• A New Role for the New River

    The New River Gorge will have a new designation and a slightly different role thanks to Congressional action on the bill that included the Covid19 relief.  It will change from being […]

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  • 2020

    The Highlands Voice The Monthly Publication of West Virginia Highlands Conservancy Click below for a PDF version from this year. Individual articles can be found by either clicking on the […]

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  • Update on Stormwater Permit in Jefferson County

    By Dr. Christine Wimer President Jefferson County Foundation In our September article, we discussed in brief the Department of Environmental Protection’s use of Unilateral Enforcement Orders to allow entities to […]

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  • One Step Closer to Imperiling Migratory Birds

    By John McFerrin             The outgoing administration has taken one step closer to a major policy change that would imperil migratory birds. Background The Migratory Bird Treaty Act is the United […]

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  • A Good Poem: The Blackwater

    By Jack Slocomb             I think I first saw the Blackwater Canyon and falls when I was nine years old. That’s when I was living in Buckhannon, West Virginia, and my […]

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  • Mistletoe: Holiday Matchmaker and Year-Round Parasite

    By Katherine McFerrin Mistletoe is the symbol for romance during the winter holidays. The classic mistletoe, imagined with its snowy white berries and thin green leaves, is not native to […]

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  • On the River Once

    By Jack Slocomb I remember the river going by muddy and slow and the moths flickering away lifetimes  under the light of the lamp  and you and I out on […]

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  • Construction Stopped on Mountain Valley Pipeline (at least temporarily)

    By John McFerrin The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit has granted a stay of the actions of the United States Army Corps of Engineers in its approvals […]

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  • Reusing Waste Water from Gas Wells

    By John McFerrin In recent years there has been a movement toward what is called “water reuse.”  The idea is that with the possibilities of drought and general water shortages, we […]

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  • An Irruption of Grosbeaks

    By Cindy Ellis We have been longing to see them for years…and they’re back!  Those wildly handsome northern songbirds called Evening Grosbeaks have recently been seen this season in many […]

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