Wildlife / Conservancy

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia wildlife officials have launched a new online reporting system that allows residents and visitors to quickly report sick, injured or dead wild animals, giving state biologists another tool to detect disease outbreaks before they become widespread. The W.Va. Division of Natural Resources announced Wednesday that it has begun using a … Read more

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A fast-moving invasive insect that has spread across much of the eastern United States is continuing its march through West Virginia, where experts warn it threatens vineyards, orchards, hardwood forests, and other economically important crops. The spotted lanternfly, an invasive species native to Asia, was first discovered in Berkeley County, West Virginia, … Read more

FRENCH CREEK, W.Va. — Frontier blacksmiths will hammer glowing iron. Scouts will demonstrate wilderness survival. Cooks will prepare meals over open fires while historical reenactors recreate life as it unfolded in the Appalachian backcountry. Yet perhaps the most authentic part of the experience won’t be the encampment itself. Just beyond the demonstrations, visitors can walk … Read more

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — From doorbell videos to cell phone clips shared on Facebook, black bears seem to be appearing almost everywhere in West Virginia this summer. The surge in online sightings has many residents wondering whether the state’s bear population has suddenly exploded. According to Colin P. Carpenter, black bear project leader for the W.Va. … Read more

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — More than 170 miles of West Virginia mountain streams that support the state’s native brook trout have been newly recognized as protected “trout waters,” expanding safeguards for some of Appalachia’s coldest and cleanest waterways. The designation, announced through a partnership involving Trout Unlimited, the W.Va. Rivers Coalition, the W.Va. Division of Natural … Read more

BECKLEY, W.Va. — West Virginia contains the finest remaining temperate hardwood forests in the eastern United States, according to the executive director of a national conservation organization that recently invested nearly $2.8 million to help protect them. That conviction led the Arc of Appalachia to purchase nearly 2,000 acres bordering the New River Gorge National … Read more

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia wildlife officials are proposing new regulations to slow the spread of diseases such as chronic wasting disease, with changes that could affect how hunters, landowners, and even backyard wildlife enthusiasts feed wildlife and transport harvested deer. The W.Va. Division of Natural Resources is accepting public comments through July 27 on … Read more

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Warm evenings, lush forests, and some of the darkest skies in the eastern United States are combining to create one of West Virginia’s most enchanting summer spectacles. Across much of the Mountain State, late June and early July typically mark the peak of firefly season, when thousands of lightning bugs emerge after … Read more

FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — For many visitors, the New River begins and ends at the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in southern West Virginia. They come to see the soaring steel arch of the New River Gorge Bridge, raft some of the most renowned whitewater in the eastern United States, and hike trails overlooking … Read more

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia is not the largest state east of the Mississippi River. It does not have the region’s tallest mountains, largest national park, or most extensive wilderness system. Even so, the Mountain State can make a strong case as one of the wildest places in the eastern United States. Nearly four-fifths of … Read more