Gauley River by Kent Mason.
Dear Friend of WV Rivers,
I’m getting ready to begin my 48th year of being a raft guide on the Gauley and New Rivers. Guides make it a point to know everything there is about the rivers; they truly are wild and wonderful, a fact recognized by the National Park Service in naming the New River Gorge the country’s newest National Park.
That’s why I’m writing to you today, as a member WV Rivers board, to ask for your help.
Just a few miles from my home in Nicholas County, the proposed Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) would cross the waters that flow into the Gauley and New rivers – the very rivers that attract tourists and outdoor enthusiasts to our little slice of heaven! Weak pollution prevention practices like silt-fencing and a couple bales of hay won’t do much for sediment control, and the effects on water quality – for both consumption and recreation – will be tremendous.
The MVP would cross almost 200 of West Virginia’s vulnerable waterbodies. These rivers, streams, and wetlands are crucial to the many ways West Virginians – and thousands of visitors – experience our state as Wild and Wonderful. These massive construction projects erode mountainsides and the sediment runoff destroys habitat for native species like the rare Candy Darter. The sediment turns our iconic whitewater rivers brown with silt, and disturbs the health and economic welfare of local communities.
Can I count on you to make a donation to ensure our streams have an advocate?
I’m proud of the work of WV Rivers to hold the Mountain Valley Pipeline accountable, and you should be, too! Over the past few months, our staff and volunteers have:
- Reviewed and commented on past violations of the pipeline – already over totaling more than $500,000 in fines – and mapped the locations of these violations.
- Determined MVP’s erosion control measures will not keep sediment and landslides from filling rivers and streams, especially during a catastrophic weather event, like a flood.
- Coordinated public comments on important stream-crossing permits to the WV Department of Environmental Protection (WVDEP) and gathered speakers for public hearings.
- Provided technical comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Army Corps of Engineers on proposed permits.
- Stopped further trenching through rivers and streams until the permitting process is complete.
- Trained over 500 volunteer water quality monitors to identify, document and report water pollution.
- Developed a mobile app to make water quality monitoring more accessible for volunteers.
But WV Rivers is not done yet! We’re still waiting for important decisions on the future on the pipeline. Can you donate today to keep the work going?
For over 30 years, WV Rivers has worked to end environmental harm and advocate for West Virginia’s exceptional rivers and streams. Your donation of $25 or more to WV Rivers, today, is a donation towards stopping the devastating harm of the Mountain Valley Pipeline. And it sends a clear message to decision-makers: Keep West Virginia Wild and Wonderful!
Sincerely,
Paul Breuer
Member, WV Rivers Board of Directors
P.S. Your timely donation is tax deductible, so please give now to keep West Virginia Wild and Wonderful!
