Protecting West Virginia’s Public Lands from Expanded Use of ORV/ATVs

Sponsor: West Virginia Highlands Conservancy Developer: Lobbyists & Legislators in WV Lobbyists and legislators have persistently promoted off-highway vehicle recreation on West Virginia’s public lands, Federal and state, for the last two years. For obvious reasons, the West Virginia Highlands

Off-road vehicles pose threat to public lands

A new project added this week to ABRA’s Conservation Hub highlights the growing threat off-road-vehicles (ORVs) pose to the environmental integrity of public lands. Sponsored by the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy, the project includes an interactive online map to help

‘Make it more environmentally sound’: Citizen group takes on popular Southwest Va. trail network

Card – Virginia Mercury – 1/19/22

Off-road vehicles on public lands: a growing issue in WV

Recent efforts in the West Virginia General Assembly to promote off-highway vehicles (ORVs) on public lands is a growing concern among conservation groups in West Virginia. In the 2021 session of the West Virginia General Assembly there were 8 bills

ABRA CONSERVATION HUB

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.