West Virginians for Public Lands – August 2018
Countdown to Sept. 30 — LWCF Deadline
The Land and Water Conservation Fund has given West Virginia over $240 million since 1964. This support for our favorite parks and forests will expire on September 30 unless Congress acts to renew it. Contact West Virginia’s congressional delegation and let them know that LWCF matters to you.
Watch this video and look for our countdown of 30 LWCF sites across the state in September.
The future of ‘wild and wonderful’ icons of West Virginia — and your neighborhood park are at stake.
Contact West Virginia’s congressional delegation ask them to reauthorize the Land and Water Conservation Fund before time runs out!
Fayetteville Turns Out for Public Lands
WVPL volunteer leaders wanted to engage their community in a fun way to raise support for important issues facing the New River Gorge, Gauley River, and lands across the state. Katie Kistler, pictured above, wowed the crowd before Groundhog Gravy — a local band of raft guides — kept the party going late into the night. A special thanks to our Fayetteville area volunteers and business partners, especially The Grove, for hosting the event.
Volunteers Get the Word Out
WVPL volunteer leader Emily Carlson hosted some of her friends in Preston County to drink some cider and write letters to the editor on behalf of our public lands. Even in the age of social media, letters to the editor in your local newspaper remain one of the most effective ways to raise the profile of an issue and get people thinking and talking. One of the LTEs recently ran in the Dominion Post! Thank you Emily and Charlie!
If you’d like to host an LTE party — maybe to share how important the Land and Water Conservation Fund is to your community — contact Matt Kearns at mkearns@wvrivers.org
Pipeline Work Stops on Public Lands
Down trees mark the division between private land and the Monongahela National Forest in this photo from August 20 along the Atlantic Coast Pipeline.
Two recent decisions by the federal Fourth Circuit Court have revoked Forest Service and National Park Service permits for the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley pipelines across public lands. Without these key permits in place, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued “stop work” orders for the entire routes of both pipelines. The Court questioned the rationale and decision making used by the Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management in granting the original permits across public land. Further review is expected.
Celebrate Public Lands Day on September 22
September 22 is the 25th annual “National Public Lands Day” — a day to celebrate and give back to our ‘wild and wonderful’ public lands. Get out and experience all the Mountain State has to offer during one of the many events being held on public lands across the state. Learn more and check out some events here.
Explore: Upcoming Outings and Events on Public Lands
September 9: Friends of the Highland Scenic Highway Fall litter cleanup. This citizen-led effort keeps herbicides off our public lands and out of our headwaters. Litter needs picked up before the final mowing of the season. Meet at the Cranberry Nature Center at 8am. Call Frank at 304-653-4742 for more info or just come on out!
September 13-16: Find WVPL at the Treasure Mountain Festival in Pendleton County.
