Davis, W.Va. — On Saturday, March 21, 2026, the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy (WVHC) and Friends of the 500th will present a special screening of the new short documentary Dolly Sods and the Legacy of Helen McGinnis at the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The event begins at 6 p.m., with Helen McGinnis in attendance for a post-film discussion.
Directed by West Virginia native and freelance filmmaker Clara Haizlett, the film chronicles McGinnis’s determined efforts to secure federal Wilderness designation for Dolly Sods — a landscape once dismissed as too damaged to protect under the U.S. Forest Service’s “purity doctrine.”
In 1975, with the passage of the Eastern Wilderness Act, Dolly Sods became one of West Virginia’s first federally designated wilderness areas, marking a pivotal victory for conservation in the Mountain State. The designation proved that lands scarred by logging, fire, and wartime use could be restored and permanently protected for future generations.
Through McGinnis’s meticulous documentation of the land and its resources — and alongside fellow leaders of the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy — the longstanding purity doctrine was overturned for the first time in history. Their work helped establish a precedent that reshaped wilderness policy nationwide, opening the door for the protection of landscapes previously considered beyond recovery.
Today, more than 40,000 visitors annually experience the windswept heath barrens, sweeping vistas, and quiet backcountry of Dolly Sods Wilderness. In 2021, WVHC partnered with the Monongahela National Forest to launch the Dolly Sods Wilderness Stewards program, sponsoring volunteer stewardship efforts to manage and preserve the wilderness and surrounding areas.
The film honors not only McGinnis’s legacy but also the ongoing responsibility to defend and steward West Virginia’s natural heritage. In 2025, Dolly Sods Wilderness marked the 51st anniversary of its designation under the Eastern Wilderness Act. As the community reflects on five decades of protected wilderness, the event also renews a shared commitment to ensuring Dolly Sods remains wild, resilient, and accessible for the next fifty years and beyond.
In addition to the featured documentary, the evening will include a special screening of Mother Daughter Earth, an award winning and deeply personal film by filmmaker Julia Huffman. The documentary explores the enduring bond between Huffman and her mother, Beth Little — a former West Virginia Highlands Conservancy board member — while reflecting on memory, legacy, and the powerful influence of Appalachia on their lives. Through intimate storytelling and a meditation on land, family, and stewardship, Mother Daughter Earth serves as a tribute to generations of women whose love for the Appalachian Mountains helped shape the conservation movement in West Virginia.
Preserving West Virginia for future generations wvhighlands.org
Event Details
What: Screening of Dolly Sods and the Legacy of Helen McGinnis and Mother Daughter Earth
Date: Saturday, March 21, 2026
Time: 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
Location: Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, 6263 Appalachian Hwy, Davis, WV 26260
A panel discussion and audience Q&A with Helen McGinnis will follow the screening. Additional screening of Mother Daughter Earth will be shown.
Registration: Attendance is free, but donations are encouraged. Space is limited. Advance registration is required at: https://www.wvhighlands.org/2026/02/13/dolly-sods/
For more information about the event or the work of the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, please visit wvhighlands.org.
