Into the Canyon - Newsletter of Friends of the Cheat Summer 2024
Board of Directors and Key Personnel
Amanda Pitzer, Executive Director; Owen Mulkeen, Associate Director; Madison Ball, Conservation Program Manager; 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
FOC Completes Renovations at Dream Mountain AMD Treatment System
FOC recently completed the second phase of renovations to the Dream Mountain Passive Acid Mine Drainage Treatment System located on the Dream Mountain Game Ranch in Preston County, near Albright, West Virginia. The system treats water impacted by abandoned mine lands, which flows into Muddy Creek. It is the largest treatment system, both in footprint and water treatment (acidity, aluminum, and iron pollutant loadings), that Friends of the Cheat has taken on as an organization.
AMD remediation efforts at Dream Mountain have been ongoing for nearly 30 years. The initial efforts to treat this area began around 1995, conducted by WVDEP Office of Abandoned Mine Lands (AML), which involved building a smaller treatment system just outside the game fencing. Subsequent treatment efforts designed by West Virginia University featured a steel slag bed supplied by a clean water (non-AMD) source and a mixing basin. In 2012, treatment expanded by routing additional AMD into the system and constructing two 1-acre treatment wetlands in sequence before the discharge into Muddy Creek.
The Dream Mountain Phase I Improvement project was completed in 2021 and included improving the collection of water to the treatment system, converting the existing steel slag bed into a larger capacity auto flushing vertical flow pond filled with high-quality limestone (90% or greater CaCO3 content), and fully excavating the settling pond. Phase I was designed by BioMost Inc. and constructed by Blue Gold Development.
Phase II improvements were designed by BioMost, Inc. and constructed by Solid Rock Excavating, and included converting previous components of the treatment system into an additional auto flushing vertical flow pond filled with high-quality limestone, an additional settling pond, a Jennings Vertical Flow pond, which specializes in increasing alkalinity and metal reduction, and a final polishing pond to hold any metals or suspended solids at the treatment site rather than flowing into Muddy Creek.
A Jennings Vertical Flow pond uses a mixture of mushroom compost, limestone, and woodchips to create an anaerobic (oxygen-poor) environment where sulfate-reducing bacteria thrive. These bacteria convert sulfates into sulfides, which then react with metals like iron and aluminum to form solid metal sulfides. These solids precipitate out of the water and settle in the bottom layers of the pond. A layer of fine limestone helps to neutralize further what acidity remains before the water is discharged.
While the project is complete and the initial water quality results have been astounding (pH enters the system consistently under pH 3 and consistently exits the system above pH 7), this project has been perhaps the most challenging from start to finish that FOC has taken under its helm. Permitting and grant funding timelines pushed the construction window into the wettest time of the year and the worst season for construction, forcing our construction crew to constantly battle and manage unprecedented winter and spring flows on site.
Additionally, the success of turning the treatment system “online” and seeing the results of load reductions in real-time among an international audience with visitors from the International Mine Water Association Conference was short-lived - an unanticipated byproduct of the Jennings Vertical Flow pond (mushroom compost pond) was that it produced a stinky, eggy odor. While we had initially thought the smell was contained on-site, neighbors down the holler from the site were reporting they could smell the Jennings pond from their homes and were understandably upset.
FOC immediately pulled in our design team with BioMost, Inc. to discuss any options that would reduce the smell. Through trial and error, the team put together a new configuration of pipework that allows the Jennings pond to be in “storage” mode while the compost ages, which will reduce the smell. Even with the Jennings pond in “storage” mode, FOC is meeting, if not exceeding, our water quality goals for the site. The change in pipework and elimination of odor, and thus the satisfaction of the neighboring landowners, was the most critical piece of this project.
With this project completed, FOC has addressed all direct sources of acid mine drainage to Muddy Creek upstream of Martin Creek, which is also considered a trout fishery. Ultimately, the credit of restoring water quality of Muddy Creek from this site rests with the wonderful crew at Dream Mountain Game Ranch, under the helm of Manager Brian Poling and Owner Andrew Tepper. Without their support and understanding, this project would never have come to completion. Brian is truly a wonderful human to work with, with a warm heart and jolly smile. His faith and support in Friends of the Cheat in this project was unwavering, and he will always have FOC’s gratitude.
Meet Sam Bayne - FOC’s Summer Intern Extraordinaire
"My name is Sam Bayne, and I am a student at WVU studying Environmental Soil and Water Science. I grew up in Maryland and came to West Virginia to experience the beauty of Appalachia. Upon graduating, I would like to do field work similar to the work I do for Friends of the Cheat, an environmental organization working towards the betterment of the planet. I am grateful for this opportunity with FOC, where I have gained valuable field experience and have been able to apply my knowledge outside of the classroom." - Sam Bayne
Sam has been an immense help this summer, gathering bacteria samples for our Swim Guide program, assisting with AMD monitoring and maintenance at our passive treatment sites, and maintenance at the Cheat River Trailhead. FOC is grateful for Sam’s time, energy, and commitment - we wish him the best in his future career!
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
Cheat River Sponsors: Szilagyi Family Foundation, The Reed Foundation, Northeast Natural Energy, Mike & Diane Green, 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
For the period April 15, 2024 through July 1, 2024
Canyon Contributors: Families of Black Bear Burritos, Scott & Maureen Patton, Charles & Kathryn Lilly, BioMost Inc., William Branson, Christopher Kirkman, Jesse Pitzer & Moriah Peddicord
Narrows Navigators: Justin & Kelli Reedy, Ken Gfroerer, Bronnie Stroud, Joan Pitzer, Kathy DeWitt, Miranda Peddicord, Clint & Eileen Harvey, Dena Liston, Elizabeth Stearns, Jasmine Alison & Nathaniel Mohney, Joe & Judith Knisely, Kelly Meyers, Nick & Tammara Ferraro, Alyeska, Inc., Andrew J. & Louisa Miller, Charles Watkins, Chris Moehle & Angela Logan, Christopher Kiehl & Ann Corey, Eileen Paquette, Glenn Larew, Greg Weeter, Jenny & Andrew Woodworth, Nadia Pinna, Tarrell & Monica Ries, The Miller-Pack Family
Confluence Crew: John Mein, Wickliffe & Laura Walker, Kelly Collins, Johnathan Myers, Michael Strager, Lynn Miller, Adam Webster, Caitlin Sullivan, Colleen Connell, David Cunningham, Karen Minke, Kent Anderson, William L Geary, Jr, Ankur Kumar, Barbara Hogan, Carlton & Anita Gutschick, Chris Swetz, Katharine Lee Avary & Allen B. Judy, Kingwood Pharmacy ATTN Jennifer Reese, Michael McCarty, Patrick McGinnis, The Masinter Family, Tina Lachowski, William & Adanna Richman
Five Forks Friends: Mr Jake Smith, Tim Osborne & Julie O'Hagan, Andy Stuart, Nicolle Flood-Sawczyszyn, Todd Fedak, Ben Hedin, Cheryl Brown & Corky Kershner, Cory Murphy, David Edwards & Lucinda Potter, Deb Hemler & Roger Opel, Erin Hartman, Jane & Steve Andraka, Jim & Alyson Armstrong, Joey Lebherz, Joey Tasker, Joseph Bailey, Justin Watson Family, Nathan & Caroline Utzman, Nico Dunbar, Rexell Phares, Rich & Beth Cichoski, Scott & Terry Stough, Tom Maraffa, Trevor & Darla Swan, Ty Miller, Mary Kurila in memory of John Wiles
Good Ole Friends: Corey Barbour, Jonah Smith, Mark Tonkin, Michael Durkin, Tim & Karen Adams, Paul Houndt, Edgar Mercer, Orion & Kaylee Metheny, Paul Albin, August & Matthew Boarman, Barbara & Paul Bauer, Barry Welling, Bily Brown, Brent Murry, Cary Walters, Chris Butler, Dalton Minger, Dave & Cindy Korelis, David Bowman, David Stephens, Dylan Jones, Eddie Maier, Emily Carlson, Eric Kitzmiller, Greg & Gina Paul, Jace Starkey, Jason Vanbuskirk, Jesse Groves, Jim Triplett, John Moses, Karen Reinhart, Kat Shepherd, Kate Christen, Kayla Stinnett, Lars Lange, Leah Cunningham, Lynette Shahan, Marie Krause, Matthew Cross, Matthew Franco & Maya Koretaky, Matthew Shallows, Max Kitzmiller, Michael Lastig, Michelle Paquette, Mike Swensen, Mitchell Sutton, Monica Fronzaglio, Mr. Andrew Sealy & Dr. Meridith Balas, Nate Tehrani, Nathan Bradford, Nori Onishi, Perry Edwards, Philip Smith, Robert Sypolt & Carolyn Baumgardner, Ryan Erwin, Sarah Friend, Scott Keenan, Stephen & Jaime Estrada, Steve Cvechko, Theo, Colette, Sera, & Nico Zegre, Tom Stout, Kia Jacobson, Eugene Foley, Maddux Null, Amna Hague, Fred Jacoby, Gretchen Hibbs, Haleh Amanieh, Heather Kessler, Jackie Mier, Jeffrey Gray, John Leatham, Kimberly Cameon, Kristen Matak, Kristy Milburn, Paul Cline, Peggy Pings, Phil & Mary Wotring, Roger Shrout, Vincent Creevy, Vincent Farsetta, Louis Schmidt
Swim Guide Donors: Adam Webster, Theo, Colette, Sera, & Nico Zegre
Whitewater Access Donors: Charlie Walbridge in memory of Eliza Walbridge, Eric & Sara Henrickson, J.L. Pretzel Contracting LLC, Edward Hughes, James McClave, Karen Everett, William & Betty Connelly, John Rooke, Charles Kirby, John Jeffries, Kurt Haas, Peter Daly, Ruth & Douglas Willenborg, Theo, Colette, Sera, and Nico Zegre, Barry Adams, Conor Mahoney, Matt Samms, Michael Dagen, Paul Potochniak, Amanda Weber, Carlos Ifarraguerri, Michael Patrick Allender, Thomas Rodd, Logan Hoffman
In Loving Memory of Bill & Anna Mae Thorne: Susan Gordon, Ekinland Charitable Trust, Kathleen Dougherty, Diane Silas & Harry Rosenstock
Tax Savings Tip - Donate Your IRA Withdrawals to Charity
Donating part of your required withdrawals from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) to a charity like Friends of the Cheat can help you save on taxes. This strategy is called a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD). Here’s how it works:
When you turn 70½ years old, you have to start taking money out of your IRA each year, called Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs). These withdrawals are usually taxed as regular income. But, if you give some or all of your RMD to a charity through a QCD, you don't have to pay taxes on that portion.
For example, if you need to withdraw $10,000 from your IRA this year and you donate that $10,000 to FOC or another charity/nonprofit, you won't owe any taxes on the $10,000. This can lower your overall tax bill. Less taxable income can also mean lower Medicare premiums and less tax on your Social Security benefits.
To make sure your donation qualifies as a QCD, the money must go directly from your IRA to the organization. Keep records of the donation and get a receipt. It’s a good idea to talk to a tax advisor to make sure you’re doing everything correctly and to understand how it fits your personal situation.
Determining if donating IRA withdrawals to FOC or another nonprofit is a good option involves evaluating your financial and tax situation. Here are some key considerations
- Age Requirement: You must be 70½ or older to make a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD).
- Charitable Inclination: If you regularly donate to charity or plan to, using QCDs can be a tax-efficient way to support causes you care about.
- Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs): If you have to take RMDs from your IRA, donating them can reduce your taxable income.
- Tax Situation:
- Standard Deduction: If you take the standard deduction rather than itemizing, QCDs provide a way to benefit from your charitable giving.
- Income Level: Reducing your taxable income can help you avoid higher tax brackets and reduce taxes on Social Security benefits.
- Medicare Premiums: Lowering your taxable income can also help keep your Medicare premiums lower.
Consult with a tax advisor or financial planner for personalized advice based on your specific financial situation, ensuring this strategy aligns with your overall retirement and tax planning goals. By evaluating these factors, you can determine if using QCDs from your IRA is a beneficial option for you.
2024 Cheat River Festival Recap
by Lisa Maraffa, Fest Coordinator
This year's Cheat River Festival exceeded expectations, standing out in more ways than one. While the fest is very successful at raising funds for FOC’s vital work, we have developed other measures of success. After 30 years, it is important to stay on track with FOC’s mission while still throwing a foot-stomping party; so how do we do that?
Community Engagement
We prioritize community involvement by hiring as many local companies as possible. Most of our vendors are local and independent businesses. We also extend invitations to over ten nonprofit groups to table and attend at virtually no cost. Our Cheat Fest food drive is a huge success, filling a truck bed with donations for over ten food pantries in Preston County. Our community is our priority because they are the ones who deserve the many benefits a clean Cheat River brings.
Safety
Cheat Fest’s excellent safety record is a testament to our dedicated team of security, first aid, and lead volunteers. However, the most heartwarming reason for our safety success is our amazing attendees - yes, you! When a giant Cheat Fest family gathers for laughter and good vibes, negativity has no place.
Environmental Stewardship
As environmental stewards, we ensure to do our part wherever possible. We offer recycling and composting at the Fest and require all food-serving items to be compostable. Partnerships with local recycling centers and farm composters help us minimize waste during an event where thousands of people gather. Additionally, many items we purchase or use to decorate are reusable year after year, keeping costs and waste down. Carpooling also helps - more people in fewer cars make a big difference.
New Membership Engagement
Attracting new members is vital for FOC and numerous other nonprofits, as our existence hinges on memberships and donations. Our goal is to instill a shared commitment among people of all ages to restore the Cheat River. Through educational initiatives such as snorkeling and scientific presentations, we highlight the river's significance to youth throughout West Virginia. The involvement of new members is crucial for our organization to continue achieving its goals. Clean water, a thriving fishery, abundant recreational activities for everyone, and enhanced gathering spots - your donations fund these achievements. Don’t you want to be able to say you’ve helped bring our watershed back to life?
The staff at FOC love what we do, but not why we have to do it. It's unjust for any waterway on Earth to suffer from pollution, yet someone must care deeply enough to take action. Thank you for being a crucial part of our team and for empowering us to create meaningful change.
FOC Begins Initiatives to Connect with Indigenous Communities
In our unwavering commitment to fostering environmental stewardship, and in an attempt to expand outreach in our community and beyond, FOC is beginning initiatives to connect and engage meaningfully with Indigenous Nations and peoples. This initiative arises from a deep-seated recognition of our responsibilities as an organization operating on the traditional territories of Indigenous peoples.
The journey will involve lots of listening and learning in the hope of building trust with honest, open communication. We envision laying a foundation for partnerships we believe will bring a wealth of information and perspective to our conservation efforts.
FOC Media & Outreach Specialist Beth Warnick has been working with author Ellesa Clay High, a WVU emeritus professor who was instrumental in creating the university’s Native American Studies Program, and with poet Susan Sauter, both residents of the Cheat River basin, to craft a Native American land acknowledgment statement. FOC Executive Director Amanda Pitzer read a draft at the kick-off of Cheat Fest 2024. FOC intends the statement to be a first step in cultivating awareness and promoting dialogue about the historical and current realities faced by Indigenous communities, particularly those tribes historically connected with West Virginia. It underscores our desire to understand and honor the profound connection that Native Americans have with the land and waters we, too, diligently protect.
FOC member Susan Sauter has reflected that all of us, Indian and non-Indian alike, have had a hand in shaping today’s landscapes. “When I trace my colonizer family history, I can point directly at how and when my Revolutionary people - and ultimately me - benefitted from the taking of native lands, a pattern repeated in many places. I’m grateful to be on this journey with FOC.”
“This initiative makes me even prouder to be a member of FOC,” Dr. High has said. “I see it assuming a leadership role in realizing the great value of including American Indian values and Native science when approaching the environmental issues we face today.”
As FOC continues to restore, preserve, and promote the outstanding natural qualities of the Cheat River and its surroundings, we believe indigenous people’s deep-rooted knowledge and values can significantly enhance our efforts.
Indigenous Peoples have been in this land since time immemorial. Over the centuries, European explorers, colonizers, traders, diplomats, immigrant settlers, enslaved Africans, people from other regions of the world, and their descendants, have come to live in Appalachia. This resulted in dramatic and often violent displacements of most Indigenous Appalachians far from their ancestral lands. Friends of the Cheat, based in northern West Virginia and working throughout the beautiful Cheat River watershed, solemnly and respectfully acknowledges the Native American peoples who have nurtured this land and water across generations. We recognize the profound bonds between Native communities and their traditional homelands.
These are the ancestral lands and waters of the Shawnee, the Lenni Lenape (Delaware), the Cherokee, the Haudenosaunee, and other Indigenous nations who have lived in this region since time immemorial. Their deep connection to the land, and their respect for and understanding of nature, helped shape the culture and heritage of Appalachia.
Some Native peoples of Appalachia have retained parts of their homelands. Today, they include federally-recognized, sovereign Native nations, state-recognized tribes, and communities. We honor all Indigenous nations on whose lands we now live and work. We recognize the historical and ongoing effects of colonization and displacement. By acknowledging these Native peoples, we affirm our commitment to respect and care for the land, the waters, the inhabitants, and each other. FOC looks forward to partnerships with Indigenous nations.
At the risk of stating the obvious, we could really use some rain in the Cheat River watershed. The water temperature of the river in Albright was over 87F (30.5C) at the beginning of the week, with no sign of a decent rain in the forecast. For aquatic species, even those warm water species in the Cheat, >30C is intolerable. Our snorkel squad reported that fish were showing signs of stress as early as late June. For the community of Thomas, who draws their municipal water from the Blackwater River, the drought has created conditions for increased iron levels, resulting in a boil water advisory during the 4th of July, one of the busiest holiday weekends of the year. We can’t control the weather, but we can limit our water use and maintain or improve tree cover on our riparian properties (and everywhere). Also, this week, FOC decided to extend our tree-planting program one more year.
The drought has put a damper on our mood at FOC. Recently, at an event hosted by the SWPA Water Network Coalition, WVDEP Americorps member Jessica Bryzek delivered an inspiring speech that included her personal experiences with climate guilt, “a term for these mental and emotional implications of our current socio-ecological crises.” She also shared what motivates her when the enormity of it all suffocates her. From her comments:
“So, what motivates me as a youth to continue this work when the future is so bleak? The idea of empowerment. Empowerment is defined as a process of enabling individuals to understand the relationship between their actions and outcomes. One way we can support empowerment is through genuine listening with an open heart and mind and a non-judgmental perspective. Telling the story of our time includes the facts, but it also includes the underlying emotional and mental beliefs held on both societal and individual levels. When we think about youth engagement, the discussion usually focuses on education. And yes, heightened awareness of environmental issues and their implications can initiate new patterns of behavior, but sharing knowledge about the environment is not the end but rather the beginning to promote attitude and behavioral change. Environmental education can be taught as a subject, but it is really more of a critical thinking skill. How can we restructure our society knowing that humans are just tiny pieces of an interconnected network, that we are part of a global community that includes all beings of the more-than-human world, and that we have no right or privilege to exploit the planet for our profit?
My perspective is that youth involvement really relies on empowerment, storytelling, and the ability to facilitate trans-generational listening to recognize and dismantle the social structures and learned practices that threaten our planet and ourselves. This will require us to move beyond business as usual and dissolve the invisible gap that separates nature and us.
I will leave you all with a call to action to reflect on your own story. How did you get started in the environmental field, and what motivates you to continue this work? And I invite you to do this by going outside with no agenda. No purpose. No objective to hike a certain amount of mileage. No desire to see a certain number of bird species or wildflowers. Just go outside and be outside to remember the child-like wonder of nature and remember what it feels like in your body to be outside. While this may seem like a minuscule piece of our work as environmentalists, sharing our stories is medicine for ourselves and also medicine for others when we consciously make the decision to show up as authentic individuals. We all are involved in various organizations and programs, but behind all of that, we all have our own stories to tell.”
So, as advised by this wise young person, I’ve been making more time to play outside with my family. We enjoyed a weekend of riverside camping and floating in a section of the South Branch Potomac known as The Trough. The anglers on our trip didn’t have much luck, though. We spent a lazy Sunday swimming in the low waters of the Tygart just downstream of Arden. The kids enjoyed the sandy beach so much that we were still scrubbing grit out of Emmitt’s hair days later. One upside of this low water is it provides great conditions for teaching this kid how to swim. We break away from garden chores and go chill at the Cheat Narrows as much as we can. It is truly a gem, and I keep reminding myself how lucky we are to have easy access to a beautiful and clean river.
I hope all of you are making the most of our beautiful rivers and what their nearby towns have to offer this summer! When you are in the Rowlesburg area, make sure to stop at the Cheat River General Store to stock up on snacks and drinks. The store has been open just 1 year and, if business goes well, they plan to open a small restaurant and bar space too! The store is located just north of town, across from the sawmill on Route 72. Tell them Friends of the Cheat sent ya!
Out & About with FOC
After Memorial Day weekend, Friends of the Cheat hosted an educational day for Beverly Elementary's 5th graders at the Stuart Recreation Area along Shavers Fork. The students learned about the importance of clean water, exploring topics such as water quality, macroinvertebrates, otters, and riparian habitats. They also got hands-on experience, donning wetsuits and snorkels to observe fish, mayflies, and crawfish in their natural settings.
In early June, FOC participated in the first annual Appalachian Fly Fishing Festival in Thomas, sharing our work in the Cheat watershed - from enhancing water access to managing acid mine drainage - with enthusiastic anglers. This was a fantastic opportunity to engage with a community that values our local waterways as much as we do.
Our conservation team also led a tour for representatives from the USEPA Region 3, WVDEP Watershed Improvement Branch, and WV Conservation Agency. They visited critical sites in the watershed, including where the Cheat meets Muddy and Big Sandy Creeks. The tour highlighted FOC’s AMD remediation projects, showcasing our commitment to improving water quality in the area. WVDEP's Environment Matters included a short video of the tour on their youtube channel.