Wildlife / Conservancy

The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources has partnered with fish and wildlife agencies and angling organizations across the eastern U.S. to attempt to gauge sport-fishing impacts on the muskellunge population. In cooperation with Coastal Carolina University and West Virginia University and state agencies in Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, the study will help … Read more

The extension service at West Virginia State University is inviting West Virginians to plant a part of state history by planting oak tree seedlings grown from the acorns of trees on the university’s historic campus at Institute. Extension Agent Liz Moss said the initiative was created to help spread heirloom species planted long ago at … Read more

Just in time for Earth Day, biology and ecology students at West Liberty University are planting trees in public spaces from Wheeling to West Liberty to increase the quality of life in the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia. Students planted two types of native flowering trees along a portion of the Heritage Trail along the … Read more

The W.Va. Division of Natural Resources is asking trappers in the Mountain State to help collect data on river otter populations by donating otter carcasses. Between 50 and 75 otter carcasses are needed each year over the course of the next five trapping seasons. A $20 gift card of your choice is being offered for … Read more

Biologists with the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources are reaching out to landowners who are interested in improving wildlife habitat on their property. In partnership with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the West Virginia Division of Forestry, the National Wild Turkey Federation, and other agencies, the division hopes property owners can help address shrinking … Read more

Due to an increase in nuisance bear activity being reported in West Virginia, biologists with the state Division of Natural Resources is asking residents to remove food and other attractants from around their homes to help reduce future incidents. The DNR has received more than 1,600 bear complaints in 2020, and bears have been spotted … Read more

In an effort to understand declining firefly populations, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources is inviting the public to participate in a citizen science project to track lightning bug sightings in the Mountain State. West Virginia boasts as many as 40 species of fireflies, or lightning bugs, which biologists say may have declined in … Read more

The W.Va. Division of Natural Resources announces that the West Virginia Wildlife Center at French Creek has resumed regular admission rates and hours of operation. The Wildlife Center features native and introduced animals and is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., though some COVID-19 restrictions remain in place, according to Zack Brown, assistant … Read more

Biologists with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources have teamed up with Marshall University graduate students to monitor the movement of timber rattlesnakes in an effort to develop methods for moving the reptiles from high-use recreation areas. The project is part of a three-year-long study in Kanawha and Coopers Rock state forests and will … Read more

In an effort to understand declining firefly populations, the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources has launched a citizen-science project to track lightning bug sightings in the Mountain State. West Virginia’s 40 species of fireflies have declined in number due to habitat loss, pesticide use, and other environmental causes such as light pollution, according to … Read more