Stewards of Shavers Fork
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- Опубликовано: 22 авг 2024
- This is the story about how one of West Virginia’s most iconic rivers and watersheds came back to life.
Lead by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources with assistance from West Virginia University and Canaan Valley Institute, this short documentary film chronicles how primeval spruce forests, century-old steam locomotives and ghost towns all influenced modern restoration efforts to save the river’s brook trout, West Virginia’s only native trout.
The Indians were big conservationists. Only cut stunted and sick trees to lead to a stronger forest. It's interesting they are not included in this documentary. This is an awesome watch. Informative and a great lesson on our industries impacts on the environment.
The Shavers Fork is a truly remarkable place. I had the privilege of being on the design team that helped restore the brook trout habitat for five miles of the most remote reach of the river. That will probably be the greatest engineering project of my career with the best feeling of satisfaction from doing something good for the environment. The Shavers Fork and the Monongahela National Forest became my favorite places in West Virginia. Historic activities left the river channel with a wide, flat bottom for many miles. When the water flow was low, a 50 foot wide streambed would have 3 inches of water spread across cobbles and boulders. In the summer, the streambed became a solar collector that heated the shallow water. One of the goals of all the stakeholders was to put some natural structure in place to narrow the channel and to provide a diversity of fish habitat components. Pools offer one of the best habitats for fish because they provide cover, refuge, depth, and cold water. On every stream restoration project that I've designed with pools, the pools are magnets for fish. To be self-sustainable, you have to place pools in the right locations with the right hydraulics to make them self-scour. If you have a chance to visit West Virginia, see if you can squeeze in a trip up to the Shavers Fork River.
Very Glad that you were a part of the Shavers Fork team. It was an honor to make this documentary to get the word out how we have the ability to be good Stewards of the land. All the best.
I’ve never been to Shavers Fork. However my ancestors were there early. Peter Shaver who the river and Mountain was named after is my 4th grand uncle. I’ll definitely be going to visit this beautiful place. I can only imagine how it looked when my family were there in the late 1700s. Great work on repairing the area.
Awesome video! Lots of great information and photos from where my family is from. Thank you for putting this together and sharing!
As a senior at Davis & Elkins College, I put together an oral history project focusing of a piece of land nearby (closer to Mill creek) in Adolph, WV that was then owned by WestVaco. The project, funded by the Nature Conservancy, focused on the land, the rivers, the logging, and the people. I remember hearing about the squirrel blight, how the rivers were dark as coal, the steam train accidents coming down through the steep mountains, the children at the camps playing cards in the shade of a pet mule and the most amazing fact that the lumber that came out of that area at the turn of the century could have made a boardwalk to the moon and back. I need to dig and find my project. I have a lot of slides that I never got developed that folks I interviewed gave me from the logging camps.
This is phenomenal. I am currently working in Morgantown and now must take a weekend trip to Shavers Fork to chase brook trout
Nice work on the video, and a big thank you to the heroes who have put so much effort into restoring the river. It is really a gem of the eastern U.S.
May God Bless all who worked and gave money to restore the Shavers Fork river and the Trout growth for all who come to this wonderful and Wild place.
I like that. Bringing the most important person in to it. If it weren’t for Him, there would be nothing. I hope He allows me to come up there before I die.
I love to fish and camp along Shavers Fork. Thanks to the teams who have and are working to save this valuable resource. Big thanks to the producers for sharing this wonderful story.
This was a wonderful video. I am grateful for watersheds that function as they should for sustaining the fish and aquatic life within. I was fishing for trout last week and found much of the sunny stretches empty and found a shady pool full of fish. Stream abundance comes from our watershed stewardship. Your team has come up with a model that needs to be repeated across the country. You have restored a little bit of wildness to a place that was nearly destroyed by excesses of industry. I need wild places like the Shavers Fork to restore me to wholeness. I was driving south over the mountains last week south of Elkins, WV last week on Highway 250 and discovered what was apparently Shavers Fork, beautiful stream surrounded by a beautiful forest. Thank for the film and the wonderful work of the stewards.
Being a avid fisherman and a local from a long line of life's thoughout southern WV, I thank each and every one of you from the depth of my heart and soul for all that you've done and are doing. You all are very gratefully appreciated. This is the least I can say in words. Bless you all for everything you do! Much love and light from a local that really cares and is grateful for each and every one of you guys
Thanks again from the depths of my heart and soul ! 😀😀😀
Dr. Harry Boone at Davis College -WVU recommended this to the AgEd teachers of WV....today...nust viewed....will be watched this Fall by my Fish & Wildlife Mngt class at Preston High School.
Great video...wonderful work by all involved.
Might inspire some future DNR, DIV FORESTRY, NRCS, and others.
Eric Frederick
Thank you all
I live in West. Virginia never fished their but it is beautiful have been by their it is breath taking !!!!!!!
What a wonderful group of people who truly love the outdoors and i commend you on your hard work and efforts to one of the most beautiful area's in West Virginia. Thank you so much for saving that beautiful river (Shavers fork)Every time there is a bend in my fishing rod i think about you guys and all the hard work and the great team of people that went into this project. Can't thank you enough. I love the wild and wonderful area's of West Virginia they are treasures of our heart and soul.
Hi Michael, I am delighted that you enjoyed “The Stewards of Shaver’s Fork”. The project was a labor of love.
Awesome. Love Shavers. Been walking up and down fishing it all my life. People don’t realize the potential it has to become an amazing fishery 12 months out of year for residents and non residents to come fish. Hopefully be filled up from top to bottom someday and people can come enjoy catching and releasing in it.
Excellent work-excellent presentation!!!
Excellent work. Learned some things I didn't know.
Very Glad you enjoyed the film. Thank you for commenting Marshall.
Excellent video - well done!
Ashley Hockenberry thanks. Loved working on this project. Appreciate your comment.
Thanks - I grew up in West Virginia. My father and I used to fish the special section of Shavers Fork − Randolph County
5.5-mile section in Monongahela National Forest, north of U. S. Route 250, from the mouth of Whitmeadow Run downstream to the mouth of McGee Run. Access by National Forest Route 92, which intersects U.S. Route 250 four miles west of Cheat Bridge. Great fishing. I assume the project was downstream of that area?
I'm not from that area so forgive me, but we had a base at the cheat bridge and filmed in the surrounding areas. Most of the interviews were done in the Lodge which we stayed. Thanks for commenting. Its a small world.
Outstanding film-making and story. As an aspiring banjo picker, I like the soundtrack a lot, too. Can you tell me who is playing Lee Hammons's "Johnny Booger" at the 6:00 minute mark?
It is in the description of the video.
Cool video…Is this talking about shavers fork off of the cheat river? Like lower and upper shavers fork in Randolph county etc?