501 Elizabeth St., Room 3  Charleston, WV 25311  304-345-7663  [email protected]
West Virginia Allegheny Highlands
Climate Change Impacts Initiative
"What's at Stake – What's at Risk?"
For more information contact Tom Rodd, Friends of Blackwater West Virginia Allegheny Highlands
Climate Change Impacts Initiative; [email protected]; 304-541-4494 or 304-265-0018.
Initiative Description
West Virginia's Allegheny Highlands region is located in six mountainous counties
along the state's eastern border with Virginia, and is home to iconic Mountain State
landscapes like the Blackwater Canyon, Dolly Sods, and Canaan Valley. The ecology
and economy of the region is closely tied to its distinctive, high-mountain climate.
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Blackwater Falls State Park
Canaan Valley and Timberline Resort
Each year hundreds of thousands of West Virginians (and equally large numbers
of non-West Virginians) visit the state's cool, high-mountain Allegheny Highlands area -for outdoor recreation like golf, snowboarding, skiing and biking; for hunting and fishing;
for heritage and cultural tourism; and for magnificent scenery, hospitality, and secondhome opportunities. In addition to the resilient, hardworking, and proud residents of this
distinctive region, a remarkably large and diverse number of West Virginians from all
over the State have special connections to the Highlands, and value its distinctive
ecology, climate, and natural and human qualities.
Fishing in Blackwater Canyon
Scattering ashes on North Fork Mountain
Climate change is already impacting the Allegheny Highlands' ecology and
economy. Landowners, farmers, foresters, hunters, and hikers are seeing changes in the
weather and seasons --shifts that are reflected in major ecological baseline changes for
both flora and fauna. Rare, cold-adapted plants and animals are seeing significant habitat
loss from rising temperatures and changing precipitation -- threatening many plant and
animal species, some with total extinction. Important commercial timber resources are
declining, and damaging insect infestations are increasing. Climate change is increasing
the risk of extreme weather events like destructive flooding and windstorms.
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Rising temperatures spread destructive
Eastern Hemlock Wooly Adelgid
The West Virginia Northern Flying Squirrel
is threatened with extinction
Climate change is increasing the risk of extreme weather events,
destroying property and burdening local governments and economies.
Under mainstream global warming scenarios, the Allegheny Highlands' most
distinctive natural qualities -- qualities that have formed the basis of the region's economy
and enriched generations of residents and visitors alike -- are at serious risk from the
impacts of global climate change.
The West Virginia Allegheny Highlands Climate Change Impacts Initiative
will provide opportunities – educational materials and statewide and regional forums, as
well as focused research and field experiences -- for West Virginians and others who care
about the Allegheny Highlands, to help them understand the impacts of climate change
on the region. The Initiative will involve landowners, outdoor lovers, homeowners;
scientists, educators, students, and researchers; government, labor, business, and political
leaders; business owners and developers; educators, advocates, policymakers, and
community leaders – in citizen-friendly programs, where they can learn about and discuss
the impacts of climate change on the Highlands.
The Initiative's programs will address many aspects of the basic question: in a
warming world, what does the future hold for the Highlands region? What is the future
of the agriculture, forestry, tourism and outdoor recreation economy; of snow-draped
peaks and frosty mornings, ski lodges and slopeside homes? What are the risks from
changing weather patterns and extreme weather events? How will climate change affect
the Highlands’ productive farmlands and forests; her wildlife; her unique cold-adapted
creatures like the brook trout, snowshoe hare, and Cheat Mountain salamander; and the
rare plants of the region?
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And perhaps most importantly, what do West Virginians and their friends who
care about the Highlands – including property owners, visitors, businesses, civic leaders,
professionals, educators, scientists, and local government -- need to consider, so they can
best respond to the impacts of climate change?
Lead Organization: Friends of Blackwater ("FOB"), the lead organization and
sponsor of the West Virginia Allegheny Highlands Climate Change Impacts Initiative, is
a 501(c)(3) organization based in Charleston and Davis, West Virginia. FOB was formed
in 2003 and is named for the Blackwater River and Canyon in Tucker County, West
Virginia – iconic landscapes of the Allegheny Highlands region of West Virginia.
FOB works in a number of arenas – advocacy, education, and "on-the ground"
projects – to advance transparent, democratic, culturally sensitive, science-driven,
"climate-smart" policies and programs that protect and promote the human and natural
communities of the region. FOB's work is supported by many West Virginians, regional
lovers of the Highlands region, and a range of conservation and environmental funders.
See www.saveblackwater.org. The Initiative consultant Downstream Strategies is based
in Morgantown and Alderson, West Virginia and has authored a wide range of respected
publications on West Virginia and regional environmental and energy policy issues. See
www.downstreamstrategies.com.
The Initiative will begin its public programs with an inaugural “Climate Change
and the Highlands: What's at Stake – What's at Risk?” day-long conference, on
Saturday, June 7, 2014, at Blackwater Falls State Park Conference Center in Tucker
County, West Virginia. At the June 7 conference, scheduled presenters and a
breakout/small group discussion session will take up several topics from the below list -depending on what speakers are available:
 the impacts and risks of climate change on the natural world of the
Allegheny Highlands. This includes impacts on temperatures, seasons,
weather, precipitation, trees and plants, fish and wildlife, insect and
microbial life, soil and water, streams, rivers, and hydrology, risks of
flooding and extreme weather;
 the impacts and risks of climate change on the human world of the
Allegheny Highlands: This includes impacts on public health, agriculture
and forestry, hunting and fishing, landowner concerns, heritage and
community values, outdoor recreation, tourism and vacation industries,
business and business planning and investment, public lands, local
infrastructure and government, insurance and risk management, land
use restrictions, and disaster preparedness;
 the available strategies and options for dealing with the impacts and risks
of climate change on the Allegheny Highlands. This includes such
measures as impacts assessments, impacts monitoring and data collection,
research, and adaptation and mitigation planning and implementation.
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The Initiative will avoid debating divisive policy issues, and will focus on giving
participants (1) the facts and perspectives they need for further research, study, planning,
and decision-making; and (2) an opportunity to discuss climate change with other West
Virginians who care about the Allegheny Highlands.
The June 7 Conference program is being planned by a group convened by Friends
of Blackwater, whose current members include: Judith Rodd, Director of Friends of
Blackwater -- she has an M.S. in Parks and Recreation from West Virginia University
and is a founder of the West Virginia Land Trust; Rafe Pomerance, consultant – a
climate activist in Washington, DC and currently a consultant to the Union of Concerned
Scientists Climate Impacts Collaborative; Dr. Keith Garbutt, former Chair of the WVU
Biology Dept. and currently Dean of the WVU Honors College; Evan Hansen, President
of Downstream Strategies, an environmental consulting group in Morgantown, WV -- he
has an M.S. in Energy and Resources from U. Cal. Berkeley; Dave Warner, consulting
forester from Shanks, WV – he holds a M.S. in Forest Ecology from Southern Illinois
University; Doug Gilbert, a graduate of West Virginia University in Wildlife Biology
who staffs Friends of Blackwater's Davis, WV office; and Tom Rodd, an attorney
specializing in environmental law and policy.
Following the inaugural conference in June 2014, the Initiative will prepare and
publish a Conference Proceedings report, and will use this report in 6 informational
meetings at colleges and universities around the state during the remainder of 2014. The
report will be widely publicized – as the first of its kind in West Virginia – and will be a
substantive and durable resource for further research, discussion, and policy formulation.
After the June Conference, the Conference Planning group will be modified to
create an Initiative Steering Committee to direct a program of outreach to schools and
labs; and to collaborate with other Highlands-related sectors and groups to plan a followup conference in 2015.
As the impacts and risks of climate change continue to increase and become
more visible, the Initiative can play an important role in highlighting what is at
stake and what is at risk from climate change in the Allegheny Highlands -- as West
Virginians go forward and deal with many important issues.
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501 Elizabeth St., Room 3  Charleston, WV 25311  304-345-7663  [email protected]
West Virginia Allegheny Highlands
Climate Change Impacts Initiative
Saturday, June 7, 2014 10AM-5PM
a one-day Conference at Blackwater Falls State Park Conference
Center in Davis, Tucker County, West Virginia
Climate Change and the Highlands:
"What's at Stake – What's at Risk?"
The economy and ecology of West Virginia's Allegheny Highlands region – home
to iconic landscapes like the Blackwater Canyon, Dolly Sods, Seneca Rocks, and
Canaan Valley -- are closely tied to the region's distinctive, high-mountain climate.
What do we know -- and what do we need to know -- about the impacts of
global warming and climate change on the Highlands region?
In a warming world, what does the future hold for the Highlands region? What is the
future of the agriculture, forestry, tourism and outdoor recreation economy; of snow-draped
peaks and frosty mornings, ski lodges and slopeside homes? What are the risks from changing
weather patterns and extreme weather events? How will climate change affect the Highlands’
productive farmlands and forests; her wildlife; her unique cold-adapted creatures like the brook
trout, snowshoe hare, and Cheat Mountain salamander; and the rare plants of the region?
What do people who care about the Highlands – including property owners and managers,
visitors, businesses, civic leaders, professionals, educators, scientists, and local government -need to know and consider, to best respond to the impacts of climate change?
This public conference will bring together a range of presenters to
illuminate areas of concern and help provide a basis for discussion, study, and
action. There will be a modest registration fee; scholarship assistance is available. A block of
rooms at Blackwater Falls State Park Lodge will be pre-reserved for the June 6/7 weekend.
Information is available on childcare, other lodging options, and nearby outings. For more
information contact Tom Rodd, Friends of Blackwater West Virginia Allegheny Highlands
Climate Change Impacts Initiative; [email protected]; 304-541-4494 or 304-265-0018.
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501 Elizabeth St., Room 3  Charleston, WV 25311  304-345-7663  [email protected]
West Virginia Allegheny Highlands
Climate Change Impacts Initiative
Saturday, June 7, 2014 10AM-5PM -- "Climate Change and
the Highlands: What's at Stake – What's at Risk?"
Conference at Blackwater Falls State Park Conference
Center in Davis, Tucker County, West Virginia
Donation Information Form
Friends of Blackwater is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and donations are deductible from
income for tax purposes. Fundraising reports are on file with the West Virginia Secretary of
State. Mail completed form and check payable to "FOB/Impacts" to 501 Elizabeth St.,
Charleston, W.Va. 25311. To donate by credit card, go online to www.saveblackwater.org; or
call Tom Rodd at 304-541-4494 or 304-265-0018.
Donor Name: ___________________________________________________________
(Check here ____ if you do not wish to be identified as a donor in the June 7 Conference program.)
Contact Person (if different from above): __________________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
E-mail: ________________________________ Phone : _______________________________
Support/Donation Amount:
Platinum ($1000+) $___________________
Gold ($500+) $________________________
Silver ($250+) $_______________________
Bronze ($100+) $______________________
Sponsor $___________________________
Supporters at $250 and above may have a display ad/logo in the Conference program; check here ___ to
be contacted to discuss specifics.
For more information contact Tom Rodd, Friends of Blackwater West Virginia Allegheny Highlands
Climate Change Impacts Initiative; [email protected]; 304-541-4494 or 304-265-0018.
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