Wilderness areas expanded in Vermont, New Hampshire

MONTPELIER, Vt. -- Thousands of acres in northern New England have officially been designated as wilderness by President Bush.

The president signed the New England Wilderness Act of 2006 on Dec. 1. It ordered 34,500 acres in New Hampshire's White Mountain National Forest and 42,000 in Vermont's Green Mountain National Forest to be preserved as wilderness.

But the wilderness bill, which prohibits motorized access including all-terrain vehicles, was not without controversy.

Environmental groups and political leaders praised the bill, saying it would preserve forever some of the most scenic places in the forests. But some timber groups and others opposed it, arguing among other things that it would not improve wildlife habitat.

Ed Larson of the Vermont Forest Products Association said he and his colleagues were angry that any wilderness was being added to the Green Mountain National Forest. "There's just no evidence, no need for forever locked-up, forever posted land, to us. That's not conservation," Larson said.

The Vermont Traditions Coalition also complained that Vermont's congressional delegation took the side of environmental groups over hunters, ATV riders and other users of the national forest.

The new designation adds 42,000 acres to designated wilderness areas in the 400,000-acre Green Mountain National Forest, bringing the total protected acreage to 101,000, or a quarter of the overall forest. The 800,000-acre White Mountain National Forest's wilderness areas will grow by 34,000 acres to 115,000 acres.