By Frank Young

Saving Blackwater Canyon

If you can only do one thing for the environment this week, please read, or even just skip, to the bottom of this column section.

Blackwater Canyon is the national symbol for wild, wonderful West Virginia. In the late 1800's, artist Porte Crayon popularized the Canyon, with tales and illustrations of its rugged beauty, published in Harper's Monthly. Today, West Virginia's "Grand Canyon" is surrounded

by the Monongahela National Forest, and is buffered by the Blackwater Falls State Park. The unique Blackwater Canyon ecosystem contains rare and endangered species. It was recommended for National Natural Landmark status in the l970s. The Canyon section of the Blackwater River was recommended for Wild and Scenic Rivers status in the 1990's.

For over 80 years, visitors came to partake of the Canyon's world class recreational opportunities: fishing and kayaking in the wild waters of the Blackwater River; hiking, biking, nature watching, and hunting within the Canyon. Hundreds of thousands of visitors have enjoyed Lindy Point, one of West Virginia's most scenic viewpoints. This scenic spot--featured on state tourism brochures and videos--has been the site of weddings and memorial services.

The West Virginia Highlands Conservancy has published a 90 page report recognizing the threats to the Blackwater Canyon from Allegheny Wood Products logging and development plans. This report evaluates the recreational, historic, ecological, cultural and economic value of the Blackwater Canyon. It concludes that public ownership of this precious, immensely valuable natural area is critical to its protection.

The Report calls for:

1. The establishment of the Blackwater Canyon National Park, a park that will encompass the Canyon and parts of the Monongahela National Forest.

2. The establishment of the Blackwater Ecotourism Enterprise Training Center, a facility to be owned and operated by the United States Department of the Interior. The intergovernmental public/private facility will operate as a college campus and as a hotel/conference center offering training in land management and small business development based on the public lands infrastructure of the region.

3. A grassroots campaign asking elected officials for their support of the Blackwater National Park and the Ecotourism Enterprise Center.

No land in West Virginia is better suited for permanent public protection, and for generating long-term community and economic benefits, than the Blackwater Canyon. Due to the inability of state and federal agencies to prevent further deterioration of this resource in its present status, the Department of the Interior, the President, and the Congress should act immediately to designate and acquire the Canyon Property and move it into National Park status-- with full compensation to the owners of the lands to be acquired.

Groups uniting to promote the establishment of the Blackwater National Park and the Blackwater Ecotourism Enterprise Training Center include: Appalachian Restoration Campaign, Heartwood, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, United Mine Workers, West Virginia Citizen Action Group, West Virginia Environmental Council, West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, and West Virginia Rivers Coalition.

What can you and I do now to promote the goal of National Park status protection? It literally takes an act of Congress to enact National Park protection. So where do we go for this? To Congress, of course.

Of course we will approach our congressional delegation. But without a deluge of support from the grass roots voters (that’s you and me), our pleas for congressional support will ring hollow.

Julian Martin, WVHC board member and Blackwater Committee activist, has coordinated the development of a massive citizens network of Blackwater Canyon protectors. His next goal is a deluge of letters in support of the Blackwater Canyon National Park and Ecotourism Training Center goal.

The Blackwater Canyon is in the congressional district of Congressman Alan Mollohan. Send letters of support to: Congressman Alan Mollohan, 2346 Rayburn Building, Washington DC 20525; phone (202) 225-4172; send copies of this letter to: Senator John D. Rockefeller, 109 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20525; phone (202) 224-6472.

If you can do only one thing for the environment this week, please write and send these two letters!