Virginia Wilderness Additions Act of 2023

Virginia Wilderness Additions Act of 2023

This bill

• adds specified additional lands in the George Washington National Forest (a part of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests in Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky) to the Rough Mountain Wilderness, and
• designates specified land in the forest as a potential wilderness area for incorporation into the Rich Hole Wilderness.

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) may use motorized equipment and mechanized transport in the potential wilderness area until it is incorporated into the Rich Hole Wilderness in order to enhance natural ecosystems by implementing certain activities to improve water quality and aquatic passage, as described in the Forest Service document titled Decision Notice for the Lower Cowpasture Restoration and Management Project and dated December 2015. In carrying out such water quality and aquatic passage improvement activities, USDA must use the minimum tool or administrative practice that has the least amount of adverse impact on wilderness character and resources.