Calendar
June 22 thru July 19
- Mon Trail Assessment Project, a cooperative project sponsored by the Mon Nat Forest and the Forest Watch Coalition. Call the FWC for info at 637-4082July 11 - WVHC Summer Board Meeting at Flatwoods at the Western Steer Restaurant from 10am - 3pm.
July 18 and 19 - Blackwater Canyon Backpack. We値l take our time on this leisure trip down the Blackwater Canyon Rail Trail, and it's downhill all the way! With an overnight along the way we have time to explore and enjoy the Blackwater Canyon. And it should be hot enough to appreciate a dip in one or more of the gorgeous falls and pools of the side streams. Listen to the river below all night as we camp deep in the Canyon. This is an excellent "starter" outing for those new to backpacking. Call Jim Sconyers 789-6277.
July 26, Sunday - Picnic and rally at the Community Center in Orgas, WV(On Rte 3 between Whitesville and Racine in Boone County). The purpose of the rally is to raise the awareness about mountaintop removal and valley fill, and to direct the comments of concerned attendees toward the appropriate officials, and to establish a broad network of citizens across the region opposed to the practice.. It will last from 1-6 PM with the 2 PM time about the peak of activity i.e. speeches, etc. Live music, face painting and other fun things for kids. Chicken, hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans, rolls, and soft drinks. Sponsored by the Coal River Mountain Watch, with Appalachian Voices, Trees for the Planet, Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition, Citizens Coal Council, and Heartwood and possibly other groups as co-sponsors. We hope to have several hundred attendees. A limited number of flights over the affected area will be available. For more information contact Randy Sprouse at 854-2408.
August 7 thru 9 - Middle Mountain Cabins. Don't sweat the dog days of August - It's cool in Laurel Fork Wilderness, where the Middle Mountain Cabins are nestled. These rustic, historic buildings include two bunkhouses and the main cabin with kitchen and refrigerator, hand-pumped water, and a great porch for sitting. We drive right to the cabins, and enjoy streams, beaver ponds, miles of maintained trails, and thousands of acres of West Virginia wilderness. Be as laid back or dynamic as you want - sit back and take it easy or explore from one end to the other! We will share kitchen duties. There is a modest charge for cabin rental and meal ingredients. Call Jim Sconyers 789-6277.
August 14 thru 16 - Dolly Sods Workshop. See information and registration form in this issue of the "Voice." Sponsored by Forest Watch Coalition.
- OVEC hosts a Mountain Massacre Meeting of the Minds; location to be announced. This event will also include a site visit.
September 6 - Bike the Blackwater Canyon. We'll go the whole 9 yards (actually a bit more). Start in Thomas, a charming little West Virginia mountain town. From there we ride the entire Blackwater Canyon Rail Trail, passing through Thomas, Coketon, Douglas, Big Run, Lime Rock, and Hendricks, where we finish. Fourteen miles of level or downhill on a good trail surface - with lots to see along the way. Waterfalls, coke ovens, wildflowers, the wild Blackwater Canyon - come see what all the fuss has been about! Shuttle back to Thomas from Hendricks. Bring your bike, or rent one in Thomas or Davis. (Note: the rail trail guide rates the trail II on a difficulty scale of I - IV, because of some bumpiness due to the ballast stones left in the trail when the tracks were removed.) Call Jim Sconyers 789-6277.
September 7 - Bike the Blackwater Canyon. This is a repeat of the September 6 trip. See it for description.
September 11 thru 13 - West Virginia Environmental Council annual meeting. Call 346-5891 for more information.
September 26 - Blackwater Canyon Walk-Through. Be in the front row as fall foliage tunes up for its riot of color. We will take a leisurely pace as we walk the entire Blackwater Canyon Rail Trail - the way to really SEE the Canyon! Catch the last of the fall wildflowers, and the middle of foliage season. Downhill all the way with a shuttle back from the trail terminus in Hendricks. Call Jim Sconyers 789-6277.
October 4 - Fall Spectacle. We move from overlook to overlook for one spectacular fall foliage scene after another. Some are popular lookouts, others are less familiar. The Canyon puts on its finery for us! Meet at Blackwater Falls State Park Lodge at 9:30 AM. Bring camera(!), lunch, walking shoes, etc. Call Jim Sconyers 789-6277.
October 9 thru 11 (mark your calendars) - Mountain Top Fall Review. Plan to attend a cooperative forum on Mountain Top Removal as the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy teams up with the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition (OVEC) to expose the truth about this earth shattering, community destroying method of resource
extraction. This year痴 Fall Review will be 3 days of first hand exposure to the valley filling, blasting and leveling of West Virginia's mountains. Join us as we explore the southern coalfields and visit disparaged towns. Take a flight, for a birds eye view, or canoe the Coal River, for an enjoyable experience, reminding us why it is important to protect West Virginia痴 natural and cultural heritage. We値l see the peaks, see the plateaus, we'll visit the mines and the remains, we値l hear the tales and the lore, we値l look at the facts and the science, we値l discuss the law and its enforcement. We値l find out what other organizations are currently doing and figure out ways to work better together--to galvanize this movement. Most of all, we値l seek justice. Justice for the people, and justice for our state, justice for the streams and justice for the mountains. The Conservancy is proud to seek the cooperation of our southern brothers and sisters and join with them in their efforts to preserve their way of life and their back yards. Look for more details as they are developed. ｬ