Downtown Pennington Gap
Veteran's Memorial Highway
Pennington Gap, VA 24277

The Tobacco & Fall Festival Theme is Harvest Time in Lee County. The day starts with a 5-K race and then continues with arts and crafts, live music, dancing, live entertainment - The Mayberry Deputy, home cooking, a parade, and much more. Come meet your friends and celebrate Lee County's heritage!

Date/Hours:
October

courtesy of US Forest service

The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests are home to many black bears - though sightings are rare.

Bears have a natural fear of humans. This fear helps them survive up to 15 years in the wild.

Our national forests are a refuge for wild animals, including dangerous animals like bears, alligators and poisonous snakes. Wild animals can be upset by human presence and can unexpectedly become aggressive. Do not give them a reason or an opportunity to attack. Always keep your distance. Your safety is your responsibility.
Special Considerations for Bear Country. When traveling in bear country the disposal of garbage takes on a new significance.

The primary concern here is safety, both for the visitor and for the bear.

Personal safety is the first priority; a bear can be a very dangerous animal if provoked or habituated to humans. Habituated means the bear is comfortable or used to be being around humans.
Safety of the bear is also a concern. Once a bear is habituated to people, usually because it associates people with food, it can rapidly become a problem bear and will have to be dealt with actively, sometimes at the expense of its life.
Though black bears present less of a threat to the personal safety of backcountry visitors than grizzly bears, the potential for personal injury does exist and preparations should be taken.

Hang food and strong smelling items at least 10 feet off the ground between trees and 4 feet away from the trunks of the trees.

Messy kitchens and food odors can attract bears.
Kitchens should be placed at least 100 feet from tent sites and, if possible, near streams or rivers. A conscientious low-impact camper always keeps a clean camp whether there are bears in the area or not.
If you suspect bears are in the area, all food, items with strong odors (toothpaste, bug repellent, soap, etc) and trash food must be kept at least 100 feet from tent and kitchen sites and hung at least 10 feet off the ground between trees and 4 feet away from the trunks of the tree or limbs. (Or use special food storage boxes and cable systems if available.)
Even with this preparation, black bears, who are adept at climbing, may still reach your food.
Bear resistant canisters can also be carried. These canisters are made from a strong ABS polymer with smooth sides and rounded edges so bears have nothing to grip onto. Stainless-steel locks are easy for humans to open with a coin or screwdriver.
Food brought to your tent invites danger to your sleeping area and;
Food left in your pack may result in a destroyed pack as the bear searches for the source of food odors.
Do not cook or store food in or near your tent (food odors on tent or gear may attract a bear.)
If a bear approaches, frighten it by yelling, banging pans together, or throwing rocks.
Do respect bears and admire them from a distance.
Pack out trash -- don't bury it.
At Campgrounds and Picnic Areas
Keep a clean site by properly disposing of:
All garbage, including fruit rinds and cores.
Aluminum foil (even from grills) that has been used to cook or store food.
Plastic wrap and bags that have stored food.
Cans and jars that are empty.
Pick up food scraps around your site.
Never leave food or coolers unattended (unless inside a vehicle or hard-sided camper).
Wipe down table tops before vacating your site.
If a bear approaches your site, pack up your food and trash. If necessary, attempt to scare the animal away with loud shouts, by banging pans together, or even throwing rocks and sticks at it. If the bear is persistent, move away slowly to your vehicle or another secure area.

Any Time You See A Bear
Do not feed or toss food to a bear or any wild animal.
Keep children close at hand.
Keep pets indoors or in a vehicle or camper.
Do not approach a bear--they may be dangerous. If it changes its natural behavior (feeding, foraging, or movement) because of your presence, you are too close.
Never surround or corner a bear.
Never run from a bear -- back slowly away and make lots of noise.
Encourage others to follow these instructions.
In the extreme case that you are attacked by a black bear, try to fight back using any object available. Act aggressively and intimidate the bear by yelling and waving your arms. Playing dead is not appropriate.

BOUCHER ANNOUNCES DROUGHT AID FOR SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA FARMERS

Farmers and Livestock Producers to Receive Federal Assistance

(Washington, D.C.) - U.S. Representative Rick Boucher announced today that farmers and livestock producers in Southwest Virginia will be eligible to receive crop and feed assistance as a result of a large appropriations bill which will be approved by the House of Representatives later this evening. The legislation extends emergency funding made available to farmers harmed by drought conditions which occurred across the country during 2005 and 2006, to farmers who suffered drought losses in 2007. Accordingly, Southwest Virginia livestock producers and farmers who have experienced crop and feed loss as the result of drought conditions during this time period may now be eligible for the federal assistance.

"I am pleased that as a result of the approval of this agricultural disaster assistance package farmers in Southwest Virginia will receive the assistance they need to recover from crop and livestock feed losses," Boucher said.

The legislation will fund the Crop Disaster Program (CDP) and the Livestock Compensation Program (LCP) to provide direct federal payments to qualified farmers. These programs are emergency initiatives administered by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) which provides financial assistance to any farmer who conducts a qualified crop or livestock operation which is physically located in a Primary or Contiguous Disaster County. All localities in Southwest Virginia have been declared disaster areas due to the drought conditions which occurred during the past three years.

The Crop Disaster Program provides benefits to farmers who suffered crop losses from natural disasters and related conditions that occurred from 2005 through 2007. Producers who incurred qualifying losses during this time may choose the year they incurred the greatest losses for which to receive benefits. Farmers who have signed up previously to receive benefits for losses in 2005 or 2006 who have greater losses as the result of the 2007 drought, will be eligible to receive additional benefits for 2007. Boucher noted that the lack of precipitation experienced in Southwest Virginia during certain periods over the last three years, resulted in substantial damage to crops and justified the need for federal assistance.

Eligible Southwest Virginia livestock producers who exhausted their feed supply for livestock due to drought conditions in 2007, will be compensated through the Livestock Compensation Program. Qualified livestock include: beef cattle, dairy cattle, buffalo or beefalo, sheep, chicken, and goats. The payment rate for each livestock category will be 61% of the national payment rate, which will be determined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Farmers wishing to apply for assistance should contact their local Farm Service Agency offices.

from press release:

Boucher Amendment Authorizes $10 million in Federal Grants to Provide Rehabilitation Services to Miners Suffering from Substance Abuse



(Washington, D.C.) - The U.S. House of Representatives today approved by a vote of 364 to 53 an amendment offered by U.S. Representative Rick Boucher to H.R. 2768, the S-MINER Act. The amendment authorizes $10 million in federal grants to programs providing mental health and rehabilitation services to current and former miners struggling with mental health impairments, including substance abuse and dependency, which have been induced or exacerbated by their work. The grant funds would be directed to regions of the country disproportionately affected by this problem.



"I am pleased that the U.S. House of Representatives has approved my amendment which provides much needed federal resources to expand and improve the rehabilitation services available to current and former miners suffering from substance abuse and dependency and other mental health issues," Boucher said.



Mine workers experience high rates of injury on the job due to working with heavy machinery or in underground conditions. As a result, prescription drugs are often required to treat the chronic pain associated with these injuries. The rates of drug addiction and substance abuse, particularly of prescription drugs, among mine workers suffering from serious injuries has increased dramatically in recent years, and in many locations throughout the nation's mining regions, rehabilitation services are difficult to access or insufficient to meet the dramatic increase in need for services.



"The passage of this amendment represents a significant step in improving access to the rehabilitation services necessary to address the increased rates of prescription drug abuse and dependency among mine workers," Boucher concluded.

from press release:

BOUCHER RECEIVES AWARD FOR WORK ON FEDERAL MEDIA SHIELD LEGISLATION

(Washington, DC)- The Sunshine in Government Initiative has awarded Representative Rick Boucher its Sunshine In Government Award for his work in promoting open government. The Sunshine in Government Initiative is a group of media organizations committed to promoting policies that ensure that government is accessible, accountable and open.

Boucher received the award, along with his colleague Representative Mike Pence, for their work to establish a federal media shield law. Boucher and Pence authored the Free Flow of Information Act, which would protect reporters from being compelled to reveal their confidential sources in federal court proceedings. The measure was approved by an overwhelming vote of 398-21 in the House of Representatives.

"The assurance of confidentiality that reporters give to sources is fundamental to their ability to deliver news on highly contentious matters of broad public interest such as corruption in government or misdeeds in corporations. Without the promise of confidentiality, many inside sources would not reveal the information, and opportunity to take corrective action to address the harms would not arise," Boucher said.

Thirty -four states and the District of Columbia have statutes extending an absolute or qualified privilege protecting reporters from the compelled disclosure of the identity of confidential sources. "Such overwhelming support for assuring the confidentiality of journalists' sources at the state level lays bare the glaring lack of similar protections at the federal level," Boucher added.

During the past few years, more than thirty reporters have been subpoenaed or questioned in federal court proceedings about confidential sources, and several have been incarcerated or threatened with jail sentences. "Such actions inevitably have a chilling effect on the willingness of reporters to rely on confidential sources and on the willingness of sources to speak to reporters," Boucher added.

To ensure that confidential sources remain willing to share information vital to the public interest, the bi- partisan legislation approved by the House sets criteria which must be met before information can be subpoenaed from reporters in any federal criminal or civil matter. The standards set forth in the legislation carefully balance the public interest in the free flow of information against the public interest in compelled testimony.

"Our legislation appropriately places the public's right to know above the more narrow interest of the administration of justice in a particular federal case. In fact, in many instances, the critical information which first alerts federal prosecutors to conduct a criminal proceeding is contained in a news story which could only have been reported upon with the assurance of anonymity to the news source. The enactment of this measure will assure a stronger underpinning of both freedom of the press and free speech in future years," Boucher concluded.