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.
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Friends of Blackwater and the Center for Biological Diversity both submitted comments on the Rusty Patched Bumblebee Draft Recovery Plan created by the Fish and Wildlife Service. In addition to our letter, FOB submitted nearly 300 petition signatures and comments from FOB supporters like you! Primarily, we were concerned that the Recovery Plan failed to […]
Friends of Blackwater is excited to support a bill that would permanently fund State Parks! Public lands are such a valuable part of West Virginia- they generate nearly $250 in annual economic significance, protect thousands and thousands of acres of unique and beautiful habitat, provide top notch recreational activities, preserve cultural history, and so much […]
In June of 2019, Friends of Blackwater, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy filed objections to a large-scale timbering proposal for 171,579 acres on the Monongahela National Forest located near White Sulfur Springs– called the “Panther Ridge Habitat Enhancement Project.” On November 21, 2019, the Forest Service filed their response, […]
