WV Rivers News: May 2024
Updates from WV Rivers Coalition
May 2024 E-News
Organizational Updates
Staff Scientist Jenna Dodson leads an Enviroscape Demonstration to an engaged room of Girl Scouts during our community event at the Morgantown Public Library as part of our Clean Water Mural Tour. The mural is now in Tucker County at Five Rivers Public Library until June 10.
It is with bittersweet emotions that we announce the departure of our Staff Scientist, Jenna Dodson, as she embarks on the next chapter of her life in El Paso, Texas. Her last day is set for May 31.
During her time at WV Rivers, Jenna has been an integral piece of our scientific endeavors, ensuring our advocacy remains rooted in solid facts. Her knack for making science accessible has left a lasting impression on our team and the community alike.
Jenna has fostered connections and built bridges to achieve common solutions across the Mountain State. From spearheading initiatives like the highway construction monitoring program alongside Friends of Cheat and Warm Springs Watershed to her involvement in advocating for stronger PFAS regulations and community engagement events, Jenna’s impact on our work is tangible.
We are endlessly grateful for the ways in which Jenna shared her passion and excitement for science, sparking the curiosity and understanding of community members.
Reflecting on her time with WV Rivers, Jenna shared, “From discussions with local activists to collaborating with watershed groups, every connection has strengthened our collective resolve to protect our waterways. It’s these connections that remind me why this work is so vital.”
Jenna Dodson, standing below the Deckers Creek Waterfall.
Breathing Life Back into Deckers Creek
Image of Deckers Creek, looking upstream where Richard Mine is located in Monongalia County, WV. Courtesy photo: Mike Tony, Charleston Gazette-Mail.
The recent opening of the Richard Mine Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) Treatment Facility is a pivotal moment for Deckers Creek. For over thirty years, dedicated community members, particularly the Friends of Deckers Creek (FODC), have worked tirelessly to address the severe pollution impacting lower stretches of the creek.
The facility, now operational, targets the largest source of AMD pollution in Deckers Creek. This achievement results from strong collaborations among local, state, and federal partners, as well as the relentless efforts of citizen advocates and watershed groups. These partnerships have been crucial in bringing innovative solutions to a longstanding environmental problem.
Autumn Crowe, interim executive director of WV Rivers, highlighted the scientific and community-driven aspects of this success. She also noted that while the facility’s opening is a significant milestone, many streams in West Virginia are still impaired by heavy metals and acidity. The reauthorization of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA), along with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Stream Act, has provided essential support for projects like this. Still, more work is needed.
Crowe stressed the importance of continued community involvement and prioritization of projects to tackle the backlog of abandoned mine lands and prevent further stream degradation. The Richard Mine facility not only cleans the water but also captures valuable minerals, demonstrating a practical approach to environmental restoration.
“As we bring life back to Deckers Creek, let us also strive to bring life back to all of those other streams that are impacted by acid mine drainage across the state,” said Crowe, reported by The Dominion Post.
This project exemplifies the power of committed groups like FODC in driving meaningful environmental change. It provides a model for similar efforts across the state, ensuring future generations have access to safe water and healthy ecosystems.
A Special Evening in Buckhannon, WV
WV Rivers Coalition, Buckhannon River Watershed Association, Protect Monroe, author Justin Noble, musician Pierson Keating, and community members gather for a photo at ARGO Books after the book signing.
The musical book tour for Petroleum-238: Big Oil’s Dangerous Secret and the Grassroots Fight to Stop It made a meaningful stop in Buckhannon, WV, earlier this week. This event was dedicated to the memory of April Pierson-Keating, a respected advocate for clean water and our environment who made significant contributions to environmental activism in the area.
The book signing, hosted at ARGO Books and sponsored by WV Rivers and the Buckhannon River Watershed Association, featured author Justin Nobel and musician Pierson Keating, April’s son.
Image of the cover of Petroleum-238. Cover design by Sabrina Bedford, cover photo by Julie Dermansky.
WV Rivers Coalition Joins 2024 Rural Cinema Cohort
People sit on lawn chairs in a field watching a documentary during an event with the Mountain Watershed Association, who were part of the 2021 Rural Cinema cohort.
Working Films welcomed WV Rivers’ Maria Russo and Maggie Stange to the 2024 Rural Cinema cohort. In the coming months, WV Rivers will organize multiple screening events, combining environmental advocacy and community engagement to address urgent environmental challenges associated with the presence of “forever chemicals” in 130 water systems in our state.
Rural Cinema is a training institute and community engagement program that supports community leaders in rural areas and small towns across the United States in using documentary films to advance their local efforts and mobilize people to action on critical issues facing their area. In addition to training and a monetary award, WV Rivers received EPIC Outdoor Cinema solar-powered film screening equipment, including a projector, screens, speakers, and solar battery.
The grant comes at a critical juncture following legislative strides, including the passage of the PFAS Protection Act in 2023. With mandated water testing and the development of site-specific action plans underway, WV Rivers is poised to collaborate closely with affected communities to develop effective solutions.
By coordinating film screenings across Northern WV alongside the implementation of comprehensive PFAS action plans, WV Rivers seeks to foster conversations and collective problem-solving.
“With this grant, we’re not just bringing movies to communities; we’re opening doors to meaningful conversations and collective problem-solving around PFAS contamination.” Maria Russo stated. “The resources provided will help us cultivate a network of empowered individuals ready to roll up their sleeves and develop comprehensive action plans to address PFAS contamination in their communities.”
To learn more about PFAS in WV, you can find WV Rivers’s recent publication, Addressing Forever Chemicals in West Virginia Waters, here.
Have a film in mind that you think we should show? Email Maggie at mstange@wvrivers.org.
Members of WV Rivers Coalition and friends paddling on the Cheat River, during the 30th Annual Cheat River Festival.
As stewards of West Virginia’s waters and lands, your support means the world to us. Seriously, we couldn’t do this work without you!
That’s why we’re inviting you to participate in our 2024 Membership Survey. Your thoughtful responses will provide us with crucial guidance as we work to preserve and protect our natural landscapes and waterways.
This survey is your chance to share your stories, your passions, and your vision for the future of WV Rivers Coalition. Whether you’ve got a secret fishing spot you want to protect or a wild and wonderful idea for a project, we’re all ears.
With heartfelt gratitude for your ongoing support,
WV Rivers