Charleston, WV- Yesterday, Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and Co-chair of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus, applauded an agreement between John Crites and his family and the U.S. Forest Service to move forward with the sale of approximately 2,700 acres of land owned by the Crites family along the Blackwater River in Tucker County to the Forest Service for addition to the Monongahela National Forest.
“This is a huge win for the Mountain State and the nation as people are able to enjoy more of the true treasures of Wild and Wonderful West Virginia,” said Chairman Manchin. “John Crites and his family have been wonderful stewards of their land in Blackwater Canyon for many years. I thank the Crites family for their willingness to allow this spectacular area to be permanently available to the public and thank my colleague and friend Senator Capito for her ongoing support of this effort.”
“When this deal is complete, it will provide wonderful outdoor recreation opportunities, which will strengthen opportunities for tourism, job creation and economic growth in the region,” Chairman Manchin continued. “I am proud to have worked with both the Crites family and the Forest Service to help make this agreement possible, and look forward to continuing working to improve public outdoor recreational access.”
Acquisition of the Blackwater Canyon parcel will bring into public ownership one of the most scenic areas in West Virginia and will provide public access and outdoor recreational opportunities along a key 5-mile stretch of the Blackwater River that runs through Blackwater Canyon and includes a portion of the Blackwater Canyon Trail.
The land to be acquired is bordered by Blackwater Falls State Park and the Monongahela National Forest. The parcel will be acquired using funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Chairman Manchin previously sponsored the law that permanently authorized the LWCF, and later authored the Great American Outdoors Act, which provides dedicated funding for LWCF land acquisition projects each year. Based on a recently completed Forest Service appraisal, the purchase price is expected to be about $14 million.
The Forest Service’s acquisition of the property is expected to be completed by the end of the year.