Friends of Blackwater works to conserve critical habitat for rare species, and to fight for policies like the Endangered Species Act which will keep West Virginia and the Highlands "wild and wonderful" for future generations.
The United States Forest Service is planning major timbering in the “Upper Elk Roadless Area,” a section of the Monongahela National Forest — in Pocahontas county West Virginia — that is home to “Ginny,” the protected West Virginia Northern Flying Squirrel. The Forest Service’s “Roadless Area Conservation Rule” states that any tree cutting in a […]
Friends of Blackwater spoke with Senator Manchin’s staffer in a video conference call on August 19th to gain his support in voting for the Extinction Prevention Act. This act would provide funding for some of North America’s most at-risk species for extinction. Some of these include 39 species of butterflies, 70% of freshwater mussels, 42 […]
We’re so excited to finally announce the art contest winners! This year was our second art contest for kids to engage in their creativity and learn more about West Virginia wildlife. WV is home to roughly 600 incredible creatures that need our time and attention in order to thrive! In order to protect and love something, […]
Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law firm, just filed two law suits against the former Trump administration after their final attacks on the Endangered Species Act that stripped vital protections from federal lands that research indicates are necessary for endangered and threatened species conservation. The first case challenges what the Trump administration defines as “habitat,” which […]
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 […]
On December 28th, Friends of Blackwater and 66 signees submitted the following petition language to the US Fish & Wildlife Service, requesting an increase in protection for three WV freshwater mussel species: “The long-solid and round hickory-nut mussels are on the brink of extinction, and have been forced out of most of their habitat due […]
On October 29th, Friends of Blackwater and the Center for Biological Diversity sent comments to Mon Forest Cheat/Potomac district ranger Jon Morgan about the proposed Grassy Ridge project. FOB and the Center are primarily concerned with the proposed project’s impacts to West Virginia Northern Flying Squirrel (WVNFS)and their habitat. First, the project’s proposal to clear […]
You may hear a lot about the need to remove invasive species from your property, from public lands, from city parks- anywhere they may be growing, but why? If they are growing well and serve some sort of purpose, from hedging to pretty fall foliage, why exert massive amounts of time and energy to rid […]
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 […]
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 […]
