Current and Planned Conservation Hub Sites
National Forest Integrity Project
Hub sites have been developed for eight proposed or recently approved projects involving commercial timber harvest and road development in the National Forests of the Allegheny-Blue Ridge region. Multiple ABRA partners are engaged in the review process for these projects.
ORV Use on Public Lands
This Hub site addresses the environmental damage, disruption, and ongoing costs that come with off-road vehicle use and the continuing push to allow more off-road vehicle use in state and federal public lands in West Virginia.
Central Appalachian Highlands Gas Pipelines
This Hub site will provide map data and regulatory information related to ACP restoration, MVP development, and other proposed or existing transmission and gathering pipelines in and around the Allegheny-Blue Ridge region.
Proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area
Located west of the Shenandoah Valley in the George Washington National Forest, Shenandoah Mountain is one of the largest tracts of wild land in the Eastern United States. A broad coalition seeks to permanently protect this special area for the benefit of future generations.
Candy Darter Preservation and Restoration
This Hub site relates the remnant distribution of this endangered species to environmental context and proposed land management projects, providing a framework for oversight of agency responses to requirements of the Endangered Species Act.
Stream Degradation in the National Forest
A Hub site will examine increasing sediment levels in brook trout spawning gravel in Monongahela National Forest streams. – New access to data allows analysis of baseline conditions and environmental risks associated with Forest management projects.
Corridor H Planning and Construction
An existing Hub site focused on Corridor H in West Virginia’s Canaan Valley area will be further developed to focus on extension of the route into the George Washington National Forest and Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.
Old Forest in the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Region
This Hub site will provide map data related to forest age and ecosystem integrity in the region’s National Forests. Climate change management and conservation of mature and old-growth forests will be examined in the context of National Forest management plans and practice.
Coal Mining Infrastructure Affecting Aquatic Habitat
A new Hub site will examine regulatory oversight of mining operations and haul roads affecting brook trout streams and critical habitat for the endangered candy darter in the South Fork of Cherry River area.
Land Application of Biosolids
Land application of wastewater treatment plant sludge and other biosolids is not well-regulated and concern about PFAS and other problematic chemicals is increasing. A Hub site will initially provide mapping for existing and proposed application locations in two Shenandoah Valley counties.
Gold Prospecting
Following the 2020 announcement of “promising” gold deposits in Buckingham County, Va., opposition to mining has developed due to concerns about loss of agricultural land, toxic mine waste dumps, and pollution of local ground water and the nearby James River.Online Here
Ridgeline Wind Energy Development
Since 2016, Apex Clean Energy has been pursuing Virginia’s first on-shore, ridge-top, utility-scale wind energy facility. Planned for North Mountain in Botetourt County, Va., the Rocky Forge project would include up to 22 turbines, each 680-ft tall.Online Here