness, including the fact that vehicles are permitted only on designated and marked trails in any part of the Forest, Cost ...... ACCESS 84

40. Prepare and incorporate information for publications to explain the ban on vehicle use in the wilderness, including the fact that vehicles are permitted only on designated and marked trails in any part of the Forest. Cost ...... I&E 38-10

41. Ask wilderness rangers and volunteers to report instances or evidence of vehicle intrusion into the wilderness, Cost ...... I&E #10

42. Monitor vehicle intrusion to determine whether stronger enforcement measures are necessary. Cost ...... I&E $9, 10

43. Contact real estate agents serving the area and ask then to inform the Forest when owners of adjacent private parcels may wish to sell. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

44. Discuss uilderness restrictions on motorized use with the Vermont Department of Public Safety, so the state police can help inform snowmobilers and off-road vehicle users. Cost...... TRAILS #6

45. Designate a representative from the Supervisor's Office and from the Manchester Ranger District to coordinate wilderness research activities. Cost ...... $100

46. Establish a cooperative committee with the Northeast Forest Experiment Station. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

47. Incorporate research results in an information file at the Manchester Ranger District. Cost ...... I&E $13

48. Request reports of flagging, and work with flaggers to eliminate it. Cost ...... I&E #I3

49. Determine the importance of George 0. Alken Wilderness to state and federally listed species. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

50. If necessary, contact encroaching landowners to explain the concern and discuss mitigation measures. Cost ...... AS NEEDED

Sf. Assess activities on more distant lands that have the potential to harm the wilderness. Contact landowners as necessary. Cost ...... AS NEEDED 52. Schedule internal boundary establishment as needed to protect the wilderness from adjacent management activities (e.g. timber sales). Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

53. Communicate with and try to influence any entity whose activities or regulations are having or may have an adverse effect on the wilderness. Cost ...... AS NEEDED

FISCAL YEAR 1994 WILDERNESS FUNDS NEEDED: ...... $8,700 FISCAL YEAR 1995

1 Discuss the provision of parking for public access to the wilderness with the owners of Prospect Mountain Ski Area, and develop an agreement if possible. Cost ...... $500

2. Develop a comprehensive si~nplan. Cost ...... $300

3. Identify opportunities for offsite viewing. Develop a location if results are favorable. Cost ...... $500

4. Identify indicators of social and resource conditions to be monitored through the LAC process. Cost ...... $4,000

5. Develop a list of potentially overused camping spots for wilderness rangers to monitor. Cost ...... I&E #I3

6. Prepare and incorporate material in wilderness-related displays explaining pack and saddle animal policy. Cost ...... I&E 11

7. Obtain supervisor's order requiring dogs to be under owner control. Cost ...... LYE BROOK PLAN

8, Investigate partnerships with agencies such as the Student Conservation Association to monitor conditions and create a management presence. Cost ...... $500

9. Complete an oral history project. Cost ...... 51,000

0 Re-route the snowmobile trail crossing the northwestern corner of the wilderness to run outside the wilderness, if possible. If not, close the trail. Cost ...... 51,000

1. Remove existing 5tructures if they are not found to have important historical value. Cost ...... 23,000

2. Close and physically block camp access routes after the rights of access have exoired. Cost ...... 2500 ^ 13. Meet with Region I1 Parks Regional Manager to increase understanding of wilderness values among both park employees and users. Cost ...... I&E $13

14. Implement campsite monitoring procedure. Cost...... I&E #I3

5. Enforce closure to pack and saddle animals through appropriate closure orders . Cost...... $100

16. Si~nto inform of closure to pack and saddle animals. Cost ...... ACCESS #6

17. Post the requirement that dogs must be under owner control. Cost...... ACCESS $6

18. Include rules on dogs and the reasons for them in the George D. Aiken Wilderness Brochure. Cost; ...... I&E #

19. Include rules on dogs and the reasons for them in wilderness-related displays. Cost ...... I&E #

20. Attend meetings of local game wardens and other state fish and wildlife officers and present wilderness education. Cost ...... $100

21. Monitor area-sensitive forest interior songbirds. Cost ...... £50

22. Monitor camp access routes for vehicle intrusion after closure, and enforce the closure if necessary. Cost ...... I8E 810

23. Monitor noise pollution from snowmobile and off-road vehicle use on trails near the wilderness. Cost ...... $200

FY 35 ONGOING ACTIVITIES

24. Update bulletin boards. Cost...... $300

25. Monitor access routes to sites of private camps after closure. Cost ...... I&E $13

26. Identify and collect data on unknown trails and routes. Cost...... I&E $13

27. Work with the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers and snowmobile clubs in southern New England that are active near the wilderness to ensure their membership understands that vehicles.are permitted only on designated -"\ and marked trails. Cost ...... $100

28. Clean up and restore dama~edinformal campsites. Cost ...... I&E #13

29. Request reports on incidents involving pack or saddle animals. Cost ...... I&E #13

30. Request reports of complaints about dogs. Ask rangers to explain the rules and their reasons. Cost ...... I&E #13

31. Incorporate wilderness education into internal meetings and annual orientations. Cost ...... $200

32. Include a segment on wilderness education for each annual Chamber of Commerce meeting. Provide brochures for distribution at Chamber offices. Cost...... LYE BROOK PLAN

33. Post signs at parking lots and on snowmobile and off-road vehicle trails in the vicinity of the wilderness reminding users that they must stay on designated and marked trails, and that this policy applies throughout the Green Mountain National Forest. Cost ...... ACCESS #4

34. Ask rangers and the public to identify areas of illegal access, and to try to reach operators of snowmobiles and other vehicles and explain wilderness restrictions. Cost ...... I&E #13

35. Meet with park rangers at Woodford State Park for wilderness education. Cost ...... I&E #13

36. Continue wilderness ranger coverage in George D. Aiken Wilderness. Cost ...... $3,000

37. Incorporate material explaining the nature and value of wilderness in public information displays. Cost ...... $500

38. Ask the Uermont Division of Air Pollution Control, the Environmental Protection Agency Region 1 and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to notify milderness managers of local sources of pollution. Cost ...... $100

39. Monitor water quality in the West Branch of the Deerfield River. Cost...... $500 3 I 40. Request reports on any violation of the Wilderness Act on mineral exploration, development or extraction. Cost ...... I&E $13

41. Support efforts to reintroduce extirpated spec:es that are compatible with overall wilderness objectives. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

42. Address potential impacts of all proposed projects on wilderness wildlife and habitat through the environmental analysis process. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

43. Work with the State of Vermont to end stocking. Cost ...... $100

44. Continue data collection for baseline and control information on fish populations and habitat. Cost ...... $500

45. Perform an Environmental Analysis before implementing actions to control insect or disease outbreaks. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

46. Place-igns at known entry points and at other geripheral locations where signs are installed explaining the ban on vehicle use in the wilderness, including the fact that vehicles are permitted only on designated and marked trails in any part of the Forest. Cost ...... ACCESS $4

47. Incorporate information for publications to explain the ban on vehicle use in the wilderness, including the fact that vehicles are permitted only on designated and marked trails in any part of the Forest. Cost ...... I8E $8-10

48. Ask wilderness rangers and volunteers to report instances or evidence of vehicle intrusion into the wilderness. Cost ...... I&E #I0

49. Monitor vehicle intrusion to determine whether stronger enforcement measures are necessary. Cost ...... I&E $9, 10

50. Contact real estate agents serving the area and ask them to inform the Forest when owners of adjacent private parcels may wish to sell. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

51. Discuss wilderness restrictions on motorized use with the Vermont Department of Public Safety, so the state police can help inform snowmobilers and off-road vehicle users. Cost ...... TRAILS 26

52. Designate a representative from the Supervisor's Office and from the Manchester Ranger District to coordinate wilderness research activities. Cost ...... $100 53. Continue cooperative committee with the Northeast Forest Experiment Station. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS 54. Incorporate research results in an information file at the Manchester Ranger District. Cost ...... I&E #I3

55. Request reports of flagging, and work with flagoers to eliminate it, Cost ...... I&E 813 56. Determine the importance of George 0. Aiken Wilderness to state and federally listed species. Cost ,,...... OTHER FUNDS

57, Schedule and conduct private boundary establishment and maintenance. Cost ...... AS NEEDED

58. If necessary, contact encroaching landowners to explain the concern and discuss mitigation measures. Cost ...... AS NEEDED

59. flssess activities on more distant lands that have the potential to harm the wilderness. Contact landowners as necessary. Cost ...... AS NEEDED -. 60. Schedule internal boundary establishment as needed to protect the wilderness from adjacent management activities (e.g. timber sales). Cost...... OTHER FUNDS

61. Communicate with and try to influence any entity whose activities or regulations are having or may have an adverse effect on the wilderness. Cost.....,...... AS NEEDED

FISCAL YEAR 1995 WILDERNESS FUNDS NEEDED: ...... $17,600 FXSCflL YEAR lq96

1. Install wilderness signs at entry points and private land boundaries. cost ...... $2,000

2, Work with the bJhite Mountain National Forest to develop a videotape on New England's wildernesses for persons with physlcal disabilities. Cost ...... LYE BROOK PLhN

3. Work with the White Mountain National Forest to develop an audio cassette version of the videotape on New England's wildernesses for sight- impaired persons. Cost...... LYE BROOK PLAN

4. Coordinate with the White Mountain National Forest to develop a wilderness education program for young people. Cost ...... LYE BROOK PLAN

5, Present the youth wilderness education program to local schools, scout troops and other youth or~anizations, Cost ...... $300

6. Install bulletin boards at access points. cost ...... $2,000

7. Arrange to include wilderness education in the Uermont Inst Natural Science Environmental learn in^ for the Future program in schools. cost......

8. Identify indicators and set the Limits of Acceptable Change for uater quality in the West Branch of the Deerfield River at the wildernes3 boundary. Cost ...... TRAILS #3

9. Identify indicators and set the Limits of Acceptable Change for soil damage. Cost ...... TRflILS 83

10. Create a historical photograph collection. Cost ...... $1 ,500

11. Work with the Uermont Trapper hsociation so its membership understands trapping is permitted in the wilderness, but vehicle use is not. cost ...... $100

12. Determine uith area rescue squads which situations may be deemed serious enough to allow motorized vehicle use for rescue operations in George D. Aiken Wilderness. cost ...... $200 13. Investigate purchasing equipment suitable for non-motorized rescue and T assigning it to rescue squads so they can function without vehicles. c~St.,...... ~..~~....~.$~,000

14. Monitor for trespass and maintain sions. Cost ...... I&E #I0

IS. Initiate public meetings for local governing and regulatory bodies to provide wilderness education. co5t...... $200

16. Monitor soil erosion and compaction. Cost ...... I&E #I3

17. Evaluate the best way to resolve soil degradation problemsl and implement restoration measures where needed. Cost ...... $300

18. Hold meetings to educate volunteer fire departments in the towns of Bennington, Woodford and Searsburg on wilderness fire policy. cost ...... $200

19. Host regular workshops with state police and representatives from Bennington, Whitingham, and Wilmington Search and Rescue departments, and from Prospect Mountain Ski fkeal to provide information about wilderness values and restrictions. cost ...... $200

20. Request state and local notification of land use activities that may affect the wilderness. cost ...... $100

FY 96 ONGOING ACTIUITIES

21. Update bulletin boards. Cost...... $300

22. Monitor access routes to aites of private camps after closure. Cost ...... I&E #I3

23. Identify and collect data on unknown trails and routes. Cost ...... 1&3 813

24. Work with the Vermont hssociation of Snow Travelers and snowmobile clubs in southern New England that are active near the wilderness to ensure their membership understands that vehicles are permitted only on desi~n~ted and marked trails. CGS~...... $100 25. Clean up and restore damaged informal campsites. T Cost ...... I&E #I3 26. Reque3t reports on incidents involving pack or saddle animals. Cost ...... I&E #I3

27. Request reports of complaints about dogs. Ask rangers to explain the rules and their reasons. Cost ...... I&E #13

28. Incorporate wilderness education into internal meetings and annual orientations. cost ...... !xi200

29. Include a segment on wilderness education for each annual Chamber of Commerce meeting. Provide brochures for distribution at Chamber offices. cost ...... $100

30. Post signs at parking lots and on snowmobile and off-road vehicle trails in the vicinity of the wilderness reminding users that they must stay on designated and marked trails, and that this policy applies throughout the Green Hountain National Forest. Cost: ...... ACCESS #4

31, Ask rangers and the public to identify areas of illeoal access, and to try to reach operators of snowmobiles and other vehicles and explain wilderness restrictions. Cost ...... I&E #I3

32. Meet with park ranger8 at Woodford State Park for wilderness education. Cost...... I&E #I3

33. Continue wilderness ranger coverage in Georae 0. Aiken Wilderness. Cost ...... $3,000

34. Ask the Vermont Division of Air Pollution Control, the Environmental Protection Agency Region I and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to notify wilderness managers of local sources of pollution. cost...... $100

35. Monitor water quality in the West Branch of the Deerfield River. Cost ...... $500

36. Request reports on any violation of the Wilderness Act on mineral exploration, development or extraction. Cost ...... I&E #13

37. Support efforts to reintroduce extirpated species that are compatible with overall wilderness objective3. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

38, Addre3s potent.ia1 impacts of all proposed projects on wilderness wildlife and habitat through the enyironmental analyais process. Cost...... OTHER FUNDS 39. Work with the State of Vermont to end stocking. cost ...... $100

40. Continue data collecti~nfor bsseline and control information on fish populat~onsand habltat. Cost ...... $500

41. Perform an Environmental Analysls before implementing actions to control insect or dlsease outbreaks. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

42. Place signs at known entry points and at other peripheral locations where slgns are installed explaining the ban on vehicle use in the wllderness, including the fact that vehicles are permitted only on designated and marked tralls ln any part of the Forest. Cost ...... ACCESS $4

43. Incorporate information for publications to explain the ban on vehicle use ln the wllderness, including the fact that vehicles are permitted only on designated and marked trails in sny part of the Forest. Cost ...... I&E #8-10

44. 6sk wilderness rangers and volunteers to report instances or evidence of vehlcle intrusion into the w~lderness. Cost ...... I&E #I0

45. Monltor vehlcle lntruslon to determine whether stronger enforcement measures are necessary. - Cost...... I&E #9, 10

46. Contact real estate agents serving the area and ask them to inform the Farest uhen owners of adjacent privste parcels may wish to sell. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

47. Dlscuss wilderness restrictions on motorized use with the Vermont 'Jepsrtment of Public Safety, so the state police can help inform snoumob~lersand off-road venlcle uzers. Cost ...... TRAILS 86

48. Designate a representstive from the Supervisor's Office and from the Manchester Ranger District to coordinate wilderness research activities. cost ...... $100

43. Continue cooperative committee uith the Northeabt Forest Experiment Statlcn. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS ;a. Incorporate research results ln an information file at the Manchester Ranger District. Cost ...... I&E 813

51. Request reports of flz~glnq,and work with flaggers to eliminate it. "-9

Cost .a.m...... ,...I&E #I3 52. Continue campsite monitoring. Cost ...... I&E #I3

53. Enforce closure to pack and saddle animals through appropriate closure orders. Cost ...... ,.....,,.5100

54. Si~nto inform of closure to pack and saddle animals. Cost...... 6CCESS #6

55. Post the requirement that dogs must be under owner control. Cost ...... ACCESS #6

56, Include rules on dogs and the reasons for them in the George D. Aiken Wilderness Brochure. Cost ...... I&E 87

57. Include rules on dogs and the reasons for them in wilderness-related displays. Cost ...... I&E #15

58. httend meetings of local game wardens and other state fish and wildlife officers and present wilderness education. cost...... $100

5g. Monitor area-sensitive forest interior songbirds. Cost...... OTHER FUNDS

60. Monitor camp access routes for vehicle intrusion after closure, and enforce the closure if necessary. Cost ...... I&E #I0

61. Monitor noise pollution from snowmobile and off-road vehicle use on trails near the wilderness. cost ...... $200

62, Determine the importance of George 0. 6iken Wilderness to state and federally listed species. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

63. Conduct private boundary establishment and maintenance. Cost ...... TO BE DETERMINED

64. If necessary, contact encroaching landowners to explain the concern and discuss mitigation measures. Cost ...... AS NEEDED

E5. flssess scfit.,ii:es OR noye d:stant lsnds that hsve the potential ?5 harm the wilderness. Contact landowners as necessary. Cost ...... AS NEEDED 66. Schedule internal boundary establishment as needed to protect the 7 wilderness from adjacent mana~ement activities (e,g. timber sales). Cost...... OTHER FUNDS

67. Communicate uith and try to influence any entity whose activities or regulations are having or may have an adverse effect on the wilderness. Cost,,...... AS NEEDED

FISCAL YEAR I996 WILDERNESS FUNDS NEEDED:...... $14,200 FISCAL YEAR 1997

I. Install the George 0. Aiken wilderness plaque at an appropriate site. Cost ...... $300

2. Place passive ozone monitors in George D. Aiken Wilderness. Cost ...... $3,000

3. Consult with experts on ways to test the correlation between air quality in Lye Brook Wilderness and George D. hiken Wilderness. Cost...... $300

4. Map the wilderness according to vegetative types and ecological land types. Cost ...... $5,000

5. Inventory all sites identified as potential habitat for endangered, threatened or rare plant species. Cost...... OTHER FUNDS

6. Conduct a cultural resource inventory and evaluation. cost ...... $31000

7. Form research partnerships to eetablish baseline data on wildlife and fish populations and their habitats. Cost...... OTHER FUNDS

FY I997 ONGOING ACTIUITIES

8. Monitor soil erosion and compaction. Cost...... I&E $13

9. Evaluate the best way to resolve soil degradation problems, and implement restoration measures where needed. Cost.,...... $300

10. Hold meetings to educate volunteer fire departments in the towns of Bennin~ton~Woodford and Searsburg on wilderness fire policy. cost ...... $200

11. Host regular workshops with state police and representatives from Bennington, Whitingham, and Wilmington Search and Rescue departments, and from Prospect Mountain Ski Area, to provide information about wilderness values and restrictions. cost ...... $200

12. Request state and local notification of land use activities that may affect the wilderness. Cost ...... $200

13. Update bul1eti.n boards. Cost ...... $300 14. Monitor access routes to sites of private camps after closure. Cost ...... I&E $13 15. Identify and collect data on unknown trails and routes. Cost ...... I&E 813 16. Work with the Vermont fls5ociation of Snow Travelers and snowmobile clubs in southern New England that are active near the wilderness to ensure their membership understands that vehicles are permitted only on designated and marked trails. cost ...... $100

17. Clean up and restore damaged informal campsites. Cost ...... I&E $13

18. Request reports on incidents involving pack or saddle animals. Cost ...... I&E #13

19. Request reports of complaints about dogs, flsk rangers to explain the rules and their reasons. Cost ...... I&â #13

20. Incorporate wilderness education into internal meetings and annual orientations, Cost ...... 5200 Trn 21- Include a segment on wilderness education for each annual Chamber of Commerce meeting, Provide brochures for distribution at Chamber offices. Cost ...... 5100

22. Present the youth wilderness education program to local schools, scout troops and other youth organizations. Cost,...... $300

23. Post signs at parking lots and on snowmobile and off-road vehicle trails in the vicinity of the wilderness reminding users that they must stay on designated and marked trails, and that this policy applies throughout the Green Mountain National Forest. Cost ...... ACCESS 84

24. Ask ranQers and the public to identify areas of illegal access, and to

' try to reach operators of snowmobiles and other vehicles and explain wilderness restrictions. Cost ...... I&E #I3

25. Meet uith park rangers at Woodford State Park for wilderness education. Cost ...... I&â $13

26. Continue wilderness ranger coverage in George 0. Aikeri Wilderness. Cost ...... $3,000

27. hsk the Vermont Division of Air Pollution Control, the Environmental 1 Protection hgency Region 1 and the New York State Department of Envlronmental Conservation to notlfy w~ldernessmanagers of local sources of pollut~on. cost ...... #$I00

28. Honitor water quality ln the West Branch of the Deerfleid River. Cost ...... $500

29. Request reports on any vlolatlov of the Wilderness Act on mineral explorat~on,development or extraction. Cost ...... I&E $13

30. Support efforts to reintroduce extirpated species that are compatlbie wlth overall wllderness objectives. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

31. Address potential lmpacts of all proposed projects on wilderness wlldlife and habitat through the environmental analysls process.

Cost...... a. ..OTHER FUNDS

32. Work. with the State of Vermont to end stocking. cost ...... $100

33. Contlnue data collection for baseline and control informat~onon flsh populations and habitat. Cost ...... ,...... $St10

34. Perform an Envlronmental Analysis before implementing actlons to contrgl lnsect or disease outbreaks. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

35. Place signs at known entry polnts and at other perlpneral locations where signs are installed explaining the ban on vehlcle use in the wilderness, including the fact that vehicles are permitted only on deslgnated and marked tralls in any part of the Forest. Cost ...... ACCESS g4

36. Incorporate information for publications to expla~nthe ban on vehlcie use ln the wilderness, including the fact that vehlcles are permitted only on deslgnated and marked trails In any part of the Forest. Cost ...... I&E 88-10

37. Ask wllderness rangers and volunteers to report instances or evldence of vehicle ~ntrusloninto the wllderness. Cost ...... I&E #I0

38. Monltor vehlcle lntruslon to determine whether stronger enforcement measures are necessary. Cost ...... I&E #9, I0

39. Contact real estate agents serving the area and ask. them to lnform the Forest when owners of adjacent prlvate parcels may wlsh to sell. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS 40. Discuss wilderness restrictions on motorized use with the Vermont ^ Department of Public Safety, so the state police can help inform snowmobilers and off-road vehicle users. Coat ...... TRAILS #6

41. Designate a representative from the Supervisor's Office and from the Manchester Ranger District to coordinate wilderness research activities. Cost ...... $100

42. Continue cooperative committee with the Northeast Forest Experiment Stat ion. Cost...... OTHER FUNDS

43. Incorporate research results in an information file at the Hanchester Ranger District. Cost ...... I&E #I3

44. Request reports of flagging, and work with flagoers to eliminate it. Cost ...... I&E $13

45. Continue campsite monitoring. Cost ...... I0E $13

46. Enforce closure to pack and saddle animals through appropriate closure orders.

47. Sign to inform of closure to pack and saddle animals. Cost...... $100

48. Post the requirement that dogs must be under owner control. Cost ...... ACCESS 86

49. Include rules on dogs and the reasons for them in the George D. Aiken Wilderness Brochure. Cost ...... I&E 87

50. Include rules on dogs and the reasons for them in wilderness-related displays. Cost ...... I&E #I5

51. Attend meetings of local game wardens and other state fish and wildlife officers and present wilderness education. Cost ...... $100

52. Monitor area-sensitive forest interior songbirda. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

53. Monitor camp access routes for vehicle intrusion after closure, and enforce the closure if necessary. ~ Cost ...... I8E 810 ^ 54. Monitor noise pollution from snowmobile and off-road vehicle use on trails near the wilderness. Cost ...... $200

55. Determine the importance of George D. Aiken Wilderness to state and federally listed species. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

56. Conduct private boundary establishment and maintenance. Cost...... TO BE DETERMINED

57. If necessary, contact encroaching landouners to explain the concern and discuss mitigation measures. Cost ...... AS NEEDED

58. Assess activities on more distant lands that have the potential to harm the wilderness. Contact landowners as necessary. Cost...... AS NEEDED

59. Schedule internal boundary establishment as needed to protect the Ill ilderness from adjacent management activities (e.g. timber sales). Cost...... OTHER FUNDS

60. Communicate with and try to influence any entity whose activities or regulations are having or may have an adverse effect on the wilderness. Cost...... AS NEEDED

FISCAL YEAR 1997 WILDERNESS FUNDS NEEDED: ...... $18,300 FISCAL YEAR 1998

1. Collect stand inventory data, and map the location of exotic plant species. Cost ...... $5,000

2. Install permanent vegetative plots. Cost ...... $500

3. Identify additional potential habitat for endangered, threatened or rare plant species. Cost...... OTHER FUNDS

4. Monitor succession in the area logged in the 19605. Cost ...... $300

5. Itemize and schedule cultural resource protection projects to address site needs. Cost ...... TO BE DETERMINED

6. Identify sensitive wildlife habitats. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

7. Determine the importance of George D. Aiken Wilderness to state and federally listed species. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

8. Monitor for trespass and maintain signs. Cost ...... I&E $3

FY 1998 ONGOING ACTIVITIES

9. Monitor soil erosion and compaction. Cost...... I&E $13

10. Evaluate the best way to resolve soil degradation problems, and implement restoration measures where needed. Cost ...... $300

11. Hold meetings to educate volunteer fire departments in the towns of Bennington, Woodford and Searsburg on wilderness fire policy. Cost ...... $200

12. Host regular workshops with siate police and representatives from Bennington, Whitingham, and Wilmington Search and Rescue departments, and from Prospect Mountain Ski Area, to provide information about wilderness values and restrictions. Cost ...... $200

13. Request state and local notificationof land use activities that may affect the wilderness. ^\ Cost ...... $100 14. Update bulletin boards. Cost ...... $300

15. Monitor access routes to sites of private camps after closure. Cost ...... I&E $13

16. Identify and collect data on unknown trails and routes. Cost ...... I&E #13

17. Work with the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers and snowmobile clubs in southern New England that are active near the wilderness to ensure their membership understands that vehicles are permitted only on designated and marked trails. Cost ...... !§I0

18. Clean up and restore damaged informal campsites. Cost ......

19. Request reports on incidents involving pack or sadd e animals. Cost;...... I&E#13

20. Request reports of complaints about dogs. Ask rangers to explain the rules and their reasons. Cost ...... I&E #I3 21. Incorporate wilderness education into internal meetings and annual orientations. Cost ...... $200

22. Include a segment on wilderness education for each annual Chamber of Commerce meeting. Provide brochures for distribution at Chamber offices. Cost ...... $100

23. Present the youth wilderness education program to local schools, scout troops and other youth organizations. Cost ...... $300

24. Post signs at parking lots and on snowmobile and off-road vehicle trails in the vicinity of the wilderness reminding users that they must stay on designated and marked trails, and that this policy applies throughout the Green Mountain National Forest. Cost ...... ACCESS $4

25. Ask rangers and the public to identify areas of illegal access, and to try to reach operators of snowmobiles and other vehicles and explain wilderness restrictions. Cost ...... I&E #13

25. Meet uith nark racgcrs at Ucodford State Pork for wilderness education. Cost ...... I&E #I3

27. Continue wilderness ranger coverage in George D. Aiken Wilderness. Cos...... $3,000 28. Ask the Uermont Division of Air Pollution Control, the Environmental Protection Agency Region 1 and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to notify wilderness managers of local sources of pollution. Cost ...... $100

29. Monitor water quality in the West Branch of the Deerfield River. Cost ...... $500

30. Request reports on any violation of the Wilderness Act on mineral exploration, development or extraction. Cost ...... I&E #13

31. Support efforts to reintroduce extirpated species that are compatible with overall wilderness objectives. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

32. Address potential impacts of all proposed projects on wilderness wildlife and habitat through the environmental analysis process. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

33. Work with the State of Uermont to end stocking. Cost ...... $100

34. Continue data collection for baseline and control information on fish populations and habitat. Cost ...... $500

35. Perform an Environmental Analysis before implementing actions to control insect or disease outbreaks. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

36. Place signs at known entry points and at other peripheral locations where signs are installed explaining the ban on vehicle use in the wilderness, including the fact that vehicles are permitted only on designated and marked trails in any part of the Forest. Cost ...... ACCESS $4

37. Incorporate information for publications to explain the ban on vehicle use in the wilderness, including the fact that vehicles are permitted only on designated and marked trails in any part of the Forest. Cost ...... I&E #8-10

38. Ask wilderness rangers and volunteers to report instances or evidence of vehicle intrusion into the wilderness. Cost ...... I&E #I0

39. Monitor vehicle intrusion to determine whether stronger enforcement measures are necessary.

~ Cost ...... I&E $9, 10 T 40. Contact real estate agents serving the area and ask them to inform the Forest when owners of adjacent private parcels nay wish to sell. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

41. Discuss wilderness restrictions on motorized use uith the Vermont Department of Public Safety, so the state police can help inform snowmobilers and off-road vehicle users. Cost ...... TRAILS $6

42. Designate a representative from the Supervisor's Office and from the Manchester Ranger District to coordinate wilderness research activities. Cost ...... 5100

43. Continue cooperative committee uith the Northeast Forest Experiment Station. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

44. Incorporate research results in an information file at the Hanchester Ranger District. . Cost ...... IbE $13

45. Request reports of flagging, and work with flaggers to eliminate it. Cost ...... IbE 813

46. Continue campsite monitoring. Cost ...... IbE #I5

47. Enforce closure to pack and saddle animals through appropriate closure orders. Cost ...... $100

48. Sign to inform of closure to pack and saddle animals. Cost ...... 5200

49. Post the requirement that dogs must be under owner control. Cost ...... ACCESS 86

50. Include rules on dogs and the reasons for them in the George D. Aiken Wilderness Brochure. Cost ...... I&E $7

51. Include rules on dogs and the reasons for them in wilderness-related displays. Cost ...... I&E $15

52. Attend meetings of local game wardens and other state fish and wildlife officers and present wilderness education. Cost ...... $100

55. Monitor area-sensit ive forest interior songbirds. Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS 54. Monitor camp access routes for vehicle, intrusion after closure, and -^ enforce the closure if necessary. Cost ...... I&E $10

55. Monitor noise pollution from snoumobile and off-road vehicle use on trails near the wilderness. Cost...... 5200

56. Prepare brief summaries of cultural resource information for maps, brochures or other interpretive materials. Cost ...... $500 57. Determine the importance of George 0. Aiken Uilderness to state and federally listed species, Cost...... OTHER FUNDS

58. Conduct private boundary establishment and maintenance. Cost...... TO BE DETERMINED

59. If necessary, contact encroaching landowners to explain the concern and discuss mitigation measures. Cost ...... AS NEEDED

60. Asses3 activities on more distant lands that have the potential to harm the wilderness. Contact landowners as necessary. Cost ...... AS NEEDED

61. Schedule internal boundary establishment as needed to protect the ^ wilderness from adjacent management activities (e.g. timber sales). Cost ...... OTHER FUNDS

62. Communicate with and try to influence any entity whose activities or regulations are having or nay have an adverse effect on the wilderness. Cost ...... AS NEEDED

FISCAL YEAR 1998 UILOERNESS FUNDS NEEDED: ...... $13,000 APPENnIX 4

PUBLIC INUOLVEMENT PROCESS

Introduction

The public played an especially active role in developing the George D. Aiken Wilderness Plan. Rather than developing a draft and submitting it for review and comment by the public, we recruited members of the public to join Forest Service employees in a core team to identify issues and draft a Plan to deal with them.

We also used an unusual method to seek and coordinate public involvement and draft the Plan. The Forest Service developed a co-operative agreement with The Student Conservation Association, Inc., of Charlestown, N.H., to solicit volunteers for the core team, coordinate their activities, and draft the Plan. The Association, in turn, contracted with Richard Andrews of Andover, Vt., a writer and editor who had worked as a volunteer on the Lye Brook Wilderness Plan, to do the work.

This method worked well. It kept the planning process moving, despite the pressing demands of other work on the District. More importantly, it released Forest Service employees from the role of facilitating meetings and coordinatin~ drafts, so they could become co-equal members of the core team and avoid the appearance of inposing their will on the group.

Chrono 1 ogy

The process began in the fall of 1992, when we began to plan ways to inform members of the public of the wilderness management plannin~process and to encourage them to volunteer to help develop management strategies.

News releases in local newspapers in Bennington, flanchester, Rutland and Brattleboro described the planning process, requested comments from the public, and invited readers to send for a questionnaire. A similar news release was placed in the Long Trail News, the newsletter of the Green Mountain Club. Releases also went to college newspapers in the area and to out-of-state papers in nearby towns, including Williamstown, Mass.

Dan Kreger, an environmental studies student at Southern Uermont College in Bennington, helped compile a media list and write news releases to invite the public to participate. He also arranged a radio interview in January, 1993, to publicize the public involvement process. The interview aired on the Dialog program on WHGC FM. Interviewees were Ed Meinzer, a Southern Uermont College student in environmental studies who researched wetlands evolution in the wilderness; Diane Strohm, a forester on the Manchester District; and Richard Andrews.

Under the direction ofUerne Howe, an instructor for Southern Uermont College's environmental studies courses, several other Southern Uermont students conducted projects intended to obtain information for the planning process about the George D. Aiken Wilderness as well as meet to their course requirements. Studies of wetlands evolution, water quality, and the ^ possible occurrence of black-backed woodpeckers were among them.

Letters requesting comments and opinions, and offering to send a questionnaire, were mailed to 60 people on the Green Mountain National Forest's standing list of parties interested in all forest management decisions.

Questionnaires also were distributed at the 1992 annual meeting of the Bennington Section of the Green Mountain Club, when Kreger and Andrews presented information on the planning process to the members. Adrian Uillaruz, Manchester District Biologist, attended an Audubon Club meeting to explain the process and distribute questionnaires.

We telephoned people who had expressed interest in earlier wilderness planning efforts, and contacted others suggested to us, to invite them to participate.

Kreger and Andrews also attended a meeting of the Town of Woodford Selectmen to explain the planning process and invite their comments and participation. The selectmen welcomed the information. They said they did not have time to take part in the planning process, but they wanted to comment on the draft Plan. They also said they generally supported preserving the wilderness in its current condition.

Twenty-five people returned questionnaires, and some telephoned or sent letters with additional comments. Forest Service employees also identified wilderness management issues.

About 35 Forest Service employees and members of the public formed a core team that reviewed and added to the list of management concerns, researched and analyzed them, and developed a draft Wilderness Plan. The team included an employee of the Uermont Department of Forests and Parks, and we made a special effort to be sure representatives of the State reviewed relevant sections of the Plan (for instance, material relating to fish and wildlife and the management of Woodford State Park). The core team met at various locations about once a month from December, 1992, to October, 1993, with a typical attendance of 12 to 20 people.

Uolunteers for the team also were invited on a field trip into the wilderness on December 5, 1992, to get a feel for the area. A group of about a dozen enjoyed the first good snowfall of the winter on skis when we went in to one of the many ponds in George D. Aiken Wilderness. Charley and Barbara Hine of Brattleboro, who know the wilderness intimately, led the group.

A list of core team members is at the end of this appendix. Also included are a record of meeting dates, a list of Forest Service specialists who drafted or reviewed sections of the Plan, and results of the questionnaire on wilderness issues. At each meeting of the core team, we kept notes of comments on flip chart -9 paper. Richard Andrew expanded the notes into minutes after each meeting, and mailed them to the core team, along with drafts of sections of the Plan indicating revisions resulting from their comments and from other input, The original notes, the minutes and the progression of revised drafts are on file at the Nanchester District Office.

Also on file and available for inspection are copies of news releases and letters inviting participation; letters and notes of telephone contacts recording comments on the Plan; announcements, agendas, mailing lists and attendance lists for core team meetings; and other materials relating to public involvement.

After development by the core team, the draft was sent to a list of interested parties who wished to comment on it, but did not have the time to participate in core team meetings. It was then reviewed and revised by the Forest Service before approval by the Manchester District Ranger. Core Team Particiuants (2 meetings or more) John Holme Richard Andrews P.0. Box 474 RR 1 Eox 190 Chester UT 05143 Andover VT 051 43 802-875-4392 802-875-3613 (home, work2 fax) Cynthia Locklin Wally Elton, Director 700 Jefferson Hei~hts Resource Assistant Program Bennington , UT 0520 1 Student Conservation Association 802-442-2854 P.O. Eox 550 Charlestown , NH 03603 Keith Marino 603-543-1700 103 John Street Eennington UT 05201 Rich Gay 802-442-5015 730 Stage Rd. Hal i fax , UT 05358 Ed Meinzer 802-368-7033 RR 2 Box 385 Arlington, UT 05250 William Giezentanner 802-375-1111 278 Eliot Street Natick, MA 01760 Robert Muth 508-655-4275 ( day ) Dept. of Forestry 8 Wildlife 508-655-6572 ( home Management 802-388-6115 (Ripton) Holdsworth Hall University of Massachusetts Andrew Goldberg Amherst MA 01003 Preserve Appalachian Wilderness 117 Main Street Susan Neustadt Brattleboro, UT 05301 730 Stage Rd. 802-257-4878 Hal i fax, UT 05358 802-368-7033 Bill Guenther Windham County Forester Kent Newkirk Wiswell Hill Road Prospect Mountain RR 1 Eox 2246 HCR 65, Box 760 Newfane, UT 05345 Woodford, UT 05201 802-365-4252 ( h 802-442-2575 (work 1 802-257-7967 ( w Bob Pramuk David Hardy Green Nountain National Forest Eox 206 231 North Main St. Moscow VT 05662 Rutland, UT 05702 802-747-6722 Linda Hay RR 3, Box 116 Diane Strohm Brat t leboro , VT 0530 I Green Mountain National Forest 802-254-6294 (home ) Manchester Ranger District 802-254-3743 (work ) RR 1 , Box 1940 Manchester Center, UT 05255 Barb and Charley Hine 802-362-2307 233 Grandview Street Benning t on, VT 0520 I Ellen Uiereck RR 1, Box 380 North Bennington, UT 05257 802-442-5535

Steve Whit ham . Prospect Mountain HCR 65, Box 760 Woodford, UT 05201 802-442-2575 ( uork ) 802-423-76 18 ( home )

Robert Woolmington Uitten, Saltonstall & Woolmington P.O. Box 620 Bennington, UT 05201-0620 802-442-6324 (uork 1

Hatthew Jacobson Preserve Appalachian Wilderness 48 Elliot Street Brattleboro, UT 05301 802-257-4878 ( work 1 Core Team Draft Reviewers Laura Hollingshead Ray Auger ' PO Box I616 Student Conservation Association Wilmington UT 05363 P.O. Box 550 Charles town, NH 03603 Uern Howe 603-826-4301 Southern Uermont College Bennington UT 05201 Lars Botzojorn Director, Field Programs Rick Kelley Green Mountain Club RR 1 Box 2708 RR 1, Box 650 Manchester VT 05255 Waterbury Center, UT 05677 802-362- 12% 802-244-7037 Christy Kenigsberg John J. Daigle Taconic Tri-State Audubon Forest Recreation Investment RR 2 Box 874 Research Shaftsbury UT 05262 University of Massachusetts Holdsworth Hall Larry Kuznar Amherst MA 01 003 3280 Sunrise Lake tel 413-545-9100 Milford PA I8337 fax 413-545-1860 717-686-2g58

Dr. James C. Dawson Erik Johnstone Center for Earth and c/o Verne Howe Environmental Science Southern Uermont College State University of New York Bennington , VT 05201 Plattsburg, NY 12901 51 8-643-9289 (home, with Thomas 14. Line11 answering machine) 46 Rip Road 5 1 8-564-4035 ( work 1 Hanover, NH 03755 603-643-3397 Carrie Desmarais 65 Gothic St. Robert Manning Northampton MA 01060 School of Natural Resources 4 13-566-339 I 356 Aiken Center University of Vermont Russ Eastwood Burlington UT 05404 Green Mountaln National Forest 802-658-2684 Middlebury Ranger District RD 4, Box I260 Joy McKenna Middlebury, UT 05753 PO Box 75 802-388-4362 Bennington UT 05201

Blake & Pauline Gardner Joel Shorter RR 1 , Box 3730 Box 252 Benning t on, UT 0520 1 Petersburg NY 12138 802-447-2488 Alison Tt-mbrid~e Cindy Hill Vermont Natural Resources Council 70 Court Street PO Box I820 Middlebury, UT 05753 Manchester Center UT 05255 802-388-1664 Ron Wan Orden South Stream Rd. Bennington UT 05201 802-447-7927

Jim White Federal Building 118 South Street Bennington UT 05201 Schedule of Core Team Meetinos

Date Place

Prospect Mt. Ski Areal Woodford - Field Trip

Southern Vermont College, Bennington

Prospect Mt. Ski Area, Woodford

Mark Skinner Library, Plancheater

UUM Extension Service, Brattleboro

Prospect Mt. Ski kea, Woodford

Prospect Mt. Ski Area, Woodford

UUM Extension Services Brattleboro

Prospect Mt. Ski hrea, Woodford

Forest Service Contributors and Reviewera

Clayton Grove, Wildlife Biologist Wildlife

Bob Pramuk Trailheads and Accessl Private Structures, Trails

Wayne Kingsley Air, Fire

Nancy Eurt , Soils Scientist Soils, Minerals, Water

Diane Strohm, Forester Vegetationl Research, Insects and Disease

David Lacy, Archaeologist Cultural Resources

Steve Roy, Fisheries Biologist Fisheries Results of Pub-on . . QuntionnaireFi

1 1 Quest ions

25 Returned Questionnaires

1. ftre there areas in George D. ftiken Wilderness that seem crowded or dama~ed(for example, by soil erosion)?

Yes 0

N 0 5

Don't know 20

Many people left this question blank. They are listed under "don't know. "

2. There are no managed trails in George D. Aiken Wilderness. Do you feel there should be? If so, what level of construction (for example, quality of bridges), maintenance and signing should there be?

Yes 9

Most who said "yesn recommended unobtrusive trails, if use warrants them, with minimal signing. Others added that if use is heavy, trails should be capable of withstand in^ it--for example, firm surfaces, water bars, board walks across wet areas. Simple bridges seemed acceptable to those who accept trails.

3. There are no designated campsites in George D. Aiken Wilderness. Do you feel there should be? If so, what equipment (for example, fire rings or toilets 1 should they have?

Maybe 1

Many said campsites should only be provided if there is evidence of heavy use. A few respondents appeared to be familiar with developed roadside campsites, but not with typical backcountry sites, which may have influenced their answers. 4. Do you feel there should be facilities (for example, trails or campsites) for physically handicapped people? If so, what should be provided, and do you know of good places for this?

Yes 6

Those who said "yes" suggested a short trail or an easily accessible scenic area. Some of those who said "no" noted that people of average physical ability require unusual determination to reach many w ilderness places (and some are inaccessible to almost all people). Some also predicted that handicapped trails would be abused by all-terra in vehicles, bicycles and four-wheel-drive vehicles.

5. How do you feel about the presence of dogs and horses in the Wilderness7

Both OK 9

Horses OK 1

Dogs OK 9

Neither OK 6

A majority of people felt that dogs on leashes (preferred) or under voice control would be acceptable. Many felt the area too wet for horses. Those who approved of horses said there should be separate horse trails, that horses might be a way for handicapped people to experience the wilderness, and that permits might be needed to control impacts.

6. What is your opinion of action to reduce impacts of people on the wilderness (for example, restricting use, requiring permits or reservations, restricting campfire use, banning dogs or requiring them to be on leashes )7

Favor 5

Favor if impacted 9

Do not favor 11

Those who did not favor restrictions said usage of the area was very low. Most who favored restrictions said they should only be applied as needed to protect resources if education fails.

7. Have you seen evidence of illegal use in the wilderness (for example, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, mountain bikes, shelter construction)? In what areas did you find these activities?

Yes 9

N o 16 Most of those who said "yes" were concerned about snowmobiles, with particular mention of the Dewey Road. One person had seen four-wheel-drive intrusion from the West Branch of the Deerfield River, and one mentioned all-terrain vehicles near Woodford State Park. Many who said "no" had spent little or no time in the wilderness.

8a. Do you believe the general public understands the purposes of wilderness designation?

Yes 0

8b. Does the public understand what kinds of activities are permissible?

Yes 0

8c. Should the Forest Service make a special effort to inform visitors about wilderness ethics?

Yes 2 1

The minority said those who value wilderness will make an effort to find out about it.

8d. Do you have suggestions on ways to raise the level of awareness?

Suggestions included:

+* Posters at access points (including clear boundary marking at points of intrusion); ++ Radio showsi *+ Brochures (the current leaflet was praised); ++ Press releases; ++ Programs in schools; ++ Talks with user, conservation and civic groups; and ++ Presentations at town meetings.

9. Are there things you would be willing to do as a partner in managing George D, Aiken Wilderness (for example, building or maintaining trails, informing visitors, monitoring recreational use levels or trail or campsite conditions )?

Yes ! 4

Most who said "no" cited distance or time as constraints. 3 10. The Student Conservation Association is looking for volunteers to help draft a management strategy for George D. Aiken Wildernes~. If you would like to volunteer, please check the role or roles you would like to fill:

(7) Core team member. Members will be asked to attend meetings about once a month for nine months to identify and discuss issues and to review drafts of the strategy. Some members may be asked to help write parts of the strategy.

(1 Part-time core tean member to help with the following particular issues:

(9) Reviewer of drafts of the management strategy.

11. Are there additional comments you wish to make or topics you are interested in?

Most people left this blank, suggesting the questionnaire covered most concerns. However, there were some comments:

Trapping may be excessive.

Money should be spent on wildlife and ecology study rather than building trails or campsites.

Inholdings tend to create illegal snowmobile use, which should be monitored.

Leave the wilderness alone.

We should consider whether to limit hunting.

Some western wilderness areas are overdevelopedi avoid that here.

Forest Service staff members should balance their time between wilderness and non-wilderness areas.

Try to enroll local (Woodford-Searsburg) residents for input.

All of the questions are difficult issues. APPENDIX B

yiLDERNESS POL ICY BACKGROUND

Excerots from Wilderness Acts. and Forest Service Guidelines

1964 WILDERNESS ACT (Public Law 88-577)

"To assure that an increasing population, accompanied by expanding settlement and orowing mechanization, does not occupy and modify all areas within the United States..."

"Secure for the American people of present and future generations the benefits of an enduring resource of wilderness ..."

Manaaement Direction

"Shall be administered for the use and enjoyment of the American people in such a manner as will leave them unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as Wilderness, and 50 as to provide for the protection of these areas, the preservation of their Wilderness character ...'

Wilderness Definition

A Wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community are untrammeled' [unhindered by restraints] "by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain..."

"Land retaining its primeval character and influence without permanent improvements or habitation ..." protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions, and which

(1) generally appears to have been affected prinarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man's work substantially unnoticeable7

(2) has outstanding opportunities for solitude or a primitive and unconfined type of recreation; (3) may also contain ecological, geological, or other features of scientific, educational, or historical value."

Use of Wilderness

Each agency administering any area designated as wilderness shall be responsible for preserving the wilderness character of the area and shall so administer such area for such other purposes for which it may have been established as also to preserve its Wilderness character. Wilderness areas shall be devoted to the public purposes of recreational, scenic, scientific, educational, conservation, and historic use."

...these and similar areas in the eastern half of the United States be promptly designated as Wilderness within the National Wilderness Preservation System, in order to preserve such areas as an enduring resource of Wilderness, which shall be managed to promote and perpetuate the Wilderness character of the land and its specific values of solitude, physical and mental challenge, scientific study, inspiration, and primitive recreation for the benefit of all the American people of present and future ^

generat ions. "

flanaaement Direction

"...the wilderness areas designated by or pursuant to this Act shall be managed by the Secretary of Agriculture in accordance with the provisions of the Wilderness Act."

gb iect ives

1. Maintain and perpetuate the enduring resource of Wilderness as one of the multiple uses of National Forest System Land. - - 2. Maintain Wilderness in such a manner that ecosystems are unaffected by human manipulation and influences so that plants and animals develop and respond to natural forces.

3. Minimize the impact of those kinds of user and activities generally prohibited by the Wilderness Act, but specifically excepted by the Act of subsequent legislation.

4. Protect and perpetuate Wilderness character and public values including, but not limited to, opportunities for scientific study, education, solitude, physical and mental challenge, stimulation, inspiration, and primitive recreational experiences. 5. Gather information and carry out research in a manner compatible uith preserving the Wilderness environment to increase understanding of Wilderness ecology, Wilderness uses, management opportunities, and visitor behavior.

1984 VERMONT WILDERNESS ACT (Pub1 ic Law 98-322 )

Puroose

"To preserve such areas as an enduring resource of wilderness ... managed to perpetuate and protect watersheds and wildlife habitat, preserve scenic and historic resources, and promote scientific research, primitive recreation, solitude, physical and mental challenge, and inspiration for the benefit of all Americans to a grater extent than is possible in the absence of wilderness designation."

Policy

"In the vicinity of major population centers and in the more populous eastern half of the United States there is an urgent need to identify, designate, and preserve areas of wilderness...''

Suitable lands in Uermont "are increasingly threatened by the pressures of a growing and concentrated population, expanding settlement, spreading mechanization, and development and uses inconsistent with the protection, maintenance, and enhancement of their wilderness character;"

An area is suitable for wilderness even "though man's works may have been present in the past,... may be so restored by natural influences as to generally appear to have been affected primarily by the forces of nature, with the imprint of man's work substantially unnoticeable, and may ...contain certain preexisting, nonconforming uses, improvements, structures . . . "

Administration

In accordance with the provisions of the Wilderness Act ..." (Public Law 88-57?, 1964 )

Will not affect "the jurisdiction or responsibilities of the State of Vermont with respect to wildlife and fish in the national forest .,."

Notwithstanding any provision of the Wilderness Act or any other provision of law,... the LongTrail and related structures, and the associated trails of ...the Long Trail ...may be maintained." REGIONAL GUIDE

An essentially natural unmodified environment will be featured, often consisting of mature forest, with shade-tolerant vegetation and associated wildlife.

Access within the areas may be by foot and horse trail, as needed. No utility corridors, roads, or motorized uses will be permitted, unless specifically allowed by the establishing act or subsequent amendments. The areas will be essentially free of structures. Mineral exploration is permitted until December 31, 1983, to the extent that the areas will continue to meet Wilderness classification standards. Facilities may be present when necessary to protect the wilderness character.

The areas oenerally will be 5,000 contiguous acres or larger, with the surface and subsurface generally in public ownership to adequately coordinate management.

STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES

J800 Land and Re3ource Mamment Plannin~

Ueoetative Nanaoement Manage vegetation only to protect Wilderness values or to protect adjacent property from fire or pests.

2100 Environmental Man-

Air Quality. Each Forest will advise the Regional Forester of areas where redesignation to Class I air quality area is necessary to protect Wilderness or other unique National Forest System Lands.

Pesticide Use Use pesticides in designated Wilderness only when necessary to prevent the loss of significant aspects of the designated Wilderness, or to prevent significant losses or to restore values on private or public lands bordering the Wilderness. Obtain Regional Forester approval for all pesticide applications in Wilderness.

2200 Ranoe Mananement

Grazing will not be peri'iitted, unless authorized by the Act establishing the Wilderness. -9 2300 Recreation Mananement

Feature primitive and/or semi-primitive non-motorized ROS [Recreational Opportunity Spectrum1 class recreation opportunities. Allow recreational use consistent with protecting Wilderness values.

Trails Trail management will be compatible with the ROS objective of the area.

Forests will not provide trails for motorized use, except as provided for in Public Law 95-495 (Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness).

Of f-Road Vehicles (ORU ORV use will be permitted only when specifically authorized by the Act establishing the Wilderness.

Cultural Resources. Forests will set priorities for, and will schedule evaluation of, cultural resources for the National Register of Historic Places.

Assess the nature and degree of damage to cultural resources caused by vandalism, visitor use, and natural deterioration, and indentify protective measures to be implemented.

Cultural resource values within a Wilderness may be stabilized and preserved when these values are compatible with and enhance Wilderness values.

On-site cultural resource interpretation will not occur in this goal 'area.

Visual Qualitv Management activities will meet the visual quality objectives of preservation or retention for all activity levels, distance zones, and variety classes.

2400 Timber Manaoement

Silvicultural Svstems Silvicultural Systems are not applicable to this management goal.

H~rvestCuttina Methods. Timber is not harvested under this management goal.

2500 Water and Soil Management

Control measures to mitigate erosion will be commensurate with soil characteristics, expected use, and mnagemen? objectives of the area.

Limit watershed imp.rovement projects to correcting problems caused by people and natural disasters that threaten downstream health and safety, 2600 Wildlife Habitat Manaaement

Recognize the special needs of wildlife species that require isolation, consistent with the Act establishing the Wilderness,

Forest Plans will provide for fish management and research in Wilderness, consistent with the Act establishing the wilderness.

2700 Soecial Uses Manaoement

Utility Transmission Corridors Note: See also 7000 Transportation System, Corridors.

Corridors for reservoirs, water conservation works, power projects, transmission lines, and other facilities are not permitted, except as authorized by the Act establishing the Wilderness.

Other Special Uses Special uses in Wilderness areas uill not be permitted, except as authorized by the Act establishing the Wilderness, and will not be considered on an individual basis.

2800 Minerals and Geolow

Mineral Exoloration Provide for needed surface disturbing exploration until December 31, 1983, subject to valid existing rights, public law, and to the extent that the area will continue to meet Wilderness classification standards.

Mineral Develonment Provide for the consideration of the extraction of those minerals for which rights were established prior to December 31, 1983.

5100 Fire Manaaement

Fires will be managed under established burning prescriptions. Fire will be suppressed when it cannot be kept within prescriptions.

7300 Buildinns and Structures

No building or structures will be constructed, except as authorized by the Act establishing the Wilderness.

Activities

Water" Suoolv

Drinking water sources will not be developed. solid waste

Emphasize and promote use of the carry-in/carry-out method of disposal.

Landfill disposal sites will not be provided.

Roads will not be provided, except as required by the Act establishing the Wilderness.

GREFN MOUNTAIN NATIONAL FOREST PLAN

Recreation

Manage to provide Primitive Recreation Opportunities.

Whenever practical, campsites outside of the Long Trail-Appalachian Trail corridor should be managed in ways which make them barely recognizable as camping areas.

Only minimal physical changes and structures should exist at most sites (e.g. simple, rock fire rings).

Frequently visited campsites can be managed in ways which make them readily identifiable as campsites (e.~.ground vegetation may be worn away around fire rings and gathering areas).

Any physical changes and structures should be limited to those needed to prevent deterioration of the site by repeated use.

Monitor frequently visited sites carefully to detect and prevent excessive site deterioration.

Waterbars and other hand built structures may be used as necessary to control erosion.

Temporarily close, rehabilitate or permanently close and relocate any sites which show signs of advanced deterioration (e.g. bare mineral soil is widespread, soil erosion is obvious, tree roots are exposed and vegetation is reduced in vigor or dying).

Communicate a strong Wilderness ethic in all contacts with the public us in^ M.A. 5.1.

Apply high visual sensitivity standards to all portions of Wilderness.

Manage the Long Trail-Appalachian Trail corridor within Wilderness according to the Standards and Guidelines of M.A. 8.1A. yeaetation

Vegetative changes will be left to the forces of nature except as needed to build and maintain trails.

Fish and Wildlife

Threatened, endangered and rare species will be protected.

Fish stocking may continue in lakes where it has historically been done.

Habitat will be the result of natural forces.

Soil and Water

Erosion from excessive recreation use or other man-caused action will be corrected.

Review and evaluate air quality permit applications for proposed sources of major pollution emissions that may directly affect Lye Brook, the only Wilderness with a Class I designation.

Air quality related values in the Lye Brook Wilderness will be identified. Those values that are sensitive to changes in air quality and can be measured will be monitored to assess changes over time.

Public Health

Drinking water sources will not be developed.

Emphasize and promote use of the carry-in/carry-out method of disposal.

Wildfires will be suppressed. Preference will be given to methods and techniques which least alter the landscape and disturb the surface.

Normally suppression will be accomplished using hand tools. Chainsaws, portable pumps and other mechanized equipment will only be used after approval by the Forest Supervi'sor.

The use of motorized vehicles must be approved by the Regional Forester. [Note: The 1990 Fire Management Action Plan stipulates that approval for all motorized vehicle use can be made by the Forest Supervisor.]

Evidence and damaged caused by human intervention will be obliterated or repaired as a cost of the fire.

Inteorated Pest Mananement

Perform an Environmental Analysis before implementing actions to control outbreaks of insects and disease. Carefully weigh the effects of the outbreak on Wilderness values and resource values outside the Wilderness against the effects of any proposed actions.

Only use those methods of integrated pest management which have the least adverse impact on Wilderness values and are most compatible witth Wilderness management objectives.

Chemicals would only be used as a last resort.

Roads

There will be no roads built or maintained.

Corridors

There will be no utility corridors allowed.

Facilities

There will be no facilities except for those needed for the protection of Wilderness values and to improve the health, safety and enjoyment of Wilderness recreationists.

High priority will be given to acquiring lands or interest in lands: a) within and adjacent to Wildernesses in order to protect and enhance Wilderness values1 b) providing an improved system of access to Wildernesses, including lands which will enable better dispersion of recreationists entering Wilderness.

Give medium priority for acquisition or partial interest in lands within one-half mile of Wildernesses in order to protect and enhance Wilderness values.

Minerals

Consent to mineral exploration activities which do not disturb the surface or compromise Wilderness values in any way.

Minerals in Wilderness are unavailable for lease. APPENDIX C

PROPOSED ACTIVITIES REQUIRING ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS

This Wilderness Plan specifies activities that will provide the future conditions in each topic area. Hcwever, some of these activities could have significant environmental impacts, and will require further study before implementation. This will afford the public another chance to provide their thoughts on these activities. When initial study shows a potential for significant impact, aternatives to our proposed activities (including no action) will be carefully considered, and a decision made after this analysis.

This list is a prediction of all activities that should be subject to environmental analysis, as required in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Additional activities proposed in the Plan may be added to this list if it appears they may have a significant impact.

Access and Trailheads

I. Development of offsite view points (See Management Direction 5, Management Activity 5).

Tra i 13

2. Construction of trails if required to protect resources (See Management Direction 1, Management Activity 3). yenetat ion

3. Restoration of indigenous species or eradication exotic species (See Management Direction 5, Management Activity 7).

Fisheries

4. Restoration of fish habitat (See Management Activity 4).

5. Use of prescribed fire to restore pre-European conditions (See Management Activity 2).

Jnsects and Diseases

6. Control of insect and disease outbreaks (See Management Activity 1 ).