Into the Canyon - Newsletter of Friends of the Cheat Fall 2024
Board of Directors and Key Personnel
Amanda Pitzer, Executive Director; Owen Mulkeen, Associate Director; Madison Ball, Conservation Program Director; Garrett Richardson, Project Coordinator; Maggie Biss, Conservation Technician; Beth Warnick, Media and Outreach Specialist; Lisa Maraffa, Program Assistant and Events Producer
Board Members
Chair: Rich Dennis, Vice-Chair: Chris Wade, Treasurer: Miranda Peddicord, Secretary: Michael Strager, Charlie Walbridge, Sarah Hinnant, Connie Miller, Ben Hogan, Zach Fowler, Dani Martin, Justin Reedy
Cheat River Rail-Trail Phase 1 Construction Begins
by Owen Mulkeen
The Cheat River Rail-Trail is a testament to the power of community collaboration, environmental stewardship, and creative rehabilitation of historic industrial infrastructure. Many a Prestonian has patiently waited over 20 years for this project to come to fruition. First, we must thank those who sprouted this project decades ago: members of the Preston Rail-Trail Committee, Friends of The Cheat’s past directors, staff, and board members, WV State Rail Authority, and the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. We truly stand on the shoulders of giants. These massive legacy projects take years, sometimes decades, to move from the “dream" phase to the construction phase. I am honored to have carried that torch for the last 6 years to arrive at this exciting time in West Virginia, where we are "all in" on investing in outdoor recreation infrastructure - not only for tourism and economic development but to increase the quality of life for those that call these hills and valleys home.
It's a wild time in WV right now - so many construction projects are going out the door for bidding and construction. I overheard that this year alone, the state of WV has over $700M in new construction projects, all spurred from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, county-awarded American Rescue Plan Act (COVID) funding, and WVDEP AMLYER grants (this project has received the majority of its funds from both WVDEP and ARPA). You almost can't miss it happening - numerous highway bridges being brought up to safety standards, small towns finally getting their water and sewer system upgrades, and multiple trail projects being built in communities fostering a new economy. WV’s civil and outdoor recreation infrastructure is undoubtedly booming. The following 5-7 years are going to bring profound changes.
Phase 1 of the Cheat River Rail-Trail captured the interest of construction crews as soon as it went out for bid in early October. FOC was thrilled to receive nine competitive bids from qualified regional firms. The contract was ultimately awarded to Stone Paving, a local Preston County contractor, with a low bid of $349,123.71 for 1.7 miles of newly constructed trail. This phase seamlessly connects to the 4,000-foot trail section completed last year, thanks to an incredible partnership with the WV Army National Guard. A special acknowledgment also goes to the WV Division of Multimodal Transportation Facilities (WVDMTF). Their specialized bridge crew was instrumental in rehabilitating and fully redecking the three bridges in this segment. The Cheat River Rail-Trail is a testament to the power of unique partnerships and shared goals. Collaborating with so many dedicated individuals working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring this vision to life has been truly inspiring.
Phase 1's engineering, design, and contract administration were expertly handled by Potesta & Associates, building on their outstanding work at the Cheat River Trailhead. In collaboration with Potesta, Downstream Strategies, and the WVDEP, FOC has gained valuable insights into the complexities of developing an abandoned railroad corridor. Six years of environmental and engineering work is no small feat, serving as a constant reminder that patience is indeed a virtue. The Cheat River Rail-Trail is being designed and constructed to meet the highest rail-trail standards in West Virginia. Phase 2 of the project is currently underway, focusing on the trail section extending from the Cheat Trailhead toward Manheim. This phase presents additional challenges, including three landslides, four bridges, and limited construction access. Despite these obstacles, we are optimistic about the timeline, with plans to bid Phase 2 next year and begin construction in 2025, continuing through 2026.
If you have driven Route 72 between Kingwood and Rowlesburg lately, you will have noticed that construction has already begun, with Stone Paving mobilizing on site on November 4th. They have 150 days to build this first section of the trail, which puts a substantial compilation date right around April! What does that mean? The trail will be open in the spring, with our goal of having the Cheat River Festival 5K held on the rail trail. So please keep being patient! Stay off the trail and out of the construction zone. We will close the Cheat River Trailhead on November 22nd until the trail is completed to better facilitate the construction process. A grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony will be planned for the spring, so check your mailbox (or inbox) for an invite.
EXTRA EXTRA - READ ALL ABOUT IT! We're so excited about a special project brewing with our great partners at WVDMTF. HINT: It's almost 500ft long, made of steel, and spans the mighty river. That's right, the rehabilitation and opening of the large trestle bridge is on the horizon. We are hopeful that that will open in tandem with the rail trail. It is a much more complicated project, so things are in flux with completion dates. We can only say that materials have been ordered, and work is being scheduled. We are asking Santa Claus for a special Christmas gift this year and hope to share it with you.
A HUGE THANK YOU TO OUR DONORS!
Cheat Watershed Sponsors: Walbridge Family Foundation, Charlie Walbridge, Margaret Walbridge, Patrick & Lisa Ward, Tom & Hope Covey, Robert Uram, Community Foundation for a greater Richmond, Scott & Maureen Patton
Cheat River Sponsors: Szilagyi Family Foundation, The Reed Foundation, Northeast Natural Energy, Anne Kibler, Healthberry Farm
Stream Stewards: Joe Sinsheimer & Toddi Steelman, John & Emy Hinnant, Don & Susan Sauter, David Brisell, Keel-Haulers Canoe Club, Bill & Megan Carlson, Fred & Kim Wright, James Scott, North Fork Recording, LLC, The Oakland Foundation, Richard Volkman, Robert Moore, Judith Cronauer & Gerard Lechowick, Stratford Douglas & Jodie Jackson, Eric & Sara Henrickson, J.L. Pretzel Contracting LLC, Bronnie Stroud, Gregory Moser, Giles Wright, Rod Cavanaugh, Kim & Fred Wright
For the period July 2, 2024 through November 3, 2024
Canyon Contributors: Adam Webster, Michael Strager, Ann & Jack Clough, Stephen Wetmore, Elizabeth Thompson, Dr. Darren Tanner
Narrows Navigators: Mr. Jake Smith, Tim Osborne & Julie O’Hagan, Johnathan Myers, Kelly Collins, Book Exchange, Richard Anderson, The Paws and Claws Foundation, Chris Wade, Danny Twilley & Family, Christopher Kirkman, David Robinette, Tracy & Bruce Miller, Mowry Smith III, John Rooke, Mike & Suzanne Peddicord
Confluence Crew: Paul Albin, Caitlin Sullivan, Bill Buda, Susan Gordon in loving memory of Bill & Anna Mae Thorne, Liz Clough, Juliet Marlier, Dan Henninger, Rick Landenberger, Sandra Cotton & Karen MacKay, Kathy Furbee & Martin Christ, Art Bomberber, William & Jennifer McBee, Dr. Antonia Chadwick & Dr. Jeffrey Sarsfield, David Maribo, Amy Skeens, David Hall in loving memory of Marilee Hall, Donald & Jane Martin, Glenn Child, Tom Nutter, Thierry Rosenheck
Five Forks Friends: David & Lena Cerbone, Lizbeth Pyle, James Hunt, Frank Williams, Jerry Spence, Rich Brooks, Donald Shelters, Joanna Pratt in loving memory of Jim Lilly, Scot Meadows, Charles & Nancy Brabec, Grant Smith, Danielle Mucciarone in loving memory of Keith Pitzer
Good Ole Friends: Michelle Paquette in honor of Wonder Woman Madison Ball, Martha Summers, Steve Adams, Brent Carminati, Amanda Hathaway, Gary Schubert, Thomas Belden, J.A. McNerney, Carol Burdick, Chris Byrd, Jonah Smith, Aaron Sidder in honor of Barbara Douglas, Robert Alexander, Denise & Scott Gravatt, Scott O’Malley, William Post, Larry & Karen Findley, Gerald Mines, Anastasia Riley, Toni Hartley, James Paxton, Anthony Varvoutis, Robert Tinnell, Kaitlyn Snyder, Charles Wade, Nikki Forrester, Russell Keifer, Emmitt Skip Mitchell in honor of Wonder Woman Madison Ball, Scott Bortree, Russell Buberniak, Philip Young, Victor Finomore, Lisa Di `Bartolomeo, Will Ryan
Swim Guide Donors: Adam Webster, Theo, Colette, Sera, & Nico Zegre
Celebrating 30 Years at the State of the Watershed Dinner
On November 2, FOC celebrated 30 years of restoring, preserving, and promoting the Cheat River watershed with a special State of the Watershed Dinner event. Generously sponsored by Randy Robinson, the evening took place at Marilyn’s of Morgantown and brought together nearly 50 friends, supporters, and partners to celebrate the community that has made our work possible.
The night included historical highlights, featuring a poignant speech by FOC Executive Director Amanda Pitzer and a captivating performance by singer-songwriter Andrew McKnight, whose music beautifully captured the spirit of the evening. Guests enjoyed a delicious meal as we reflected on the progress made over the years and the grass-roots effort that has transformed the Cheat into the vibrant, life-sustaining river it is today.
This evening was not only about honoring the visionaries who started our journey and those who continue to sustain it but also about looking ahead to the possibilities we can achieve together. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who joined us, supported us, and continues to stand beside FOC as we protect and preserve this beautiful watershed.
FOC’s Madison Ball Honored as a 2024 Wonder Woman
FOC is thrilled to announce that Madison Ball, our Conservation Program Director, has been named a 2024 WV Wonder Woman by WV Living Magazine!
This prestigious recognition honors women across West Virginia who inspire and make a lasting impact in their communities.
Madison’s commitment to the Cheat River watershed is unparalleled. As a key leader at FOC, she has driven essential conservation initiatives, including monitoring coldwater species, conducting habitat assessments, and overseeing the implementation of AMD treatment sites. Her leadership has also been instrumental in building strategic organizational partnerships and engaging local communities in the importance of watershed stewardship. Madison further enhanced FOC’s impact by developing the popular snorkeling outreach program and launching the free tree planting program in collaboration with the NRCS.
This recognition is a testament to Madison’s dedication and the support of everyone who shares our mission. Her work highlights the importance of protecting our environment and the power of local efforts to create lasting change. Please join us in celebrating Madison’s incredible achievement. Her passion and commitment inspire us all.
Congratulations, Madison, on this well-deserved honor!
The Truth is Out There: Five years of Environmental-DNA Monitoring Comes to a Close (For Now…)
by Madison Ball, Conservation Program Director
I’m not sure about you, but I love a good mystery. In fact, Unsolved Mysteries remains solidified as one of my favorite TV shows (you are missed in the newer versions, Robert Stack). As a child, my favorite mysteries were those that involved cryptozoology. Many days were spent at my local, rural library reading anything I could find about mysterious creatures - the Loch Ness monster, Krakens, kelpies.
I think this attraction to mystery and lore is what caused me to fall in love with the often unloved and strange creatures we historically shared our watershed with: splendid and serpent-like American eels whose origins remain an enigma (no one to this day knows exactly where or how they spawn in the Sargasso Sea); the Eastern hellbender, a 150 million-year-old, squiggly and squirmy water dragon-like species with impeccable camouflage; and the ancient, bizarre dinosaur fish that historically inhabited the Mon River and perhaps the Cheat - the paddlefish.
So, while I am not in Scotland discovering the Loch Ness Monster as I thought I might be when I was 11, I have found astounding fulfillment in searching for some of the mysterious creatures listed above that need our help.
If you’ve read some of our prior newsletters or publications, you know my love for Eastern hellbenders is quite serious. While a bit scary to some, these waterdogs are the wardens of our watershed; they signal the overall health of the river ecosystem. Like a canary in the coal mine, they are among the first to disappear when water quality degrades. And they are disappearing throughout their range in the Appalachians at alarming rates. Sources estimate that 80% of historic populations have been lost or are seriously declining.
Five years ago, current information on the presence of hellbenders in our river system was mysterious. Many data gaps existed, partly because these critters are extremely hard to find. Their perfect camouflage allows them to shapeshift into stone, blending seamlessly with their habitat. They shelter under large nest rocks, chosen for their security and stability in the stream bottom. Flipping a rock to look for them is akin to an eviction notice and does more harm than good - that hellbender will likely abandon its nest rock after it is flipped due to the instability. Think about it - Would you still feel secure if a giant lifted your house off your foundation and then set it back down, even perfectly level? So, how do we look for these snot otters without doing more harm than good?
*Enter Forensic Files Theme music*
Yes, the same technology we see in Forensic Files that allows detectives to link suspects to crimes via DNA is helping scientists detect rare and sensitive species: environmental-DNA (eDNA) sampling. Animals, just like humans, shed DNA constantly into their environment. With today’s technology, it’s possible to collect environmental samples using water passed through a filter and test them for the DNA of specific species. The laboratory analyzing our samples can even determine the relative concentration of the DNA, giving us an idea of how much hellbender DNA was present in the sample.
The sample results allow my team and me to follow up at certain locations with snorkel surveys to see if we can further confirm their presence - a challenge in its own right, given they look like a rock sticking out of a rock! If found, I take a photograph to document the individual, which can also help in understanding their general life stage. Hellbenders' facial patterns and features are often distinct because of their colorations and scarring patterns from sparring during breeding seasons. Photos allow for confirmation of a specific individual if it were to be revisited or reencountered. The confirmation, location, and photos are then sent directly to the WVDNR for their records.
Over the past 5 years, FOC staff and volunteers have collected 248 samples across our 1,400+ square mile watershed to better understand the distribution of these fascinating creatures and other sensitive species. Of these, 72 have been positive for hellbender across a wide distribution (and we still await the results of 2024’s sampling effort). If I haven’t sold you on the hellbender’s charm (although I really hope I have), we also use this same technology to understand the distribution of brook trout in many headwater tributaries that have never been formally sampled. This is leading to exciting discoveries as well.
Someone wiser than me recently told me, “You can’t know what you don’t know.” And, to add to that, we can’t conserve what we don’t know - or if you don’t know where it is. By better understanding where our sensitive and elusive species are (or are not), we gain insight into their population health within our watershed, identifying strongholds and areas that may be at risk.
While sampling is coming to a close for now, this is not the end of our explorations, but only the beginning. The knowledge we’ve gained will guide us in prioritizing areas for restoration, protection, and further monitoring. I take great comfort in knowing there is so much left to discover, and the mystery continues...
Sovern 62: AMD Treatment Project Completed
by Madison Ball, Conservation Program Director
In June of 2024, Friends of the Cheat completed major improvements to one of our existing treatment sites. This work could not have been done without the wonderful support and approval from the site's landowners (Thank You, Peaslees!). Our private land partners are our greatest asset in restoring water quality in Cheat and its tributaries.
Over the past 30 years, FOC has focused extensively on Sovern Run, a tributary of Big Sandy Creek, for acid mine drainage (AMD) remediation. This dedication is reflected in the construction of six passive treatment sites within the watershed. Sovern Run was chosen for its potential for restoration, as its AMD impairment remains within a range where passive treatment methods can still be effective.
Unlike more severely impacted tributaries in the Lower Cheat watershed, Sovern Run sustains some aquatic life, including fish species, offering hope for ecological recovery. While the initial implementation of the Sovern 62 treatment site showed promise, it has since become evident that the steel slag components are not meeting the water quality goals and load reductions originally anticipated.
The improvements to the site included converting the former steel slag and AMD mixing pond into a limestone leach bed, converting the first settling pond into a secondary limestone leach bed, revamping the existing settling pond, and removing the baffles and installing a spreader pipe into the wetland treatment cell.
Post renovation, the site has consistently met or exceeded our water quality goals, achieving 80% or greater reductions in acidity, aluminum, and iron loads. It also meets water quality standards for pH and dissolved aluminum at the system's outlet. To further monitor performance, FOC installed a continuous pH and temperature logger at the Wetland Out of the treatment system. This allows us to track pH trends over the system's lifespan and identify maintenance needs promptly when staff cannot sample. FOC staff have sampled the Sovern 62 site three times since construction was completed in June 2024. The most recent dataset is shown below, taken on 9/19/2024.
The table below shows the most recent water quality loadings for key monitoring locations for the Sovern 62 project. Loadings are the calculations of the concentration of a parameter (such as iron, acidity, aluminum) multiplied by the discharge of flow, over a period of time (day vs year). So for example, below, based on this sampling effort’s data, the System In would have been contributing 169 pounds of dissolved aluminum, 283 pounds of iron, and 1,970 pounds of acidity to Sovern Run over a year. Those numbers have now been greatly reduced if not eliminated because of the treatment system.
System In values for Iron were 74 times higher the water quality standard, and dissolved Aluminum was 85 times higher than its water quality standard in WV. The pH is very acidic at 2.9. When the water leaves the treatment system, it is now meeting those water quality standards for aluminum and pH, with reductions of 100% aluminum and 99% acidity and iron. These results indicate great success of treatment at Sovern 62. This achievement would not have been possible without the collaboration of our private landowner partners and critical funding from the WVDEP, the EPA 319 Program, and the Office of Surface Mining. Additional support was provided by the WVDEP Office of Abandoned Mine Lands. The site was designed by Skelly and Loy, and constructed by a local Preston County contractor, Solid Rock Excavating, INC.