On October 2nd, S.569 (the Land and Water Conservation Authorization and Funding Act) passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. This bill would provide permanent re-authorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The Land and Water Conservation Fund is a key program which has provided funds to parks, forests, and public lands throughout […]
This weekend, team Friends of Blackwater competed in Run For It, Tucker County’s favorite community fundraiser. Although we weren’t the fastest team, with costumes, live music, and great team spirit, we may have been one of the most fun. The Leaf Peepers Festival also took place in Davis the same weekend, and we had a […]
On September 22nd, a volunteer event organized by Friends of Blackwater, in partnership with the Forest Service, improved the visibility of the historic roundhouse foundation, located along the Blackwater Canyon rail trail near Thomas. The roundhouse was once used to turn trains arriving in Thomas around and send them back down the canyon. All that […]
Press Release: Friends of Blackwater Contact: Judy Rodd [email protected] Office: 304-345-7663 cell: 304-552-7602 Date: September 17, 2018 Citizens Object to Plan for Commercial Logging in Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge The West Virginia conservation group Friends of Blackwater has filed a comment letter with the Fish and Wildlife Service challenging a proposal to commercially log […]
Friends of Blackwater’s J.R. Clifford Project organized plays dramatizing the court case that brought equality in education to West Virginia. The video below features some of those performances. The case was brought by schoolteacher Carrie Williams, who demanded that her African American students got the same length school year as white students. J.R. Clifford, a […]
Friends of Blackwater presented a series of historical plays about the founding of the state of West Virginia, as part of our J.R. Clifford Project. The video below shows some highlights from the performances. The “New Home for Liberty” plays highlight the important role that civil rights and anti-slavery advocates played in the creation of […]
Learn about the origins of the North Fork Watershed Project with this video, which was created as part of the 15th West Virginia Watershed Celebration Day. This video features our executive director Judy Rodd and former staffer Brandae Mullens explaining the unique challenges of acid mine drainage in the North Fork.
On September 8th, events around the world highlighted the importance of addressing climate change. Friends of Blackwater attended the Morgantown Rise for Climate event, a family-friendly event that emphasized climate solutions. The event took place in the Morgantown Farmer’s Market Pavillion, and was sponsored by the West Virginia Sierra Club, Morgantown Green Team, Mountaineers for […]
Several major changes to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), proposed by the Interior Department, are open for comment from now until September 24th. These changes to internal regulations will affect everything from how threatened species are protected to how predictions about future habitat are used. One change involves the repeal of the 4D rule, which […]
On October 6th, Friends of Blackwater will be partnering with the Forest Service for a cleanup even in the Otter Creek Wilderness. We will be meeting at the Condon Run trailhead at 9:30 a.m. to get started. The first task will be picking up garbage, but in the event that there isn’t much garbage, tools […]
