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Rally held in Elkins to protect trees within Monongahela National Forest - WV MetroNews
by Duane Nichols 15 Nov '22

15 Nov '22

https://wvmetronews.com/2022/11/14/rally-held-in-elkins-to-protect-trees-wi… Rally held in Elkins to protect trees within Monongahela National Forest From the MetroNews Service, November 14, 2022 ELKINS, W.Va. — Conservation advocates are urging federal officials to protect mature and old-growth trees in the Upper Cheat River within the Monongahela National Forest. The U.S. Forest Service is proposing a project that would clearcut 3,500 acres of mature, old-growth trees in the area, … [View More]according to John Coleman with the Horseshoe Run Community group. Coleman told MetroNews the project would log forests on very steep slopes, leading to increased risk of flooding and sediment deposition in the rivers and streams. “Living inside the project boundary, a bunch of us here in the community are concerned about the flooding and a number of other things that would be a result of this project,” Coleman said. Coleman joined advocates with Speak For The Trees Too, West Virginia Chapter of Sierra Club, Friends of Blackwater, West Virginia Environmental Council and West Virginia Highlands Conservancy for an afternoon rally outside the U.S. Forest Service office in Elkins on Monday. “The community here is trying to negotiate with the Forest Service to improve the project in some ways and maybe reduce some of the cutting on the sleep slopes, but we actually haven’t heard back from the Forest Service,” he said. Protecting our mature and old-growth forests is one of the most affordable and effective solutions to address climate change, protect biodiversity, and provide access to clean water at home and demonstrate global leadership. #COP27 — Sierra Club (@SierraClub) November 14, 2022 In addition to flooding concerns, Coleman said he’s also worried about invasive weeds that are coming off the national forest. “Unfortunately, they got planted back in the 1970s and 1980s. The forest service planted a lot of shrubs for wildlife habitat, but unfortunately those have spread across not only the national forest, but off into our farm, others farms and people’s property,” he said. The forest provides clean drinking water and flood protection for communities, wildlife habitat for endangered species and miles of trails to explore the outdoors, Coleman said. “We get our drinking water right off the forest. The national forest is 50-75 feet behind our house and our spring is right there, so I would really like the forest to spend some time figuring out how to protect people’s drinking water supply,” he said. Advocates also fear that opening the canopy will increase temperatures in cold-water streams that native brook trout require for their survival. The move would impact important habitat for other species like long-eared bats and hellbender salamanders. Monday’s rally was part of a nationwide effort to protect trees in national forests. A spokesperson with the U.S. Forest Service wrote in an email to MetroNews on Monday, “We continue working jointly with our colleagues at the Department of Interior to both determine definitions and complete an inventory of old-growth and mature forests on lands managed by the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management by April, 2023, as tasked in Executive Order 14072. Synthesizing old-growth forest information on a national scale is a critical first step to informing further science questions and future management actions.” xxx [View Less]

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Attention: Cheat Lake Property Owners & Boaters
by Duane Nichols 21 Oct '22

21 Oct '22

(Photo of Labor Day boat party in Ruble Run backwater) Attention: Cheat Lake Property Owners & Boaters Starting at 12:00 a.m. on November 1, 2022, winter lake level limits will go into effect on Cheat Lake. At that time, minimum reservoir levels will decrease from 868 feet above sea level to 857’. Please remove all docks prior to this time. Winter lake levels will remain in effect until 11:59 p.m. on March 31, 2023. The winter boat launch ramp at the Cheat Lake Park (at the end of … [View More]

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Trout for the Cheat River
by Duane Nichols 20 Oct '22

20 Oct '22

Trout for Cheat begins fall stocking | Preston County News | wvnews.com/10-18-22 https://www.wvnews.com/prestoncountynews/news/trout-for-cheat-begins-fall-s… KINGWOOD — Trout for Cheat is celebrating its 22nd year of stocking the Cheat River. On Friday, members of the group stocked the river from the U.S. 50 bridge to one mile above Pringle Run, according to Jim White, president of the group. White said that with the help of students from the ChalleNGe Academy and members of the Preston … [View More]

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OP-ED | Invest In The Future, Not A Dirty Deal | CT News Junkie
by Duane Nichols 24 Sep '22

24 Sep '22

https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2022/09/23/op-ed-invest-in-the-future-not-a-dirty-… OP-ED | Invest In The Future, Not A Dirty Deal Article by Anthony Cherolis, CT News Junkie, September 23, 2022 Contributing columnist Anthony Cherolis is bicycling across North America and will be sending us occasional updates on what he’s seeing in other states and cities in terms of better transportation infrastructure and policy. You can follow his journey on Instagram. There has been a lot in the news lately … [View More]about the “Dirty Deal” struck in Congress by legislators working to get the Inflation Reduction Act passed. The follow on bill was negotiated by Democratic Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia, who had been blocking the passage of the larger bill. The bill would fast-track several fossil-fuel projects including the Mountain Valley Pipeline in West Virginia. While bicycle touring through this region and the stunning Ohio River Valley, I was struck by the economic woes of the cities and towns. Extractive oil and coal industries are at the same time surging (fracking for fossil gas) and waning (coal plants shutting down). Finding restaurants, drug stores, and grocery stores was difficult, even though I was passing through once bustling river towns and rail depots. The town of Cheshire, Ohio, in the shadow of the Gavin power plant’s towering chimneys, is a literal ghost town that was bought out by the power company for $20 million to address persistent pollution and future liability. That plant is now facing closure for long violating regulations that coal ash storage ponds be lined to prevent groundwater pollution. Smokestacks and cooling towers can be seen from the ghost town of Cheshire, Ohio. The town was bought out by the nearby coal power plant to address recurring pollution issues. This shift away from fossil fuels is a real and important change happening to regions in Southeast Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Longtime residents are rightfully worried and upset by mandates and environmental laws that reduce employment, shutter power plants, and leave sad shells of once vibrant towns. Those residents are looking for solutions, politically and legislatively, that maintain jobs and bring prosperity (and people) back to their communities. A focus on paying rent, a job to do today, and economic stability for their family and friends often outweighs the less focused and complicated task of maintaining a survivable and productive climate on Earth. These areas are teetering near the edge of viability. State and local leaders, along with representative in Congress, must look for sustainable policy, green energy investments, infrastructure projects, and tourism opportunities that provide the jobs, pride, and quality of life that these communities deserve. As I mentioned, the Ohio River Valley and surrounding hills are beautiful. Riverside hotels, boating tours, hiking trails, and walkable town centers should be jointly marketed to those in nearby cities and land-locked towns looking to get away for a relaxing weekend with a river view. Gallipolis, Ohio seems to have figured out the day trip and tourism market with an inviting town center, riverfront park, nearby trails, and natural areas. Gallipolis, Ohio was one bustling town that seems to have capitalized on a scenic riverfront location, walkable town center, and nearby trails. Bladen Landing is a riverfront restaurant with bed and breakfast cabins overlooking the Ohio River. Rebecca and Chris live onsite and recently added the cabins, finding them to be a good investment. Another near term investment is federal funding for West Virginia and Pennsylvania to close the gaps in the North Bend Rail Trail and Sheepskin Trail, creating a biking, walking, and jogging corridor from Parkersburg, WV all the way to the Great Allegheny Passage. A few segments are missing in what could be an amazing route, including the 5-mile link from the West Virginia University campus to Parkersburg on the Ohio River. That struggling West Virginia city could desperately use the investment and a better, bike-able connection to the young adults at the university. All along the rail trail, rail-stop towns would benefit from restaurant, camp store, bike shop, and bed-and-breakfast customers spending money and keeping local folks employed. Longterm local jobs could be tied to this project if it were identified as a linear National Park, similar to the C&O Canal Trail between Cumberland, MD and Washington, DC. One thing I noticed while cycling through West Virginia was the common smell of fuel from small oil wells and storage tanks visible from the North Bend Rail Trail. If one can smell the fuel from several hundred feet away, there is definitely leakage of methane and evaporation of harmful volatile organic compounds from these small operations. That is concerning both from a health perspective and relative to climate change. Methane is a much more powerful heat trapping greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. West Virginia and rural Pennsylvania small towns would benefit from completing the small remaining gaps in a rail and river trail connecting Parkersburg, WV to the existing and popular Great Allegheny Passage trail. Cycling through the tunnels on the North Bend Rail Trail in West Virginia was magical. Investments in hillside and rooftop solar, ridgetop wind turbines, and geothermal installations would offset the jobs and pride lost in the transition away from fossil fuels and coal power plants. Instead of continuing with a regressive and polluting fossil fuel pipeline deal in Congress, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania legislators should push for a green energy future and home/business energy efficiency programs. The energy grid and power generation has multi-state, global, and federal impacts. The transition away from fossil fuels needs to be at that federal level with significant offsetting investments. Without a just transition, residents and voters are unlikely to support the needed changes. We can take these same lessons back to any state with industries and priorities in transition. For example in Connecticut, building more Cold War era nuclear submarines should be a much lower priority than developing the wind turbine, geothermal, and rooftop solar industries. Investing now in these future technologies and workforce would line Connecticut up to be the technical and manufacturing resource for the wider Northeast and East Coast. Skilled engineers, welders, electricians, and machinists would gladly do that work if it were available. There would be plentiful jobs in those sustainable-future industries for entry-level installation technicians and maintenance workers. Similar to coal-plant mercury pollution that travels to the Northeast in the clouds, the climate emergency does not pay attention to state lines. Something you can do: Reach out to your Congress members with a phone call or email and let them know what their priorities should be for industries, job training, and technology development investments. Pay attention to those topics as you research candidates who are running for election this November. Does your candidate have a platform that invests in a sustainable and less-polluted future, or are they supporting the status quo? ######++++++######++++++###### From: West Virginia Rivers Coalition ...... Don't Sacrifice West Virginia's Rights to Fair and Equal Protections Under Federal Law https://wvrivers.salsalabs.org/eisa/index.html?eType=EmailBlastContent&eId=… [View Less]

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Outdoor recreation rental facility opens in Morgantown | 104.5 FM & 1440 AM | The Voice of Morgantown | Morgantown, WV
by Duane Nichols 03 Sep '22

03 Sep '22

https://wajr.com/outdoor-recreation-rental-facility-opens-in-morgantown/?fb… Outdoor recreation rental facility opens in Morgantown mikenoltingSeptember 2, 2022 MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Adventure WV is now operating the newly constructed outdoor recreation rental facility at the Walnut Street Landing. Residents can now expect expanded recreation opportunities along the Monongalia River. Residents can rent kayaks, paddleboards, PFDs, bicycles, helmets and more. Youth Personal Floatation Devices (… [View More]

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Trail Segments — The Sheepskin Trail
by Duane Nichols 09 Jul '22

09 Jul '22

https://www.sheepskintrail.org/trail-segments Sent from my iPad, DGN

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Forest Service Open House, Parsons, June 22 @ 6 to 7:30 pm
by Duane Nichols 20 Jun '22

20 Jun '22

> Subject: Forest Service Open House, Parsons, June 22 @ 6 to 7:30 pm > > > The Upper Cheat River Water Trail > June 17 at 10:26 PM · > The Forest Service is having an open-house June 22 6-7:30pm in Parsons. It concerns the #UpperCheatRiver proposal to clearcut 3,500 acres of older forest including #oldgrowth. visit Speak For The Trees Too or see below for details > > > Speak For The Trees Too > June 17 at 9:35 PM · > Forest Service is hosting an open-… [View More]

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TDS Values of Local Interest
by Duane Nichols 27 May '22

27 May '22

Measurements from 4 PM today, Friday, May 27. Total dissolved solids (TDS) measured as conductivity ..... Conductivity is measured in micromhos per centimeter (µmhos/cm) or microsiemens per centimeter (µs/cm). Distilled water has a conductivity in the range of 0.5 to 3 µmhos/cm. The conductivity of rivers in the United States generally ranges from 50 to 1500 µmhos/cm. 1. Cheat Lake @ Emma Kaufmann Camp .... 53 micromho per centimeter 2. Monongahela River at Pt. Marion Lock ..... 275 (… [View More]

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West Virginia Botanic Garden, Morgantown, West Virginia's Hidden Gem for Hiking and Flowers - YouTube
by Duane Nichols 13 Apr '22

13 Apr '22

https://youtu.be/De5gXuVr1QU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De5gXuVr1QU Hi! We are Pam and Kathrine, sisters from southwestern Pennsylvania who love to explore the world in between our 9-5 working lives. Since 2017, we have been documenting and writing about travel on our blog, Everywhere Forward. Our blog is full of local experiences in the Pennsylvania and West Virginia regions, as well as our national and international adventures. We're here to share with you how we balance traveling … [View More]

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Historic Mont Chateau ~ Fortunately Sale Didn’t Happen
by Duane Nichols 12 Apr '22

12 Apr '22

John MayHistoric Mont Chateau October 7, 2021 · Unable to generate income from the Park, and given the neglected state of the Lodge, DNR recommended that Mont Chateau be sold. Per the DNR Director, “The public doesn’t support it. It never has been popular since the day it was built.” A resolution to sell the property for not less than $1,000,000 was proposed in the 1977 Legislative session. The rationale given for the proposal was that, “as of late, Mont Chateau operated more as a hotel … [View More]

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