By John McFerrin, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy
At the fall Board meeting, we took care of some necessary business and then enjoyed hearing about what the organization has been doing.
By our bylaws and state law, we are required to be audited periodically. The information has been sent to a certified public accountant for review, so that process is now underway.
We have long discussed our investment policy. We don’t want our savings to support activities inconsistent with our values. To that end, we adopted an investment policy that, most notably, prohibits investing in fossil fuels.
The treasurer reported that, overall, we are in good financial shape. Grant funding has increased revenue, and because some types of securities are paying more than anticipated when the budget was made, investment income is also higher than expected. Expenses remain relatively flat.
Dolly Sods Stewards leader Dave Johnston reported on another successful year. The Stewards had 48 participants, up from 43 last year, and logged 930 volunteer hours with the crosscut sawyer team, 230 with solitude monitoring, 209 with trail maintenance, and 1,070 with the backcountry stewards—totaling 2,780 volunteer hours. Including administrative work, the total comes to just over 3,500 hours, an increase of about 30% from last year.
The solitude monitoring program has now completed one survey in each season, following Forest Service protocols. The backcountry stewards have cleaned up abandoned campsites and extinguished unattended campfires. The Forest Service has expressed its appreciation for their efforts.
A potential issue was raised concerning the liming of the headwaters of Red Creek, a peat bog known as Dobbin Slashings. For several years, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources has added lime in the headwaters. Now that The Nature Conservancy owns Dobbin Slashings, questions have arisen about whether the practice is appropriate. Red Creek is naturally acidic—so should we be liming a system where acidity may be largely natural? There was no decision to be made and no urgency for action, so the Board took no position at this time.
Mike Jones reported on public lands. With the Legislature’s session approaching, preparation is underway. There were 700,000 comments opposing changes to the Roadless Rule in national forests, and a decision is pending. The new forest plan for The Monongahela National Forest will likely not be completed until 2030. To achieve the best outcome, we need to begin identifying our priorities and preparing to advocate for them.
Andrew Young provided an update on litigation involving the South Fork Coal Company mines. The company, already in financial distress, has shifted from a Chapter 11 bankruptcy (reorganization) to a Chapter 7 bankruptcy (liquidation). This means mining operations have ceased. While the bankruptcy trustee could sell the permits to another operator, complications make that unlikely. The mines have left a substantial mess that will require cleanup, raising questions about who will do it and where the funding will come from.
Membership and Outreach Director Christa Clasgens reported that the Conservancy store and membership programs continue to thrive. She has been working on a short film about Helen McGinnis and her years of advocacy for the Monongahela National Forest and Dolly Sods. She shared a nearly complete version of the film, which will be finished and ready for distribution soon. Christa is also helping plan a landowner rights workshop and a fly-tying workshop.
Program Director Olivia Miller reported on her wide range of activities. She has been coordinating the Fall Review, supporting the Wilderness Stewards, advancing advocacy on Corridor H, working on the data center issue, and preparing several grant applications. She also organized two outings this year—a float trip on the Cheat River and a snorkeling trip on Shavers Fork.
Julia Huffman, daughter of former Board member Beth Little, has completed a film about her mother’s life—focusing on her early career as a computer programmer in Los Angeles and her later years in Pocahontas County. The film will be screened Nov. 30 at the Pocahontas County Opera House in Marlinton. For more about Beth, including a photo of the filmmaker, see the February 2019 issue of The Highlands Voice.
Luanne McGovern reported on opposition to the proposed data center. The opposition coalition continues to raise funds, and hearings for related appeals are scheduled for November and December. The appeals address whether the facility should be classified as a minor or major pollution source; whether redactions in the permit application prevented meaningful public comment; whether the permit should have required emissions monitoring; and whether the facility complies with the West Virginia Air Pollution Control Act.
Hugh Rogers reported that developments on Corridor H are expected soon. The Federal Highway Administration previously directed the West Virginia Department of Highways to consider the Go North alternative favored by the Conservancy. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement is expected to be released around Nov. 21, 2025. That document will reveal whether the Department gave the northern alternative serious consideration or merely a cursory review while justifying its long-preferred route.
