On June 7, the Blackwater Committee of the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy announced a television campaign to raise public awareness about the continuing threat to the Blackwater Canyon in Tucker County -- West Virginia’s scenic "Crown Jewel."

Attending the press conference where the ad was announced were Blackwater Committee members Judy Rodd, Julian Martin, and Sandy Fisher -- accompanied by "Blackie," the endangered northern Virginia flying squirrel whose home is in the Canyon. John Taylor, of the Methodist Federation for Social Action, read his committee’s resolution supporting Senator Byrd’s National Park Study of the Blackwater Canyon area.

The thirty-second, professionally produced television announcements, which are being aired on Charleston, Huntington, Clarksburg, and Beckley television stations, demand that West Virginia Governor Cecil Underwood support permanent protection of the entire 3,000 acre Canyon. In the announcements, photos of logging trucks and the roar of chainsaws are contrasted with vivid color photography of the Canyon’s scenic beauty.

Governor Underwood recently announced a plan to acquire 177 acres, or six percent of the Canyon, as an addition to Blackwater Falls State Park. Advocates for public protection of the Blackwater Canyon have repeatedly criticized Underwood for not supporting public protection of the entire Canyon. The Canyon was purchased in 1997 by a logging company owned by John Crites, a political supporter of the governor. Underwood’s latest plan would allow log trucks and a sewage line to commercial developments to run through Blackwater Falls State Park. Underwood also proposes to pay Crites a per-acre price of 25 times what Crites paid for the property three years ago.

Judy Rodd, Senior Vice President of the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, said:

"In these TV announcements, we are saying what hundreds of thousands of West Virginians (and others) are feeling. Lindy Point is a place where we can stand, to look out over our state’s Crown Jewel. But protecting Lindy Point is not saving the Blackwater Canyon. Does Governor Underwood think that the future of the rest of the Canyon should be whatever the highest dollar will bring? It makes me sick to think of what that might be -- especially when the Governor is trying to give John Crites a sewage line right-of-way through Blackwater Falls State Park."

"Despite what Governor Underwood may wish, West Virginians will never settle for a paltry 177 acres overlooking their Canyon. And Governor Underwood is misleading West Virginians when he says that there is not enough money to buy all of the Canyon back. The Canyon is a world-class landscape and a regional and national landmark. There will be plenty of funding from public and private agencies to protect the entire Canyon -- but political leaders like Governor Underwood must commit to the project. For example, Senator Byrd and the rest of our Congressional delegation are supporting a National Park Study of the entire Canyon. Blackwater Canyon National Park will draw tourists and create good jobs," Rodd continued.

"These TV spots show that the Blackwater Canyon is one of our State’s most special places -- like Coopers Rock and the New River. Protecting the Blackwater Canyon for future generations does not mean just buying a sliver of land -- to view timber jobs, bulldozers, and private developments. Governor Underwood’s just-get-by attitude is becoming a major obstacle to saving the Blackwater Canyon. West Virginians are demanding that Governor Underwood speak out and work for public ownership of all of the Blackwater Canyon," concluded Rodd.

The television announcements ads included a toll free number, 1-877-WVA-LAND, for those who want to help save the Canyon. Many calls have already come in from around the state with offers of help. For more information, please call this number, or e-mail roddj@hotmail.com. You can also find more news at www.wvhighlands.org.