Calling all backcountry enthusiasts and winter lovers! The 16th annual Winter Wildlands Alliance Backcountry Film Festival will show on February 11th at 8 PM at your home! By purchasing a ticket, you’ll have access to the film festival for 2 weeks to watch at your leisure, but we hope you’ll join us on the 11th. […]

We are building a circle of love and protection around the landscapes and communities that we cherish.
Friends of Blackwater works to protect and promote natural beauty, diverse creatures, unique heritage, and the outdoor recreation economy in the Mid-Atlantic Allegheny Highlands -- home to the magnificent, 10,000-acre Blackwater Canyon – West Virginia’s “Scenic Crown Jewel.” Our professional staff and grass-roots citizen advocacy are a strong force for responsible conservation and sustainable progress in the Highlands.
FOB in the Newsroom
- 1/9 The Intermountain: FOB Thanks Legislators for New River Gorge Designation
- 11/4 Parson's Advocate: New Illustrated Signs Highlight Heritage in Davis and Thomas
- 11/2 States of Leading News: Governor Justice awards $8.6 million in TARTP Grants in West Virginia
- 10/13 Parsons Advocate: Historic Engineering Building in Thomas is On the Rise
- 9/28 Parsons Advocate: Gov. Justice Visits Blackwater Lodge for State Park Announcement
- 9/22 Parsons Advocate: National Bank of Davis listed in the National Register of Historic Places
- 6/1 Gazette-Mail: $27M in Abandoned Mine Lands grants fund trails, campgrounds on former sites across WV
The December Newsletter is Here!
The December newsletter is here! Read it online by clicking the button below, or visit the newsletter archive to catch up on previous issues.
Upcoming Events
Tucker County WV Railroad Heritage Webinar Recording
Tucker County, West Virginia has a rich heritage of railroading, coal mining, and timbering. You can explore historic sites, and learn hidden stories from the past, in a one-hour live, interactive Zoom webinar with historian David Vago on a webinar that was hosted on October 29th- click here to view the recording of this educational […]
Rail Trail Botanical Restoration Volunteering Opportunities
Friends of Blackwater was recently awarded a grant from the National Forest Foundation to begin the Blackwater Rail Trail Botanical Restoration project. Today, non-native “invasive species” like autumn olive, stilt weed, multiflora rose, garlic mustard, Tartarian honeysuckle, and Japanese barberry are choking out native plants like milkweed, an essential host for migrating Monarch butterflies. This […]
Become a Supporter
If you prefer to donate by check, you can mail your contribution to PO Box 247, Thomas WV 26292.
Projects
Heritage
Public Lands
Trails
State Parks
Water
Wildlife
Climate
Campaigns
Latest News
Update: Climate Warming in Tucker County Paused in 2020
By Dave Lesher Among the weather headlines at the start of the New Year, we see that 2020 went into the weather record books as the fifth warmest year for the entire Lower 48 states since record-keeping started in 1895. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) made that analysis based on observations from more […]
Groups Challenge Trump Administration’s Latest Assaults on the Endangered Species Act
Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law firm, just filed two law suits against the former Trump administration after their final attacks on the Endangered Species Act that stripped vital protections from federal lands that research indicates are necessary for endangered and threatened species conservation. The first case challenges what the Trump administration defines as “habitat,” which […]
Bear Rocks and Allegheny Front Preserves Gain National Natural Landmark Recognition
Friends of Blackwater is excited to celebrate the newest National Natural Landmark (NNL) site- the Bear Rocks and Allegheny Front Preserve! Located in Grant and Tucker Counties, these sites rocks the plateau world of the Allegheny Mountains in northeast West Virginia! Visiting Bear Rocks Preserve today, you’d see flat sedimentary rocks reaching right up to […]
Friends of Blackwater

Friends of Ginny!
Purdue University scientist Elizabeth Flaherty, and her graduate student are learning important new information about the diet of "Ginny", the West Virginia Flying Squirrel.
Blackwater Volunteers
These energetic volunteers are upgrading historic sites in the Blackwater Canyon.
J.R. Clifford
West Virginia’s first African American attorney, who won a historic victory for equality in education. (1848-1933)
Dr. Tom Pauley
Dr. Pauley has studied the endangered Cheat Mountain salamander for 40 years, while raising up new generations of skilled biologists.
Brianna All
Brianna All spent a summer deep in the Monongahela National Forest, monitoring the West Virginia Northern Flying Squirrel.