March 2007 - Friends of Blackwater Canyon

March 2007 March 2007
Board of Directors
Judy Rodd - President
Paul Hill - Vice-President
Jeannie Dalporto -
Secretary
Linda Cooper - Treasurer
Sandy Fisher
Sheila McEntee
Advisory Board
Annie Dillard - Author
Larry Groce - Director, Mountain
Stage
Jason Halbert
David Hammer, Esq.
Alan Karlin, Esq.
Patrick McGinley -
Professor of Law
Deborah McHenry, Esq.
Rafe Pomerance -
former US Deputy
Assistant Secretary of
State for Environment
Joe Riffenberger -
Wildlife Biologist
J. Lawrence Smith -
Author
Steve White, Esq.
Christopher Wood -
former Senior Advisor
to US Forest Service
Titles for identification purposes only.
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Staff
Judy Rodd, Director
John Brown
Brandae Mullins
Nancy Spencer
Notes from the Director
Dear Friend of Blackwater,
It was up to us.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service, charged with enforcing the
Endangered Species Act, wouldn’t do their job.
So, it was “up to us” to protect the Cheat snail and its habitat – and we
did it!
We are working hard to make the same kind of real and lasting
difference -- in protecting the Blackwater Canyon region, and its mascot
species, “Ginny”, the endangered West Virginia Northern Flying Squirrel.
The agencies that should be protecting Blackwater and Ginny are not
doing their job. National Forest officials won’t protect the historic Canyon
Trail, and rollbacks are practically the norm at the Fish and Wildlife Service.
So it’s “up to us” to protect these special West Virginia high mountain
places and creatures for all of us -- and for our children and grandchildren.
We love to hear from you. We try to earn your ongoing support and
confidence every day. Thank you ,especially for writing letters and e-mails
and making calls to public officials.
It’s up to us -- and we are doing it!
Trail (continued from page 1)
destruction of historic sites.
West Virginia Congressman
Alan Mollohan has been
supportive of Trail protection,
and has challenged the Forest
Service’s approach to the issue.
In a letter of January 19, 2007
Mollohan said,
“I continue to be deeply
concerned about the impacts
that grant of an easement would
have on the trail, which, as the
Forest Service has recognized,
has tremendous value because
of its scenic views and the
recreational opportunities
it offers. I am particularly
concerned about the possibility
of such a grant in effect
converting the trail
i n t o a n
industrial haul road.”
On February 13 th , 2007
Mollohan questioned Mark
Rey, the head of the Forest
Service, about the Blackwater
Trail at a meeting of the House
Appropriations Committee
on Capitol Hill. We deeply
appreciate the Congressman
taking our issue to the highest
levels of government! We’ll
keep you posted with the latest
developments on this breaking
issue.
*You can help protect the
Blackwater Canyon Trail by
signing our on-line petition
asking West Virginia’s
Governor Joe Manchin to
protect this special place! Go
to www.saveblackwater.org
or mail in the coupon on page
12.
Sincerely,
Judy Rodd
SOS! Continued from Page 1
hardwood forest. There is
already a “cover-up” brewing
-- Fish and Wildlife has refused
to release 2,325 pages of public
documents about their proposal.
We are appealing this action,
and asking that the comment
period remain open until we get
all the documents and are able
to review them. Congressman
Rahall supports us in this
request.
You can help protect Ginny
and her mountain home. Logon
to www.saveblackwater.
org and click on the picture
of the flying squirrel to get to
a comment form and sample
letter. Please get friends and
family to comment as well! And
thank you for your generous
donations, which support this
campaign to protect the integrity
of the Endangered Species
Act.
LINKS OF INTEREST
The following links come to us from Dave Watson. He
provides great information on biking the Blackwater
Canyon. Thanks Dave!
http://www.wvbike.org/~trails/blackwater_circle/index.html
http://www.wvbike.org/~trails/west_fork_trail/index.html
USA Today Highlights
Blackwater on
Valentine’s Day!
50 Dates in
50 States
Roses and chocolates
are fine, but there’s nothing
like wanderlust to make a
traveler’s heart beat faster.
With Valentine’s Day as
inspiration, USA TODAY’s travel
staff asked local experts for
each state and the District
of Columbia to pick a favorite
romantic experience that
can be enjoyed on Feb. 14 or
beyond. From hobnobbing with
butterflies in Sioux Falls, S.D.,
to hot-tubbing on Orcas Island,
Wash., here’s what put stars in
their eyes.
WEST VIRGINIA
Watch the flames in a stone
fireplace in a cabin at
Blackwater Falls State Park
in the Allegheny Mountains,
after a day of cross-country
skiing or hiking to the Lindy
Point Overlook and sharing
the kiss-me-quick view of
Blackwater Canyon.
*Recommended by Sheila
McEntee, editor, Wonderful
West Virginia.
Article excerpted from USA Today,
originally printed on February 9, 2007.
CHEAT CANYON VICTORY!!
Congratulations -- we won a big one!
The supporters of Friends of Blackwater have put in place the first ever court-approved endangered species protection plan in West Virginia. The
detailed, multi-year plan protects critical habitat for the rare Cheat three-tooth snail (triodopsis platysayoides), which lives in rock crevices in the heart of
the Cheat Canyon near Morgantown, West Virginia. Scientists will call the shots in defining protected areas.
Here’s a brief run-down on this campaign -- and how we won it:
Three years ago, the news leaked out that the timber company Allegheny Wood Products was preparing
to build logging roads and timber in the Cheat Canyon – right in the middle of the steep, rocky
woodland habitat of the rare Cheat snail. This tiny creature, on the Endangered Species list since July
3, 1978, is cute, delicate, and dangerously slow-moving – no match for a bulldozer.
Scientists and outdoor lovers who care about the snail and the Cheat Canyon contacted Friends of
Blackwater. “We have to do something!” they said. “The federal and state authorities say their hands are tied.”
OK, we said – what’s at stake here? Our members want us to defend the Endangered Species Act (“ESA”) in the West Virginia Highlands -- the “ESA”
is crucial to protecting the Blackwater Canyon. Shall we jump in and fight -- or shall we let the bulldozers crush the snails to smithereens?
It was a no-brainer. “It will take a big effort,” we resolved, “but we will try to protect this tiny snail and the Endangered Species Act!”
We got to work. Attorney Josh Barrett of DiTrapano, Barrett and DiPiero filed a groundbreaking lawsuit and spent hundreds of hours on the case -- including
flying to Washington, DC for high-level negotiations. Josh teamed up with ESA specialists Eric Glitzenstein and Erin Tobin at Myer, Glitzenstein,
and Crystal in Washington, DC. We owe these three dedicated professionals so much.
We alerted our members and supporters, who donated generously to pay campaign expenses. We worked with organizational partners, including
CLEAR(Cheat Lake Environment and Recreation Association) and the West Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club. We mobilized scientists, and did mailings
and newsletters. Research scientists evaluated the snail’s critical needs and habitat with financial support from the Coopers Rock Foundation,
Defenders of Wildlife and the World Wildlife Fund. Duane Nichols, Paul Wilson, and Ann Chester did huge amounts of organizing work. Ken Hotopp,
field biologist and snail man extraordinare, shared his expert knowledge of the Cheat snail every step of the way. Thanks and congratulations to these
valiant warriors!
Finally, in January 2007, the timber company agreed to a settlement. On February 5, 2007 the federal court approved a comprehensive environmental
protection plan for the Cheat snail that includes the ongoing involvement of environmental representatives and their experts. A link to the entire plan
document is on our website, www.saveblackwater.org. If you want a copy by mail, call or write us.
Today, the Cheat snail and its Cheat Canyon habitat enjoy a much higher degree of legal protection than before. Friends of Blackwater will be alert and
involved -- to turn that legal protection into a strong reality.
Meanwhile, we can all pat ourselves on the back, and celebrate a real accomplishment. Congratulations!
Soar On Legal Eagles
It was crucial, in protecting
the Cheat snail, to have a
powerful legal team.
We celebrate that team --
Josh, Eric, and Erin – and
we also celebrate the many
other wonderful lawyers
who over the past ten
years have helped the Save
Blackwater campaign. For
example:
In 1999, Jason Huber went
to federal court to protect
“Ginny”, the West Virginia
Northern Flying Squirrel,
and her habitat in the Canyon
– and as a result, hundreds
of acres were protected. In
2000, William dePollo
appeared before the Public
Service Commission, and
succeeded in keeping
industrial wind turbines away
from the Canyon. Today,
SAVE CHEAT CANYON!
Through partnerships, working to protect the endangered species of the Cheat Canyon by limiting logging and road building.
Dierdre Purdy of the Bailey
and Glasser firm is
providing top-drawer legal
counsel to our Trail
Protection campaign.
The power and value of the
highly specialized,
absolutely necessary work
that has been done by these
seasoned advocates is
huge. Their providing large
amounts of their time and
WE LOVE THOSE
LAWYERS!
labor and ability in the
service of this public effort is
noble.
Jason Huber, Pat
McGinley, Dave Hammer,
Deborah McHenry, Jim
Zimarowski, John Wiley, and
Pat Maroney are some more
“Esquires” who have strongly
supported the Blackwater
protection effort.
We
appreciate the heck out of
each and every one of our
legal friends!
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