The Monongahela National Forest… Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge… Blackwater Falls State Park… these landscapes contain the most beautiful natural areas in West Virginia and the Allegheny Highlands. Biking, hiking, and paddling are great ways to explore the region. FOB works with land managers and civic groups to promote and maintain these trails.
One of our current projects is the Olson Fire Tower area, to the west of the North Fork of the Blackwater River. Despite being easily accessible from Thomas and U.S. Route 219, this area has a remote “backcountry feel.” With U.S. Forest Service resources stretched thin, FOB volunteers are upgrading several trails in this area, with plans to reopen abandoned corridors and establish new ones.
We are also working with the Forest Service, Blackwater Falls State Park, and other local stakeholders to create a management strategy for trails in the Dobbins House area. Sandwiched between the town of Davis, the North Fork of the Blackwater River, and Blackwater Falls State Park, this area houses six miles of easily accessible, beginner-friendly trails.
Our goal is to develop an area-wide network of trails, linking towns and local attractions together.
The one million acres of the Monongahela National Forest belong to our nation; here’s some recent news about your acreage: Increased Timbering Proposed The U.S. Forest Service has shared projections for future timber harvesting on the Monongahela National Forest. In 2018, 15 million board feet of timber would be cut, affecting an estimated 21,228 acres. […]
On May 9th, Friends of Blackwater partnered with the Canaan Valley Institute, Davis Rotary Club and Q&A Associates for a community clean up in the town of Davis. Volunteers removed litter from along Route 32, Camp 70 and a section of Corridor H from four to six in the afternoon. It was great to see […]
Nearly 2 square miles of land along the Allegheny Front, the eastern rim of the Dolly Sods plateau in Grant County, has been donated to The Nature Conservancy of West Virginia to add to the conservancy’s existing, 477-acre Bear Rocks Preserve. The 1,143-acre gift was made possible through donations from the Ann C. and Robert […]
On May 12th and 13th, the annual Wildflower Pilgrimage took place in Tucker County. This event was sponsored by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and the West Virginia Garden Club, and featured tours in Blackwater Falls State Park and Canaan Valley. Our board member Jeannie Dalporto sent us these great photos from the event.
We are looking forward to getting back to work on trails this summer. In the meantime, enjoy this article on some of the work that we did with the Great Appalachian Valley Conservation Corp last summer Trail Work with GAVCC by Zach Adams “The Great Appalachian Valley Conservation Corps (GAVCC) partnered with Friends of the […]
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