We strive to protect public lands for habitat conservation, public recreation, biodiversity preservation, and the economic value that they provide.
Friends of Blackwater was recently awarded a grant from the National Forest Foundation to begin the Blackwater Rail Trail Botanical Restoration project. Today, on the Blackwater Canyon Rail-Trail, non-native “invasive species” like autumn olive, stiltweed, multiflora rose, garlic mustard, and Japanese honeysuckle, and barberry are choking out native plants like milkweed, an essential host for […]
On August 4th, the President signed the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) into law. The GAOA is groundbreaking legislation that will improve trails, campgrounds, and other recreation in public lands across the United States. Now that it has become law, the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund will be created and the Land […]
Friends of Blackwater recently signed onto a letter drafted by the Center for Biological Diversity that opposes S. 4057, the Litigation Relief for Forest Management Projects Act. This bill would compromise species protected by the Endangered Species Act by exempting the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management from consulting with scientists when new […]
Friends of Blackwater is disappointed to inform you that the Pillar LLC permit for the undergound injection well next to Horseshoe Run has been reissued for an additional 5 years. Thank you for your participation in the fight to stop this permit in its tracks- over 50 people attended the public hearing for this permit, […]
We are excited to announce that Friends of Blackwater has been selected by the Office of Surface Mining to create a Blackwater Loop hiking and biking trail that will safely and scenically connect the Towns of Thomas and Davis in Tucker County. The eight-mile trail will feature an incredible suspension bridge over the North Fork […]
Recently, Friends of Blackwater and 206 other groups across the country signed onto support a letter to the US Congress that calls for and the support of the creation of thousands of environmental jobs to conserve and restore public lands, protect endangered species and other wildlife, and restore critical protections provided by the Clean Water […]
The Monongahela National Forest has proposed to conduct large-scale commercial logging on 3,394 acres in Pocahontas County in West Virginia. They also propose to apply herbicides to 2,025 acres, burn 1,904 acres, build 8.7 miles of roads and 49.1 acres of skid roads, install 34 log landings, and turn 125 acres into open fields. Friends […]
Recently, FOB had the opportunity to comment on the scoping plans for two different Forest Service land management and timbering projects, Upper Elk and Grassy Ridge. The Forest Service releases a “scoping” document prior to any environmental assessments or any other plans relating to a management project. This helps determine the size/scale of the project […]
As famous in her heyday as any contemporary author today, Gene Stratton-Porter was a celebrated naturalist, author, photographer, and film producer. Born in Indiana in 1863, she grew up with a love of nature, especially birds, and spent her childhood roaming farms and forests, learning about their unique habitats and capturing the beauty of the […]
FOB signed onto the following letter alongside other environmental protection groups to Leader McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McCarthy in Washington DC on March 23rd regarding the links between zoonotic diseases, including COVID-19, the trade of wildlife, and habitat destruction. As you begin to consider additional larger stimulus packages for the U.S. economy to […]
