(Excerpted from the press release of July 20, 1998 by the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy)

ELKINS, WV--Although endangered species are known to reside in Blackwater Canyon, it has been nearly a year since the owner of the Canyon has had any dialogue with federal officials regarding protection of those species within the Canyon.

Bill Tolin, endangered species specialist of the West Virginia field office of the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has issued a letter to John Crites, owner of Allegheny Wood Products (AWP) which is timbering the Blackwater Canyon, home to the endangered Virginia northern flying squirrel, and the threatened Cheat Mountain salamander.

The letter, dated July 14, says that potential habitat for these two federally listed species is within the area the company plans to log. The USFWS recommended that surveys be conducted in potential habitat areas, and that a field review be arranged to specifically locate the threatened and endangered species. In the letter, Tolin says that nearly a year has passed since these recommendations were made, but AWP has not replied.

"John Crites has repeatedly said he is very interested in the stewardship of West Virginia’s natural resources. Yet he continues to work against the best interests of all West Virginians by refusing to cooperate with the agency which works to protect endangered species," said John McFerrin, president of the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy (WVHC). "Not only is he logging, and possibly developing condominiums, in one of West Virginia’s finest tourist attractions, he is stalling on protecting the endangered species that live within the Canyon.

"In addition to the species already identified, we have information that leads us to believe another endangered species, the Indiana bat, uses the Canyon. If Crites continues to log the Canyon, he may destroy a habitat that federal law says must be saved. At the very least he should cooperate with federal officials who are trying to do their jobs of protecting endangered species." McFerrin said. "He is even logging while the legality of the sale of the Canyon is in question." APS sold the Canyon without Public Service Commission (PSC) approval. WVHC, the WV Chapter of Sierra Club, the WV Wildlife Federation and two individuals filed a complaint with the Public Service Commission (PSC) contending that the sale of the Canyon was illegal because it had not been approved by the PSC.

Because the legal action has the potential to void the sale of the land, the validity of the title of land within the Canyon is subject to question until the litigation is resolved.