
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, September 4, 1994                   TAG: 9409060051
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

SCENIC AREA SET IN AMHERST COUNTY

Rep. Bob Goodlatte's first bill has been signed into law by President Clinton, designating 7,580 acres of national forest in Amherst County as the Mount Pleasant Scenic Area.

The bill was the product of a compromise between environmental groups, who wanted the headwaters of Amherst County's municipal water supply protected from logging, and timber interests, who didn't intend to log the mountain but opposed creating any additional "wilderness areas" for fear they might later expand.

While a wilderness designation prohibits motorized vehicles, the scenic area permits vehicles on a few, selected roads, Goodlatte said.

"Now, Mount Pleasant and the surrounding areas will be permanently protected under federal law," the Roanoke Republican said in a statement. "Both today's and future generations will be able to enjoy and use this magnificent region of Virginia for years to come."

The formal name of the scenic area will be the George Washington National Forest Mount Pleasant Scenic Area Act.

- Staff report

by CNB