David Sibray
BECKLEY, W.Va. — With its walkable towns and seemingly limitless hiking trails, West Virginia is ideally suited to “rucking,” an extremely accessible exercise growing in popularity both as a group pursuit and a solitary endeavor. Rucking, or simply walking with a weighted backpack, is relatively easy and inexpensive and can provide for dramatic weight loss, … Read more
HARMAN, W.Va. — A West Virginia-grown Christmas tree harvested in the Monongahela National Forest will adorn the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., in 2023 — the third time a West Virginia tree has appeared on the grounds that look across the National Mall toward the Lincoln Memorial. The first and second … Read more
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A West Virginia University researcher has found a way to locate, access, and destroy invasive plants more efficiently. Yong-Lak Park, a professor of entomology, is researching the efficacy of dropping natural enemy insects on invasive plants using drone technology and artificial intelligence. With a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s … Read more
ELKINS, W.Va. — Most of the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia is open year-round, closing only when access roads are snow-covered, though some developed campgrounds, picnic areas, and visitor centers routinely close from late fall through mid-spring. According to forest service media contact Kelly Bridges, officials have posted the following seasonal closures for winter … Read more
ELKINS, W.Va. — Staff at the Monongahela National Forest in eastern West Virginia plan to conduct prescribed burns and pile burns in Greenbrier, Pocahontas, Grant, and Pendleton counties this fall and winter, weather permitting. According to Kelly Bridges, a spokesperson for the service, the burns help re-establish fire’s natural role in the forest ecosystem, improve … Read more
GLEN JEAN, W.Va. — Nine popular fishing spots along the New and Gauley rivers in southern West Virginia now have receptacles for anglers to dispose of fishing lines, courtesy of the Friends of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. The receptacles are mounted on signs and fence posts in convenient locations that are visible … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Infrastructure and Jobs Development Council announced $4.25 million in funding for sewer and water projects around the Mountain State this month, including those in Davis, Nitro, Hinton, Fairview, and New Haven. Town of Davis The council approved a $178,000 grant and $178,000 loan to the Town of Davis in Tucker County … Read more
The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia is accepting applications for its new Saving Historic Places Grant, designed to save certified historic buildings in rural West Virginia communities from “demolition by neglect.” According to Danielle Parker, executive director for the statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to historic preservation in the Mountain State, funding will be provided for … Read more
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV—Shepherd University’s George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War will host a free author’s talk with historian Curtis Older on Thursday, October 12, at 7 p.m. in the center at 136 W. German St., Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Older will present from his book “Hood’s Defeat Near Fox’s Gap: Prelude to … Read more
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — If West Virginia University research pays off, debris that litters the planet’s orbit and poses a threat to spacecraft and satellites could get nudged off potential collision courses by a coordinated network of space lasers. Hang Woon Lee, director of the Space Systems Operations Research Laboratory at WVU, said a junkyard of … Read more
