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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
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

Snowfall in Jackson County, Mid-Ohio Valley Region
Arts

Photographer Rick Burgess reveals the magic of winter in W.Va.

by David Sibray

Winter in West Virginia is a delightfully varied season. The Ohio and Potomac lowlands and sheltered southern valleys witness only a few blanketing snowfalls, though the Allegheny Mountains, rising to more than 4,000 feet above sea level, are practically Canadian in climate and can be beset by blinding squalls long into spring. Photographer Rick Burgess … Read more