From our partners at Sierra Club West Virginia

I’m asking you to join us at the Rally to Protect Upper Cheat Headwaters and Old-Growth Forest.

The Upper Cheat River is a treasure within the Monongahela National Forest. The forest provides clean drinking water and flood protection for communities, wildlife habitat for endangered species, and miles of trails to explore the outdoors. Despite that, the Forest Service is pushing forward a poorly planned project that would clearcut large swaths of this critical area.

The project would log forests on very steep slopes, leading to increased risk of flooding and sediment deposition in the rivers and streams. In addition, opening the canopy will increase temperatures in cold-water streams that native brook trout require for their survival. It would also adversely impact important habitat for other species like northern long-eared bats and hellbender salamanders. 

Now is the time to preserve mature and old-growth trees – which store much higher amounts of carbon and help fight climate change. These mature forests are worth more standing. 

Join us on November 14th at 1pm at the US Forest Service Office at 200 Sycamore Street, Elkins, WV 26241. West Virginia Environmental Council is co-hosting this event with Sierra Club West Virginia, Friends of Blackwater, Speak For The Trees Too, and West Virginia Highlands Conservancy.

Can you join us? Click here for details and to RSVP.

Thanks!

Jim Kotcon
Conservation Chair
WV Chapter of Sierra Club
304-594-3322 (cell)