On March 26th, the Charleston Gazette-Mail ran a letter from Friends of Blackwater’s Director Judy Rodd, about the importance of protecting the Endangered Species Act: “The federal Endangered Species Act protects West Virginia’s “wild and wonderful” creatures. Now, proposed regulations from the Trump administration would delay protection, and make other harmful changes. Sens. Manchin and […]
We’re always busy here at Friends of Blackwater, and don’t always stop to reflect on what makes the organization go – our members and donors. All of our programs, from public lands protection and watershed restoration to historic interpretation and climate education, depend on your support. Thank you! Making a donation can mean many different […]
Our March 2019 newsletter is now available online. Catch up on policy news and local history, learn about upcoming events, and more. Download the issue here.
Our current Watershed Project Director, Ian Smith, will be leaving the organization in April. We are looking to hire a replacement in the next month so that we can manage the transition and keep our watershed work moving forward. Position Summary: Friends of Blackwater is a non-profit conservation organization in Tucker County, West Virginia working […]
Friends of Blackwater’s new design for remediating acid mine drainage on the North Fork will be featured at the 2019 West Virginia Mine Drainage Symposium. The symposium will take place March 26th and 27th at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel in Morgantown. Hedin Environmental, the engineering firm that is working on our North Fork project, will […]
The United States Forest Service has ruled against a proposal to build a massive industrial pumped storage facility on the edge of the Blackwater Canyon, earning praise from the conservation group Friends of Blackwater. In a letter dated March 4, 2018, Monongahela National Forest Supervisor Shawn Cochran ruled that the proposal by Freedomworks, LLC was […]
Friends of Blackwater is combining a grant from The North Face® and another from the WV Department of Environmental Protection to install a series of automated water quality monitors with help from students and volunteers. Automated monitoring systems have significant advantages over more traditional sampling methods. These systems combine one or more sensors, a data […]
When our engineering team temporarily drained the old Wetland Anoxic Limestone Drain (WALD) system that was designed to improve water quality on the North Fork of the Blackwater River, they got some good news. The overwhelming majority of the existing limestone is in excellent condition and there appears to be no problem in recycling it […]
On February 26th, the United States House passed a comprehensive public lands bill that included permanent authorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). The bill also included an official designation of the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area in West Virginia. The Senate had passed the same bill on February 12th. All of West […]
On February 21st, Friends of Blackwater participated in History Day at the West Virginia legislature. In honor of Black History Month, we highlighted our J.R. Clifford Project and the history of civil rights in West Virginia. It was great to meet with so many history enthusiasts, and we gave out many copies of our J.R. […]
