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. […]
Tucker County MLK Weekend Food Drive January 16th-18th: learn how to volunteer or donate!

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
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Water
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Latest News
Backcountry Film Fest 2021!!
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. […]
NEPA Lawsuit to Reverse Trump Administration Damage
A lawsuit filed by the Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) on January 8th seeks to reverse the Trump administration’s elimination of critical safeguards that have protected national forests from unneeded, ill-conceived and destructive logging, road building, and utility right-of-way projects. The U.S. Forest Service – under orders from President Trump to sell more publicly owned […]
FOB Signs on to Wildlife Recovery and Public Lands Letter to Biden
Friends of Blackwater has signed onto a letter to President-Elect Biden as his team begins to address the COVID-19 public health crisis and develop an economic recovery plan, requesting the creation of long-term conservation and restoration jobs. The US can overcome this economic downturn while protecting and restoring our unique natural resources, including biodiversity, and […]
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.