Governor Jim Justice has announced the allocation of $19 million in grant funding for outdoor recreation in the State. The Nature Conservancy has secured $300,000 for a Brown Mountain to A-Frame Connector trail. The trail will provide access to additional trails in the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Trail Map courtesy of the Fish and Wildlife service (fws.gov).
By: Lydia Crawley
The Parsons Advocate
A $300,000 grant, announced as part of a recent $19 million grant allocation by the Office of Governor Jim Justice for outdoor recreation projects, is slated to create a connector trail from Brown Mountain to A-Frame Road at the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The grant was allocated to The Nature Conservancy to provide access to additional trails within the Refuge area. Mike Powell Director of Land Management and Stewardship for The Nature Conservancy discussed the project with The Parsons Advocate. “The main vision of this is that the trail will connect the northern end of Canaan Valley to the Town of Davis and A-Frame Road to provide access to the northern part of Canaan Valley and longer trail loop opportunities,” Powell said.
According to Powell, the project is part of a 1,971 acre land parcel that was purchased by The Nature Conservancy and sold to the Fish and Wildlife Service to become part of the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge. “The project will occur on what we have been calling the Big Cove Property which is located on the the northern part of Canaan Valley,” Powell said. “That property was purchased by the Nature Conservancy and then sold to US Fish and Wildlife Service to add 1,971 acres in the northern acquisition boundary of Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge.”
Powell said the project opens up an area that had previously been in private hands and had not been available for public use. “The project will improve accessibility because it will be developing trail into an area that has been previously in private ownership and not available for public use,” Powell said.
In total, Powell said he estimated that the project will add an additional three miles of trail that is slated to combine new trail construction with road to trail conversion in the area. Powell said there are existing roads in the area that were established for the removal of timber on the property. Powell said part of the trail will follow that road and some will be newly constructed trail. “We are looking at a few different options, but the likely outcome is going to be somewhere around, at least, another three miles of trail,” Powell said. “And that will utilize a mix of new trail construction and road to trail conversion.”
The project, according to Powell, will increase outdoor recreation opportunities in the area with expanded access for hiking, biking and horseback riding. “It will expand hiking, biking and horseback riding opportunities in that area,” Powell said. “This connectivity will provide unique and sustainable opportunities for hikers, bicyclists and equestrian riders.”
Powell said that while the grant application was made around a year ago, The Nature Conservancy has been working with the previous land owner and the Fish and Wildlife Service for a couple of years about the plan to connect the trails in the area. “We have been working with the previous land owner and the Fish and Wildlife Service throughout for purchase of the property we transferred with a vision of connecting these trails for at least the last couple of years,” Powell said.
Powell said the Nature Conservancy is working with the Heart of the Highlands on the trail project. “The other partner in this grant proposal is the Heart of the Highlands. They are a local trail organization,” Powell said. “Their mission is to connect trails for seamless mobility throughout the entire trail system, between Canaan Valley, Blackwater Falls State Park and Davis.”
Powell said the project will add to the quality of life for both residents and visitors. “I think another aspect of this, and all of the other trail projects, is improvement of quality of life and healthy outdoor recreation opportunities for residents and visitors alike,” Powell said.
Powell said a timeline for the project could not be calculated at the current juncture, but all the organizations involved were working together to move the project forward. According to Powell, there will be multiple meetings scheduled with the Department of Highways and the Fish and Wildlife Service to discuss and plan the trail connection. “Giving a timeline would be almost impossible on that,” Powell said. “What I will say is that all parties are working together to move it forward at the speed of trust between all of the entities.”
