The ABRA CONSERVATION HUB
– a community empowerment initiative
ABRA’s Conservation Hub program promotes responsible resource management by providing access to critical information needed for effective public involvement in environmental review and oversight.
Following the defeat of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline in 2020, ABRA initiated the Conservation Hub to support informed public engagement with the broader range of environmental issues confronting the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Mountain region. The Conservation Hub builds on the analysis and information sharing capacity achieved through ABRA’s Pipeline CSI project during the years of ACP opposition.
The Conservation Hub is based on the use of GIS mapping to provide details and context for land development projects and management practices that involve risk of environmental harm, as well as for environmental preservation and restoration initiatives. The Conservation Hub also provides access to regulatory documents and assessments related to specific projects or issues.
Multiple Conservation Hub sites, focused on individual projects or issues, have been developed collaboratively with ABRA’s partners and allies. Going forward, we invite conservation groups, individuals, and communities to provide ideas for new Hub sites and GIS mapping that can contribute to informed public engagement on behalf of environmental integrity in the Allegheny-Blue Ridge region.
Explore Conservation Web Maps
Snapshot
- Biosolids Application Areas in Virginia
- Brown Grove Rural Historic District: Polluting Facilities Encroachment
- Mining in Guyandotte Crayfish and Candy Darter Critical Habitat
- Mining Impacts to Pinnacle Creek
- Proposed Cabin Run Pumped Storage Project
- Proposed Utility-Scale Solar Projects in Buckingham County, Virginia
- Red Spruce Ecosystem in West Virginia
- Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project: Roots Run Deep Tours
- Virginia Minerals and Mining
In-Depth
- Coal Operations and Candy Darter Habitat – Information Page
- Corridor H: Parsons to Davis – Information Page
- Corridor H: Wardensville to Virginia State Line – Information Page
- Gold Prospecting in Buckingham County, Virginia – Information Page
- The Candy Darter Map – Information Page
- Proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area – Information Page
- Protecting West Virginia Trails from Off-Road Vehicles – Information Page
- Rocky Forge Wind Project – Information Page
- Virginia Biosolids: Augusta and Rockbridge Counties – Information Page
U.S. Forest Service Projects
- Cranberry Spring Creek – Information Page
- Deer Creek: Proposed Action
- Eastern Divide Insect and Disease Phase II – Information Page
- Gauley Healthy Forest Restoration – Information Page
- Grassy Ridge – Information Page
- Greenbrier Southeast – Information Page
- Upper Cheat River Project – Information Page
- Upper Elk River Project – Information Page
Resources
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.
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.
Corridor H Planning and Construction
The incomplete four-lane highway known as Corridor H in West Virginia covers some of the most mountainous terrain in the eastern United States. This Hub Site will provide mapping for construction plans, sensitive ecosystems, known violations, and other sites of significance along the route.
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
Support our access to information campaign
A central part of the mission of the Allegheny-Blue Ridge Alliance is to facilitate informed public review and oversight to ensure that federal and state agencies tasked with environmental protection uphold their responsibilities. Without access to critical information, the path to holding these agencies accountable becomes futile.