June 3, 2015 PATC Trail Patrol One-on-One Training

The following pictures are from the day I did PATC Trail Patrol new member training for Greg F.

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The following signage located at the intersection of Old Rag, Weakley Hollow, and Berry Hollow fire roads AKA PO Junction shows all the area interior to the area bounded by Weakley Hollow Fire Road, the Ridge Trail and the Saddle Trail to be a NO CAMPING AREA.     I do not believe this signage is correct but until it is fixed folks may want to play it safe and abide by it.    If I see any SNP published information that says that it is incorrect I will post it on my blog but in the meantime it is what is being displayed at SNP's PO Junction information display.

May 16, 2015 PATC Trail Patrol One-on-One Training

A new ranger.

Judy S. the PATC Trail Patrol new member who I provided one-on-one training to this weekend.

Camping high on Old Rag had already been restricted in order to protect its rock outcrop areas.   The article below lists some new rock Shenandoah National Park outcrops where camping has just been restricted as well.

Rock outcrops tend to be:

• popular for their views (high use)
• fragile
• islands in the sky with unique ecosystems
• often have flora or fauna whose closest neighboring examples are hundreds of miles away

Shenandoah Closes Some Areas to Protect Outcrops

Posted: Oct 01, 2014 11:39 AM EDT Updated: Oct 01, 2014 11:42 AM EDT

 

Shenandoah National Park, photo courtesy of wikipedia.org

HARRISONBURG, Va. (AP) - Some campsites in Shenandoah National Park have been closed to protect rock outcrops that house rare plants and animals.

The closures are part of the park's new rock outcrop management plan. The plan prohibits access to the higher-altitude areas of several attractions, including Little Stony Man and areas of Overall Run Falls North and Mary's Rock.

Shenandoah spokeswoman Karen Beck-Herzog tells The Daily News-Record that the areas closed to camping were chosen because of their proximity to sensitive plant and animal populations.

Species considered at risk include Virginia pine, northern red oak and the Shenandoah salamander.

Beck-Herzog says park officials are monitoring areas closed to the public for regrowth and recovery.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Information from: Daily News-Record, http://www.dnronline.com