By Arc of Appalachia Staff 

In late May of 2026, some of the best remaining wildlands in the heartland of Appalachia were announced for sale by a prestigious auction house. On the auction block were 2,770 acres split into eight parcels, each one of them touching New River Gorge National Park, as well as another 9 parcels of land for sale further south of the park – over 6,000 acres in all! When the news went live, the auction, scheduled for June 30th, was only six weeks away.  

Thanks to counsel from Ashton Berdine, WV Director of The Conservation Fund, the nonprofit land trust, the Arc of Appalachia – headquartered in Ohio but committed to wildlands preservation in Ohio, WV, and KY – was already aware of the national significance of the region. The auction parcels’ most predominant feature was Piney Creek, a spectacular 1,000-foot deep gorge sculpted by roaring, fast-moving waters. Fortuitously, two of the eight parcels for sale lay on the west bank of Piney Creek on its last four-mile run, before it reaches its confluence with the New River inside the National Park. 

Ashton had also previously introduced Arc representatives to the City of Beckley’s recreation and tourism leaders. Arc staff already knew that Beckley’s master recreation and tourism plan called to connect the city directly to the National Park. Since 2011, Beckley’s leadership dreamed of a 12-mile hiking and mountain bike trail that would one day connect Beckley with the National Park’s boundary. This goal was core to the city’s future plans to be an even more important visitor gateway to New River Gorge National Park.  

This trail was no pipedream. West Virginia Land Trust already owned land along the Piney Creek nearly two-thirds  of the way from Beckley to the National Park, and a trail was already installed nearly the entire distance. If the remaining four-mile gap could be purchased at auction, Beckly’s 15-year old dream would come true. 

It was also Ashton who informed the Arc of Appalachia’s leadership of the impending auction. Immediately comprehending what was at stake, they launched into action. Arc Director, Nancy Stranahan, confessed,” We knew we wanted to buy the Piney Creek parcels, 6 & 7, for sure, but we figured it wouldn’t hurt to at least try to raise money for the others. For one thing, telling the public we liked all of the parcels might confuse the competing bidder. And who knows, maybe we’ll raise more money than we think!” So Stranahan set an undisclosed $3.7 million goal, and the Arc staff members threw everything they had into building the campaign components of web pages, photo galleries, and short video reels. When the campaign finally went public on June 6, auction day was only 24 days away. Stranahan mused that if they raised even half of their goal, she would have assessed the campaign as a great success.  

When auction day arrived, the Arc of Appalachia’s staff and board were in a state of shock. They had raised $3.2 million in pledges!! The Arc hoped it would be enough money to not only buy the Piney Creek parcels 6 & 7, but also possibly parcels 4 & 5, which featured wetlands and panoramic bluffs overlooking the New River, and maybe even parcel 8, which took in Spruce Run, a gorgeous rocky tributary of Mill Creek that also drained into the New but through a different watershed.  

Auction day at Beckley’s Tamarack Inn turned out to be a tense, three-hour endurance marathon with 120 registered bidders, some of them bidding online, and others, like the Arc, bidding in person. The first round permitted bidding only on individual parcels. The second round allowed bidding in groups. Figuring out what combinations of bids would land on the leaderboard was so complicated that the auction company had designed a complex computer app to calculate it!  

For nearly three hours, the Arc watched the proceedings unfold with dismay. Two hours in, they were certain they were destined to go home empty-handed. During all that time, they only landed on the leaderboard two times, only to be knocked off within seconds. And then, in the last fifteen minutes of the auction, the Arc threw its entire weight on the combination of five parcels, 4-8. As the clock ticked down, they watched breathlessly and incredulously as they stayed on the board. Won were five parcels, totaling 1,980 acres. 

The campaign partnership ended up inspiring 722 donors, representing 41 states in the Union. As the campaign unfolded, a collaborative association formed with partners that included the West Virginia Land Trust, Green Forests Work, Beckley Area Foundation, and Piney Creek Watershed Association. Other regional organizations offered their encouragement and support, including New River Gorge National Park & Preserve, New River Conservancy, Beckley Outdoors, Beckley Area Trails, Beckley-Raleigh Counties Chamber of Commerce Foundation, New River Alliance of Climbers Association, and Southern West Virginia Trout Unlimited.  

Why was this such a monumental victory? Because, in this effort, the people of West Virginia didn’t have to do it alone. Conservation-minded people all over the nation not only recognized the national significance of the West Virginia parcels, but they opened their wallets and put their values into action, securing a win at the auction. According to Stranahan, “It’s past time that the nation realizes that West Virginia has some of the densest forests left in the nation, and harbors some of our country’s greatest natural treasures on private lands. If we can succeed with a campaign like this one, then it stands to reason that we can do it again. And again. Now that’s a statement of hope.” 

To learn more about this campaign, visit the web at Arc of Appalachia New River Wilderness. To learn more about the Arc of Appalachia, visit their home page. Arc staff welcomes communication of all kinds, and you can reach them at info@arcofappalachia.org.