West Virginians for Public Lands
January 2025
Take the ‘Public Lands Challenge!’ and We’ll Send You a Sticker
Will You Be An Advocate for Our Public Lands? Take the Public Lands Challenge with West Virginia Rivers Coalition and West Virginians for Public Lands, and we’ll send you an exclusive new sticker!
With the 2025 legislative session set to begin on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, and new members of the West Virginia Senate and House of Delegates sworn in, this is a great time to remind our representatives that we want our public lands protected!
How The Public Lands Challenge Works
1. Visit Any WV Public Land & Snap a Photo: Take a hike, have a picnic, or just enjoy the view!
2. Contact Your Representative(s): Call, visit, or write a hand-written letter to your Senators or Delegate explaining why YOU care about public lands.
3. Share Your Story: Post or share a photo from your public lands visit, tag us on social media @wvrivers @wv4publiclands, and include the name/district of the representative you contacted. You can also use the hashtag #WVPublicLandsChallenge.
Not on social media, but still want to participate? Email your photos to Mike Jones at [email protected].
Public Lands Victories to start 2025 with a BANG!
The purchase of Blackwater Canyon has been finalized and what you see are now public lands!
2024 ended with several major strides in protecting and expanding our public lands — both here in West Virginia and across the country. Here’s a quick recap:
The purchase of the Blackwater Canyon is now officially complete! Thanks to the Land and Water Conservation Fund, these privately held lands are now part of our Monongahela National Forest. This milestone was made possible by your tireless advocacy to protect and fund LWCF. Together, we’ve ensured this treasured landscape is preserved for future generations.
Our leaders in U.S. Congress were busy in December, and we’re celebrating the passage of these three bills:
· The EXPLORE Act, which improves accessibility to our national public lands.
· The Good Samaritan Act, tackling pollution from abandoned mines to restore public waters.
· The ACE Act Reauthorization, securing funding for programs like the North American Wetlands Conservation Act.
Recording Live: Watch the 2025 Legislative Preview Today!
West Virginians from all over the state got a “2025 Legislative Preview.” Dr. Sam Workman, WVU Professor of Political Science and Director of the Institute of Policy Research and Public Affairs, presented information about new rules for the House of Delegates, new leadership in the WV Senate, and what may be coming in this session.
Miss the presentation or want to refresh your memory? Be sure to check out the presentation here.
Want to do more? Join District Advocates!
Last year, more than 35,000 emails flooded the WV Legislature — messages from people like you standing up for our public lands. Because of your advocacy, our State Parks, Forests, and Trails remain places for nature-based, non-motorized recreation, protected for future generations.
Your voice made a difference. You helped stop proposals that would have allowed motorized trails in these cherished spaces. But the work isn’t over. Key public land decisions are made quickly, often with just a day’s notice. When we reach out, your swift action — sending an email, making a call — can shape the future of our wild places.
Wondering what is a District Advocate? Learn more at the button below!
Mon Forest Headwaters: Just WHAT is a headwater?
Mountain runoff starts a waterway.
We all know what a stream or river looks like, right? But where does that waterway start?
Headwaters are simply where the stream begins. For a creek or small stream, it may be where the winter melt off accumulates and begins to run downhill. For our larger West Virginia rivers, their headwaters may have two or more streams coming together to form that wild and wonderful river.
This year, we will be talking in detail about the Mon Forest Headwaters: The 16 waterways within the Monongahela National Forest — from the Blackwater River to the Williams River — the Forest Service found are eligible for Wild and Scenic designation.
We’re asking this question: What is the best way to protect our precious and irreplaceable Mon Forest Headwaters? We also want to hear YOUR opinion: Tell us your concerns and ideas about permanent protections for Mon Forest Headwaters.
Quick Takes on Our Public Lands!
We kick off 2025 with two big court wins protecting our public lands nationally (and our climate)!
1. Utah’s lawsuit claiming that the US cannot hold vast amounts of public lands within the state was dismissed by the US Supreme Court. Had Utah prevailed, millions of acres of federal public lands in multiple states would not have federal protections.
2. The US Supreme Court also refused to quash a lawsuit in Hawai’i seeking to hold large fuel companies responsible for misleading the public about climate change. The lawsuit will continue in state court.
The outgoing national administration was busy, too:
1. Western Arctic Conservation: Protections expanded for 13 million acres of critical wildlife habitat in Alaska.
2. National Monument Expansions: San Gabriel Mountains and Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monuments expanded to safeguard wildlife and recreation.
3. Ambler Road Permit Denial: A major win against habitat fragmentation in Alaska’s Brooks Range.
4. Sadly, the Forest Service withdrew its proposed amendments to all Forest Plans to consider care of older and old-growth trees and forest areas.
Support our WV public lands: West Virginians for Public Lands (WVPL) believes that West Virginia public lands, waters, and the wildlife that inhabit them are intrinsically valuable, and these special areas should be preserved. Is this something that you believe in, too? We’d love you, your business, or your organization to be a part of this vision. Sign up here or click the button below.
Public Lands on Social: Be sure to tag WVPL on your pictures! Use #WVPublicLands for any local, state, or national public land, and use #MonForestHeadwaters when you enjoy a Mon Forest headwater. Check us out here:
· FACEBOOK: wvpubliclands
· X (Twitter): @WV4PublicLands
· Instagram: wvpubliclands
Meet your Public Lands: North Bend State Park
Photo by WVDNR.
This month, check out North Bend State Park. North Bend is located on the horseshoe-shaped curve of the North Branch of the Hughes River.
North Bend has 26 miles of hiking on 14 hiking trails — and is located near the 72-mile North Bend Trail. Overnight lodging includes nine cabins and a 29-room lodge with restaurant and meeting spaces.
North Bend is located at 202 North Bend State Park Road, Cairo, West Virginia 26337.
