WV Rivers News: Pipeline Report, Public Lands, Climate Change, Summer Events

Protecting Land to Protect Drinking Water

Ruins of an old cement mill can be found on the riverbank of the Potomac River in Shepherdstown, W.Va. Photo by Liz McCormick, West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

WV Rivers was featured in a recent WV Public Broadcasting story on an innovate way we are protecting drinking water in the Eastern Panhandle. What happens on land impacts the quality of our water. That’s why land conservation programs are an essential part of our Safe Water for West Virginia program.

In the Eastern Panhandle, there are about 16,000 acres of identified civil war battlefield land, but only about 800 acres are protected. We’ve partnered with the Jefferson County Farmland Protection Board and Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission to conserve these historic places. Together, not only are we honoring our history but we’re protecting vulnerable drinking water sources. Learn more here.

These diverse partnerships are part of our Safe Water Conservation Collaborative, a project of Safe Water for WV, which brings public utilities, landowners and community partners together to protect drinking water sources through land conservation.

Learn how you can get involved protecting your communities drinking water with our Citizens Guide to Drinking Water Protection.

New Report: Pipeline Impacts on Water Quality

Sediment-laden water bypasses erosion controls impacting Grassy Run in Upshur County, WV. This issue was documented by a local pipeline monitoring volunteer and resulted in a violation issued by WVDEP.

In a year of large-scale pipeline construction in West Virginia and Virginia, we’ve seen dozens of pollution incidents from three major pipelines – Atlantic Coast, Mountain Valley, and Mountaineer XPress Pipelines.

We’ve partnered with Trout Unlimited to provide quarterly reports to the public on the effects of current pipeline construction on streams and rivers – impacts that threaten critical habitat for aquatic species and clean water supplies. It’s critical to learn from these pollution incidents, and chart a better path forward that protects these valuable resources. Learn more here.

View our first quarterly report as an ArcGIS Story Map here.

Keep the Public’s Voice in Public Lands Management — Comment by 8/26

Photo by Kent Mason.

Public lands are owned by all of us. You have the right to comment on what happens to public lands. Right now, the U.S. Forest Service is considering some big changes that would cut the public’s voice out of the conversation around how they manage 193 million acres of public land, like the Monongahela National Forest.

The proposed changes will affect the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), a law that gives guidelines to support proper and balanced practices for public land management. The proposed changes would eliminate public participation on a vast majority of Forest Service projects.Read more about NEPA and the proposed rule change here.

The Forest Service is accepting public comments on these changes until August 26. It’s very important that the Forest Service hears from people, like you, who want to preserve the public input process for public lands management. Submit your comments here!

It’s Time to get Serious about Climate Change

Climate change is no laughing matter. That’s the title of a column published in the Beckely Register-Herald by our executive director, Angie Rosser. West Virginia is already feeling the effects of climate change. We’re experiencing more intense weather patterns, historic flooding, extreme storms, and warming temperatures. Our state’s fish, the brook trout, is one of the species most vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. Brook trout depend on coldwater to survive and if waters keep warming, we could lose brook trout within a generation. Learn more about climate change in West Virginia here.

As a state and as a nation we need to act now on solutions to keep our environment stable. Join Angie, and the rest of the WV Rivers team, and call on Senator Manchin to protect vulnerable species, like the brook trout, from climate change! Sign our petition here.

Job Announcement: Development Officer

Are you passionate about wild rivers and clean drinking water? Do you have the skills to help WV Rivers’ achieve our ambitious fundraising goals?

We’re looking to add Development Officer to our team to execute a multi-year fundraising plan that advances WV Rivers’ mission to conserve and restore West Virginia’s river and streams, while setting the organization on a path towards financial sustainability. A full description of activities and qualifications can be found here.

August Fundraiser for WV Rivers at ACE Adventure Gear

Our good friends at ACE Adventure Gear in Fayetteville are raising money for WV Rivers all August! They’ll be donating 10% of all Astral gear sale and they’ll be raffling off a brand spanking new kayak! Proceeds from both fundraisers will be donated to WV Rivers. Next time you’re in Fayetteville, make sure you check out ACE Adventure Gear and thank them for their awesome commitment to clean water! Thanks ACE!