Fracking Threatens Trail Lands & Hiking

mowing down the forest

Photo by Samantha Malone, FracTracker

America needs energy. Hikers are no exception.  But a dirtier, more damaging and unconventional natural oil and gas development practice known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, represents a threat to a healthy, enjoyable hiking experience and a sustainable recreation economy for many areas of America.  Infamously linked to flaming water taps and contaminated streams and groundwater in the West and Northeast, the growing specter of fracking is casting a shadow over the hiking experience and conservation of the public lands around our hiking trails.

Understanding America’s need for energy, American Hiking Society does not oppose all fracking but does seek to convince federal land management agencies to address the placement of wells with full scientific knowledge of each well’s impact on the wildlife, water safety (hikers need access to drinkable water), and the recreation experience for which many of these lands were preserved in the first place.

The impact is real – fracking has taken a dirty and destructive toll on over 360,000 acres of land nationally since 2005 with more than 80,000 fracking wells drilled or permitted in 17 states.   Fracking leaves damaging, permanent footprints on our environment, harming trails and the hiking experience, degrading our water supplies with polluted wastewater (280 billion gallons of toxic wastewater in 2012 alone), and inflicts permanent damage to our lands and forests.  Fracking operations not only require parcels of land for well pads and compressor stations, but also fragments the forests and trail lands with wide roads and wide pipeline corridors. This not only impacts the hiking experience but also an area’s biodiversity and wildlife migration routes.

American Hiking is committed to protecting the interests of hikers such as you from the damaging and toxic effects of fracking on trail lands.  As oil and gas companies expand their fracking operations, national forests, national parks and other beloved public lands are under growing risk of disruption and fragmentation of natural habitat.  

Areas at risk from fracking that should be protected for current and future generations of hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts include:

1) George Washington National Forest, Virginia and West Virginia.  The Wilderness Society has identified the George Washington National Forest as one of the 12 most threatened “too wild to drill” places in America.  As the largest and most intact National Forest in the eastern United States, and just a short drive from our nation’s capital, the pristine forests of the George Washington protect an important stretch of the Appalachian Trail as well as the headwaters of the James and Potomac Rivers, which provide drinking water for more than five million people.   “Every year, $13.6 billion is spent on outdoor recreation in Virginia, supporting 138,200 Virginia jobs, generating $3.9 billion in wages and producing nearly $1 billion in tax revenue,” notes Gregory Miller, President of American Hiking Society. “The George Washington, Shenandoah Valley and Potomac recreation corridor provide spectacular outdoor recreation opportunities. Fracking is shortsighted and would permanently impair the natural and cultural heritage and beauty of Virginia for current and future generations.” 

2) White River National Forest, Colorado.  Drawing more than 9 million visitors per year for hiking, camping and other recreation, this is the most visited national forest in America. 

3) Otero Mesa, New Mexico.  Home to pronghorn antelope and a critical part of New Mexico’s natural heritage and recreation offerings.

4) Los Padres National Forest, California.  Located just outside of the Los Angeles suburbs this wild landscape is home to some of the world’s remaining California condors—and many miles of world class hiking trails.

The Union of Concerned Scientists cautions that federal legislation has exempted fracking and other unconventional oil and gas development from key provisions of national statutes, undermining our ability to apply the best science in reducing health, safety and environmental risks from fracking. 

Protecting the forests, waters and trails of beloved places like the George Washington and Los Padres National Forests is essential to a quality hiking experience for current and future generations.  

Please support American Hiking’s efforts to:

  • prevent the indiscriminate fracking of trail lands and the parks and forests where Americans enjoy hiking and other outdoor recreation;
  • mitigate the impact of fracking on the hiking experience in places where it has been thoughtfully approved after proper scientific analysis of its impact as well as public involvement;
  • make “the business case” for the economic value of trails and public lands through sustainable recreation, not unsustainable  and destructive extraction of non-renewable oil and gas; and
  • strengthen protection measures and inform and confront as necessary Congress and federal agencies to ensure your voice is heard.

You can help support these efforts when you make a generous tax-deductible gift today. 

Questions? Read our fracking FAQs