Rich Mountain Wilderness
Encyclopedia
The Rich Mountain Wilderness is a wilderness area within the Chattahoochee National Forest in Gilmer County
, Georgia
, in the United States
. It was designated in 1986 and currently consists of 9476 acres (38.3 km²) of the 13276 acres (54 km²) that makes up the Rich Mountains. The Wilderness is managed by the United States Forest Service
and is part of the National Wilderness Preservation System
.
The highest elevation
in the Rich Mountain Wilderness is the 4050 feet (1,234 m) peak of Rich Mountain. The land that forms the Wilderness is characterized by the same sort of deep, black porter's loam found in the Cohutta Mountains
. The Wilderness is home to several threatened
or endangered species
.
Gilmer County, Georgia
Gilmer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 3, 1832 and was named for George Rockingham Gilmer. As of 2000, the population was 23,456. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 28,389...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was designated in 1986 and currently consists of 9476 acres (38.3 km²) of the 13276 acres (54 km²) that makes up the Rich Mountains. The Wilderness is managed by the United States Forest Service
United States Forest Service
The United States Forest Service is an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 155 national forests and 20 national grasslands, which encompass...
and is part of the National Wilderness Preservation System
National Wilderness Preservation System
The National Wilderness Preservation System of the United States protects federally managed land areas designated for preservation in their natural condition. It was established by the Wilderness Act upon the signature of President Lyndon B. Johnson on September 3, 1964...
.
The highest elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
in the Rich Mountain Wilderness is the 4050 feet (1,234 m) peak of Rich Mountain. The land that forms the Wilderness is characterized by the same sort of deep, black porter's loam found in the Cohutta Mountains
Cohutta Mountains
The Cohutta Mountains in Georgia, USA, include:* Big Frog Mountain* Fort Mountain *Grassy Mountain , in Murray County near Lake Conasauga...
. The Wilderness is home to several threatened
Threatened species
Threatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...
or endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
.