The Blackwater Canyon National Park? !

Roosters crowed the wake up call. The predawn sky promised a cloudless day, but there was no time to revel in the iris-scented West Virginia country morning. Primed with coffee, we were off to the big city on behalf of the Blackwater Canyon.

By 2 p.m. on May 25th, a cotillion of Canyon conservationists convened in Congressman Alan Mollohan’s DC office with a 20 inch stack of "Save the Blackwater Canyon" petitions. After months and months of asking, we had a face-to-face appointment with the representative whose district includes the Blackwater Canyon.

Indeed, we had meetings scheduled with all five of West Virginia’s congressional delegation. Letters and phone calls asking for the establishment of the Blackwater Canyon National Park have been streaming into their offices. Those communications, coupled with our 18,000 signatures, were our ticket in to see our elected officials.

Judy Rodd, Molly Elkinton, Peter Shoenfeld, David Powell and myself were on Capitol Hill on behalf of the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy (WVHC). I was also representing the Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition. Jason Halbert represented the Appalachian Restoration Campaign (ARC); Jeremy Mueller was there for the WV Rivers Coalition (WVRC) and Paul Wilson came for the WV Chapter of the Sierra Club.

Mollohan generously spent almost an hour talking frankly with us about our concerns. We urged Mollohan to authorize a bill that would allow the Department of the Interior to conduct a Special Resources Study on Blackwater Canyon. The Study is the first step in creating any new National Park, although implementation of the study does not guarantee that a National Park will be established. The Study would examine all the resources of the Canyon and would help identify the best possible course of action for the good of all West Virginians.

Mollohan quoted past WVHC president Linda Cooper -"you don’t build on a resource" -- saying that her words have been a guiding principle for him.

"You bank these resources in ways that preserve them," Mollohan said. Still, before he acts to initiate a Special Resources Study, Mollohan said he would prefer to see a signal sent by John Crites that the logger (and developer?) is willing to sell the Canyon to the National Park Service. Mollohan did agree to give our ideas more consideration.

Judy pointed out that a National Park would be a national attraction, a tourism magnet for Tucker County and would generate far more sustainable jobs and income for the county than the present logging operation. Jason Halbert showed Congressman Mollohan a draft outline of the Blackwater Canyon National Park and asked for the Representatives help in defining the Park boundaries.

We scurried down the hallway for a 3 p.m. meeting with Congressman Bob Wise. Wise said, "I believe the Blackwater Canyon ought to be preserved and I will work to do that." He noted that the Canyon is a very significant viewshed for West Virginia, and that other important viewsheds ought to be identified before they are threatened as is the Canyon. Wise said it was inappropriate for him to introduce legislation for Mollohan’s district, but that he would back such legislation when it is introduced.

Unfortunately, a vote on the House floor called Congressman Nick Joe Rahall away before we could meet with him. Rahall was instrumental in establishing the New River National Recreation Area. The economic development that has accompanied the recreation area has been phenomenal, and Rahall's aide, Jim Zoia, said he would be happy to share the economic data with Mollohan.

We charged out of the House building and beelined for the Hart Senate Building for our 4:15 meeting with Senator Byrd. He too had been called away, for a mark-up on an appropriations bill, so we presented the petitions to his assistants, Lisa Tuite and Franz Wuerfmannsdobler. Lisa indicated that the office had been receiving a lot of mail on Blackwater Canyon, and that she would make sure Byrd got the petitions.

By 5:30 we were sitting around a table with Senator Rockefeller. He felt that a lot more people needed to write before there could be action in Washington. (Hint.) He told us to keep doing what we have been doing. (Hint, hint.)

Our meetings on Capitol Hill were over, but we had yet another event for the Canyon. We piled into two vehicles and navigated the insane traffic up to Georgetown for our 7 p.m. soir¢e at the Patagonia store. Jason had arranged for the Patagonia space -- the company has donated to the Blackwater campaign -- so that we could kick off the Blackwater Canyon National Park campaign in the DC area. We invited our organizations’ area members, folks from government, national conservation organizations and grant-making foundations.

When we arrived, people were already there, examining our posters and literature, buying Blackwater Canyon T-shirts and videos, sipping wine and sampling the scrumptious gourmet vegan fare prepared by ARC’s Christina Wulf, Kristin Taverna and Jennifer Nalbone, who had spent the afternoon setting up for the event. Robbie Caruthers set the Appalachian tone by playing old-timey fiddle tunes.

Soon about 60 people crowded the room, eager to learn more about the Blackwater Canyon. A representative from the National Park Trust offered to help us in our campaign. Members of the American Whitewater Association, the Canoe Cruisers Association, and the River Riders were present in the audience. Jeremy talked about the Blackwater River and Jason explained how preserving the Blackwater Canyon was essential to the overall ecological health of the region. Fueled by West Virginia pride, Judy presented a slide show that topped off the evening.

"Some of the greatest National Parks we have were created due to imminent threat," Jason said. "The support is there. The economics is there. The ecology is there."

You can help keep our visit on the minds of policy makers in DC. Keep those letters coming! Tell your friends to write, too. Ask our elected officials to introduce a bill authorizing a Special Resources Study for the Blackwater Canyon.

After our visit, I have renewed faith that together we can create the Blackwater Canyon National Park. It won’t be easy, it won’t be quick, but it will be possible. See you at the ribbon cutting ceremony!