David Sibray
Organizers of the sixth annual spring wildflower walk set for April 6 at Saint Albans City Park are expecting more participants as word of the event grows and ancillary programs are developed. More than 150 people joined in last year’s walk, which follows the park’s nature trail through the wooded hills that skirt the city … Read more
A women’s empowerment hike to the legendary Long Point overlook of the New River Gorge near Fayetteville, West Virginia, has been scheduled for March 30. Kate Miller of Active Southern West Virginia will lead the three-mile “We Hike to Heal” event, during which participants are encouraged to share stories about the power of Mother Nature … Read more
Legendary springs across West Virginia are attracting new audiences among health-conscious people longing for a return to simpler times. Once supposed curative, “healing” springs have attracted travelers in search of better health since the 1700s, says Jonathan Bellingham, whose family has managed Capon Springs for four generations. Now, these bubbling springs—which notably include Capon and … Read more
Confronted with a potential hay shortage, three state agencies are advising cattle farmers in West Virginia how to maintain healthy herds. The looming shortage is most likely due to an unusually wet 2018 season, during which increased rainfall ruined and reduced hay crops. The W.Va. Department of Agriculture, the state Farm Service Agency, and the … Read more
The New River Gorge Trail Alliance has received a $60,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission to study the expansion of a bike trail system across a large part of southern West Virginia. Trails would be extended into Summers, Webster, Raleigh, Monroe and Kanawha counties should the study find it is feasible to extend beyond … Read more
New River Community and Technical College is offering classes in bird-watching and nature exploration in March at its campuses across southeastern West Virginia. Students can expect to learn about bird species, habitats, and activities in the bird-watching classes and plants, animals, and the environment in the nature-exploration classes. Families are encouraged to participate, says Jenni … Read more
Lushly forested West Virginia is a ideally suited to the production of rich, golden honey, and North Bend State Park is fostering the industry this year by hosting a free beekeeping program February 28. Master Beekeeper Janet Clayton will host a free program at 6:30 p.m. at the park lodge during which she will discuss … Read more
Bacontown, Battleship, Black Oak Bottom — though they no longer exist, these vanished communities are among nearly 300 towns that historian Carl Wolfe has cataloged in Raleigh County. And he’s asking past and present county residents to help find more. Having witnessed the boom-and-bust economy of coal mining, Raleigh County, in southern West Virginia, is … Read more
Governor Jim Justice today announced an $11-million investment package for Pipestem Resort State Park that will include new outdoor-adventure infrastructure and updated park accommodations. Beginning this spring, visitors to Pipestem, in southern West Virginia, will be able to enjoy a new splash park, lake adventures, guided trout-fishing trips, stand-up paddleboard tours, rock climbing and rappelling … Read more
Few hills and hollers in West Virginia exist without a ghost around to haunt them. Mountaineers love their lore and find plenty of places for restless spirits to walk. Many such tales are based on real events, others on traditions handed down, and Susanna Connelly Holstein, of Jackson County, has collected as many as she’s … Read more
