West Virginia Explorer West Virginia Explorer News
Browse

David Sibray

David Sibray is the founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of West Virginia Explorer, a news and travel magazine devoted to the state’s history, tourism, outdoor recreation and economic development. For more information, he may be reached at 304-575-7390 or at editor@wvexplorer.com
French Creek Freddie, a favorite resident of the W.Va. Wildlife Center, will offer his advice on the weather this weekend.
Communities

French Creek Freddie predicts early spring for West Virginia

by David Sibray

FRENCH CREEK, W.Va. — Get ready for an early spring, West Virginia! French Creek Freddie called for warmer temperatures during his annual Groundhog Day celebration at the West Virginia State Wildlife Center in Upshur County. Trevor Moore, a wildlife biologist for the center, says he’d bank on Freddie, whose predictions are right half the time. “When … Read more

Maple syrup production is growing in West Virginia.
Agriculture

Maple Syrup Days on tap at six Pocahontas County farms

by David Sibray

MARLINTON, W.Va. — Syrup production is thriving in Pocahontas County, where organizers of Maple Days events are welcoming new producers and expecting more attendees, thanks partly to a renewed interest in Appalachian customs. Six maple producers are opening their doors to public tours in February and March 2023 as the number of maple syrup producers … Read more

A hellbender gazes back at the camera from an aquarium exhibit.
Communities

W.Va. launches citizen science survey of hellbenders, mudpuppies

by David Sibray

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — To learn more about the distribution of odd-looking hellbenders and mudpuppies, the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources has launched a citizen science project to track sightings of these important but declining salamanders around the state. The project, which will take two years to complete, gives anglers, science enthusiasts and public members … Read more

A farmer plants in a garden in West Virginia.
Agriculture

W.Va. encourages farmers to participate in 2022 ag census

by David Sibray

CHARLESTON, W.Va — The W.Va. Department of Agriculture is encouraging all farmers and farm operations in the state to participate in the 2022 Census of Agriculture to ensure support for agriculture in West Virginia. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service mailed paper questionnaires to producers in December, according to W.Va. Commissioner of … Read more

Hikers trek into a spruce forest in the West Virginia highlands.
Recreation

Trail development gains traction as economic powerhouse in West Virginia

by David Sibray

BECKLEY, W.Va. — Trail development has emerged as a driving force in economic revitalization across the United States, but few regions are witnessing its transformative potential more clearly than West Virginia. “With the state’s outdoor recreation industry gaining national attention, advocates and developers are turning to trails as a key to unlocking economic, health, and … Read more

McMurran Hall at Shepherd University fronts East German Street in historic Shepherdstown, West Virginia.
Communities

Shepherd University awarded nearly $3 million from Congress

by David Sibray

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. — Four Shepherd University programs will benefit from $2,708,000 in congressionally directed spending that the university is receiving from the $1.7 billion omnibus bill signed by President Joe Biden on December 23, 2022. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who serve on the Appropriations Committee, requested the money to … Read more

The sun sets beyond the New River Gorge Bridge in southern West Virginia. (Photo courtesy Wendy Parks Scott)
Attractions

International tourism growing at new national park in W.Va.

by David Sibray

FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — International tourism is growing in southern West Virginia due to the creation of America’s newest national park. Visitors to the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve are more culturally diverse than ever, say civic leaders in Fayetteville, West Virginia, the chief center of activity in the park’s northern region. Sharon Rynard, … Read more