West Virginia’s trail leaders and supporters met at Stonewall Resort on October 27 – 29 to learn, share and celebrate nonmotorized trails.  The Statewide Nonmotorized Trail Community consists of trail users, enthusiasts, trail organizations, agencies, local government representatives, outdoor business owners and others who have interest in trails.  “Two main themes for the conference resonated”, says Sam England, Executive Director, WV TRAIL, “The importance of collaboration and knowing that successes are a marathon, not a sprint.”  “One perfect example of this is the recent announcement of the acquisition of the Blackwater Canyon, adjacent to Blackwater Falls State Park and the Monongahela National Forest.”  England continued, “This is the most important land acquisitions to occur in West Virginia in decades. This took many people working together for many years to finally make it happen.” 

More than a dozen sessions ranging from funding opportunities, working with land managers and working with volunteers were offered.  The lunch keynote speaker was Ta Enos, Founder and CEO of PA Wilds. Enos shared the plans and successes in her region of Pennsylvania similar to those in West Virginia.  “The opportunity to learn from successes in other places that can be replicated in West Virginia is important to moving forward”, stated Kent Spellman, Board Chairman, WV TRAIL.  “The importance of working together, with intentionality, and with a plan in areas previously dominated by extractive industry is a great opportunity for West Virginia.” 

The agenda ended Monday with a celebration of trails from 4 different speakers.  Shae Strait, Director of Planning and Development, Fairmont WV described the local successes in completing gaps in the Fairmont area for the Parkersburg to Pittsburgh trail corridor.  Mike Powell, Director of Land Management and Stewardship, The Nature Conservancy, discussed success in working with landowners and contributions to open the Clower Trail.  Karen Carper, President of The Highlands Trail Foundation described the successes of working with the State of WV over time in achievements for the Allegheny Highlands Trail and Mitch Lehman, Director of Outdoor Economic Development with the City of Beckley WV described the recent success of a full outdoor economy plan that will help focus efforts given the close proximity to so many outdoor resources. 

Pre-conference field trips and post-conference workshops rounded out the event, providing hands-on assistance in trail building, grant writing, planning and trails interpretation.   The WV Trail Conference had over 150 trail supporters in attendance at this 2024 event. To be part of the growing West Virginia Trails Movement, sign up for our newsletter at www.wvtrail.org or follow us on Facebook.