Hikers with the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy are pictured birding together in the West Virginia Wilderness. Taken from the WVHC website.
West Virginia Highlands Conservancy was founded in 1965 by a coalition of outdoors enthusiasts driven to address environmental issues in the Mountain State. In over half a century, the organization has launched a multitude of campaigns to fight back against invasive projects and to help enact protective legislation.
They’re one of the first organizations to take legal action in the fight against harmful mining practices, such as strip mining and mountaintop removal. In their multifaceted approach to preservation and conservation, they have also helped enact key legislation—including the Surface Mine Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) and the National Forest Management Act (NFMA).
I asked WVHC Program Director Olivia Miller a few questions about their work and what it means.
Anna: What project(s) do you feel are most urgent or important to Highlands right now?
Olivia: The West Virginia Highlands Conservancy is currently focused on two major projects that have the potential to reshape the Highlands for generations: large-scale industrial data center development and the Corridor H highway project.
For nearly 60 years, the Conservancy has worked to protect the rural character, natural beauty, and communities of the Highlands while fostering appreciation for our natural resources. Today, that mission places us at the center of a national debate playing out in real time here at home.
In Tucker County, a little-known company, Fundamental Data, has proposed a massive data center complex powered by a large methane gas power plant—one that the company has suggested could become among the largest in the world. This proposal sits less than two miles from the small towns of Thomas and Davis, within the headwaters of the Blackwater River watershed, in an area actively reinventing itself as an outdoor recreation and tourism destination.
If built, this project would represent a fundamental shift in land use for Tucker County—from a region defined by clean air, dark skies, outdoor recreation, and tourism to one hosting permanent, fossil-fuel-powered industrial infrastructure. Projects of this scale shape communities for generations. Once forests are cleared, infrastructure installed, and pollution sources permitted, the impacts are often irreversible. The West Virginia Highlands Conservancy opposes this project as proposed and is actively engaged in reviewing and responding to it.
At the same time, the Conservancy continues its long-standing work on the Corridor H highway project, which we have been involved in since the organization’s earliest days. We are currently working with partners, local business owners, and community members to advocate for a northern route for the Parsons-to-Davis section of Corridor H.
The West Virginia Division of Highways’ long-preferred alternative would cross the North Fork of the Blackwater River and cut through the Blackwater Industrial Complex—an area that draws visitors from across the country to the Allegheny Highlands Rail Trail along the Blackwater Canyon. This landscape has also been heavily mined, and a bridge crossing the North Fork risks triggering acid mine drainage into the Blackwater River, which then flows into the Cheat River, threatening drinking water and recreation downstream.
The preferred route would also split the sister towns of Thomas and Davis. Visitors and residents alike value this area precisely because it offers a peaceful alternative to a four-lane highway. The Conservancy is deeply concerned about how this would affect the character and livability of the community. We are committed to ensuring the northern route is selected, as it avoids the towns and protects historic and recreational landmarks that define the Highlands.
Anna: Can you speak a little about what makes this work personal to you?
Olivia: I was born and raised in Tucker County, West Virginia, in the small town of Hendricks, in the heart of the Monongahela National Forest. Hendricks sits at the base of the Blackwater Canyon, where the Dryfork River flows into the Black Fork and then into the Cheat River. Otter Creek Wilderness was less than a five-minute drive from my childhood home.
I grew up exploring the best of West Virginia—our forests, rivers, and wild places. My great-great-grandparents lived on a homestead on land that is now protected as part of the Otter Creek Wilderness. That land was preserved, rather than mined for coal, because of the work of the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy.
I’ve lived the benefits of the Conservancy’s mission firsthand. That legacy shaped me, and it’s why this work matters so deeply to me. I’m committed to ensuring future generations have the same opportunity to experience a West Virginia defined by clean water, intact forests, and strong rural communities.
Anna: What does the future look like for Highlands?
Olivia: The West Virginia Highlands Conservancy has a strong and exciting future ahead. We are focused on building staff capacity so we can deepen and expand our impact across the region. A key priority is strengthening our connections with communities throughout the Highlands—listening to their concerns, understanding local environmental challenges, and working alongside residents to address them.
We also plan to increase our presence at the state legislature and step up our advocacy at the federal level to ensure the voices of Highlands communities are heard where decisions are made.
At the same time, we’re committed to making our work more accessible and community-centered through hands-on education and outdoor experiences. We plan to offer more guided hikes, fly fishing, snorkeling, backpacking, and kayaking opportunities for people across the region, helping connect more West Virginians to the places we’re working to protect.
Our volunteer program, the Dolly Sods Wilderness Stewards, continues to thrive, with nearly 100 volunteers providing on-the-ground stewardship in the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area. We’re working toward expanding this model into other wilderness areas within the Monongahela National Forest.
At its core, the future of the Conservancy remains rooted in our mission: protecting the Highlands of West Virginia—its wild places, clean water, and rural communities—so they endure for generations to come.
To learn more, visit wvhighlands.org.
