Wildlife / Conservancy

WEST JEFFERSON, N.C. — “Stella the Salamander” has been chosen as the mascot for the New River Conservancy, the organization established in 1991 to protect the New River in central Appalachia, and there’s an environmentally significant reason why. Amphibians like frogs and salamanders are heralds of a healthy environment, and the ecology of the New … Read more

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Two West Virginia University biologists are scouring the mountains for signs of rabbit and hare life. Amy Welsh and Chris Rota with the WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Design are studying the habits and habitats of two West Virginia lagomorphs—the Appalachian cottontail and the snowshoe hare. Their research team, which also includes WVU alumni Mack Frantz and Holly Morris, biologists with the West Virginia … Read more

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Outdoor Heritage Conservation Fund is accepting applications through April 28 for large and small grants for projects that conserve unique and vital wildlife habitats, natural areas, forest lands, farmlands, and lands for hunting, fishing, and recreation. Applications will be accepted for large grants that are more than $25,000. During … Read more

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

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

FRENCH CREEK, W.Va. — Will West Virginia suffer more winter or enjoy an early spring? “French Creek Freddie,” the Mountain State’s unofficial weather-prognosticating groundhog, will weigh in during the 46th annual Groundhog Day Festival at the West Virginia Wildlife Center on Thursday, Feb. 2. According to Trevor Moore, a wildlife biologist at the center, the public … Read more

ALUM CREEK, W.Va. — The W.Va. Division of Natural Resources is stocking more than 20,000 bobwhite quail this autumn at wildlife management areas across the state. According to Gov. Jim Justice, the division has stocked more than 12,000 and will continue stocking through October, weather and habitat conditions permitting, through the governor’s new quail-stocking initiative. … Read more

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The W.Va. Division of Natural Resources, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, is seeking private landowners who want to improve wildlife habitat on their land. The partnership seeks to address shrinking populations of priority wildlife species by implementing conservation practices that improve natural resources on private … Read more

BECKLEY, W.Va. — The W.Va. Division of Natural Resources is conducting a scientific study on black bears and black bear management that will involve telephone surveys of residents, according to a press release from the division. In the coming weeks, state residents may receive a phone call from Responsive Management, a research firm contracted by … Read more

A new wildlife education center at the 102-acre Forks-of-Coal State Natural Area near Charleston, West Virginia, is set to open in spring and is in the final stages of construction, according to officials. The 7,000-square-foot center located off the US-119 expressway near the confluence of the Big Coal and Little Coal rivers will include multiple … Read more