Roxy Todd, Author at West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Broad-winged Hawks Begin Their Fall Migration Through West Virginia

The third week in September is normally the peak season for broad-winged hawks to migrate through West Virginia. Hundreds of volunteers will also travel to Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory in Monroe County to help count the migrating hawks, eagles and falcons.

Rodney Davis, a retired heavy equipment operator from Sinks Grove, is one of the most active volunteer counters at Hanging Rock. “I don’t know what draws people, specifically. I don’t know if they’re drawn to the raptors when they come up here, or just the fact that it’s just such a beautiful place to come.”

The observatory deck atop Peter’s Mountain stands above a steep and slanted rock ridge. Below is a view of rolling farmland and the George Washington National Forest. Here, you can see as far east as the Blue Ridge Mountains in VA, and as far west as the Winter Place Ski Resort, about 70 miles away in Raleigh County.

Atop Peters Mountain, you can see as far as 60 miles in a 360 degree angle.

The unusually steep ridge also provides a special opportunity for migrating raptors. The birds use the air currents that drift up from the mountain to glide south, as they make their way to warmer climates. On Tuesday, volunteer counters at the Hanging Rock Observatory tallied 347 raptors-including 7 bald eagles. That’s down from 1,592 total raptors they counted last year on the same day. Volunteers say that fewer colder days in September might be the reason the migration has been slower this year. They expect more broad-winged hawks to fly over Hanging Rock in the next week or so.

Even though the hike up to the observatory tower is only about a mile long, Davis reminds visitors to expect the hike to be very steep. Last year, over 2,000 visitors during the raptor migration season, including visitors from 36 states and 16 countries.

Hanging Rock is located along the Allegheny Trail hiking system, which runs entirely through West Virginia. The Allegheny Trail also connects to the Appalachian Hiking Trail, about 12 miles east of the Hanging Rock Observatory. In October, visitors will be counting more owls, falcons and eagles that will travel along Peters Mountain.

Directions to Hanging Rock: From US 219 and Gap Mills, WV: Take US 219 to Union, then travel on Rt. 3 east towards Gap Mills for 8.8 miles. Just before the Cheese n’ more store, take a sharp right on Zenith Road and proceed 3.5 miles to Limestone Hill Road. 1.4 miles after you turn left onto Limestone Hill Road, there will be a hairpin turn to the left. Proceed another 0.4 miles until you get to the top the hill. At this point there will be a parking area above the road on your right, but you have to watch for it; it is easy to miss. It is a small gravel area that will hold 8 or 10 cars at most. The tower is a hike of a little less than 3/4 mile from the lower parking area and between .8 and .9 mile from the upper lot. The hike from the upper lot is a little longer but somewhat flatter on the lower half. The trail entrance from this lot is marked with yellow paint which signifies the Allegheny Hiking Trail.

For more information about the Hanging Rock Observatory, click here.

Music from the audio story features Luiz Bonfa, a Brazilian guitarist who passed away in 2001.

Barbara Hicks Lacy Remembers Charleston During Segregation

In Charleston, those who grew up during segregation remember a tight knit community in the downtown neighborhood known as The Block. During the 30’s and 40’s Barbara Hicks Lacy grew up in this neighborhood, and she’s one of the remaining residents who vividly recalls The Block, which today has all but disappeared. The West Virginia Center for African-American Culture and Arts recently invited her to share her story at the West Virginia State Archives.

When she was a kid, Lacy’s best friend, named Baby Sue, was white, and so they weren’t allowed to attend the same school.

The Block was full of characters, and during segregation Lacy saw many well to do black tourists and musicians who came through her neighborhood. Lacy worked at her father’s restaurant The Block Cafe.

“Particularly when the rhythm and blues people were coming to town and there was going to be a dance.”

She explained that she got to meet a lot of these people because the restaurants in The Block was the only place where non-whites were allowed to eat. And they had to stay at the Ferguson or the Brown hotel.

Here, it was safe for children to roam around the neighborhood together.

She told one story about a bar, owned by Mr. Pin. She doesn’t think her mother ever found out that as a little kid she’d stop by Mr. Pin’s bar to perform a song or two. She had it in her mind that she was an undiscovered Shirley Temple.

“I’d go in, and he’d sit me on the bar, and I’d sing ‘Night Time is the Right Time’. Don’t laugh, it was for a quarter!”

That quarter was usually spent down the street, at the Ferguson Theater, where Lacy spent almost every afternoon after school watching movies.

“It didn’t cost but a dime. And popcorn was a dime. And you could get a drink for a nickel. So if you had a quarter, you were home free. That’s what we did, all the kids in the neighborhood. We went to the movie everyday.”

But these movies were basically the same films that were shown at the white theater. Separated by a few blocks, during segregation, downtown Charleston essentially was split into two sides, roughly along Washington Street. Charleston’s West Side was another neighborhood where black businesses thrived during segregation.

Although there were three white businesses within Lacy’s neighborhood, The Block was predominantly occupied by non-whites. Syrian, Greek, and Italian families lived here too. Garnet High School was the local black school, about a block away from Lacy’s father’s cafe.

As Lacy described the people she remembers, like Flat Tire the barber, Mable Cook the beautician, and Richard Sonders, the usher at the Ferguson Theater, they all seemed like vivid characters out of a great novel. Its pages were written on the side alleys and brick streets off Shrewsbury Street, where Barbara Hicks Lacy grew up. Though the buildings and people she remembers are mostly all gone, the story has not been erased.

Ms. Lacy’s talk was part of a series called African American Life in Charleston: A Personal Perspective. The series wraps up this Thursday as the fourth speaker, James Estes, recalls his own own memories. The event will be at 6:00 at the West Virginia State Archives and History Library.

Jane Lew Meeting Leaves Some Wondering, and Some Concerned, About Future Drilling

Outside the building, a line of about 200 people wait their turn to talk to CONSOL. Many who came here Tuesday own land or royalties in Lewis County.

Jackie Smith is one of them. “I think it’s time. We need gas. So therefore we don’t have to depend on other countries.”

Just how many new wells are being planned for Lewis County? Where will they be? These are the questions almost everybody here is asking, no matter which side of the issue they stand.

Barbara Volk is a horse podiatrist and has a small farm in Camden She heard tonight that CONSOL would like to eventually build well pads along Churchville Rd, about 4 and a half miles from her farm. Those well pads would be along the same creek that her horses drink from. She’s worried that if this water becomes polluted, she won’t have another supply of water for her farm.

“As a surface owner, I feel we are bulldozed. We are treated like we don’t exist and nobody cares. I did actually speak with someone. And he assured me that everything is going to be according to EPA regulations, and that the environment will be protected and the water will be protected. But frankly, from what I have seen in Doddridge county, and surrounding areas, I don’t believe that’s going to be the case,” Volk said.

Concerns for drinking water were among the questions people asked company representatives. “To date we have had no impact on any of these Marcellus well site locations, that showed that we have reduced the quality of the drinking water on the area. ” said Jeremy Jones, with CONSOL energy.

Jones explained that the company makes every effort to ensure that drill sites do not have any leaks where contaminated chemicals could leach into the aquifer.

He also emphasized the new jobs that this new development will bring to Lewis County.

“Just driving out here this evening to Jackson’s Mill, you’ll see several water truck and service companies that are already rebounding from the activity that’s already occuring. Marcellus Shale Coalition states that 1 well will create up to 450 jobs throughout 150 disciplines, per well,” said Jones.

These jobs, however, will only last for a short period of time, mostly during the construction of well pads-which takes about 12 months.

And Alan Shaw says he’s not convinced the jobs that energy companies will bring to Lewis County will employ many local people. He lives in Camden, in one of the areas that could see new drilling in the next few years. He says he came to this meeting to talk about his concerns, but there was not an opportunity for public comment.

Lewis County Lavender Farmer Worried About Fracking

At the end of a 2 and-a-half-mile, single lane road, sits La Paix Herb Farm. Owner Myra Bonhage-Hale is a retired social worker in her 70’s. She and her son Bill live here, in a brightly painted, purple homestead that dates back to the 1800’s. The house, formerly called the May-Kraus home, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Bonhage-Hale grows a variety of herbs that she distils into essential oils and hydrosols. She makes about $8,000 a year selling her herbal products and doing herbal workshops on her farm. She lives in the unincorporated community of Alum Bridge, and she doesn’t own her mineral rights. She’s worried that she won’t be able to keep energy companies from drilling for natural gas near her home.

“I am terrified that I am going to lose this farm to Marcellus Shale Drilling,” said Bonhage-Hale.

Myra’s son Bill and her granddaughter Aijah, who is describing her school project she has been working on upstairs

Aijah, standing in front of her garden on La Paix Herb Farm

To release gas from the Marcellus Shale rock formation deep underground, companies blast water and chemicals deep into the ground at high pressures. Bonhage-Hale is worried that at tonight’s meeting she and her family are going to find out that these types of hydraulic drilling well pads are coming to Alum Bridge. She is scared for her health and worried that her well water and the air on her farm will be contaminated.

She points to neighboring farms in Doddridge County, which has seen tremendous gas and oil development in the last few years.

“They’ve had beautiful farms, they’ve got fracking pads next door, they’ve lost all their property value. And they can’t move, cause there’s nowhere to go. And that’s very much gonna happen in Lewis County,” Bonhage-Hale said.

Exactly what is going to happen in Lewis County—that’s still unclear.

Lewis County Commission president Agnes Queen, says she’s been told most of the new development will be in the part of the county where Bonhage-Hale’s farm is located. “We know that in one area, they are anticipating 288 wells, in the Western part of the county.”

Queen said that lots of citizens are excited that drilling could bring new jobs to Lewis County.

“Many many many of our citizens currently work in the oil and gas industry, but possibly work out of state. A lot of those folks are excited because they’ll be able to work at home for awhile,” Queen said.

78-year-old Bob Shear lives just over the hill from Myra Bonhage-Hale’s farm. He feels bad about her situation. But unlike her, he owns most of his mineral rights. He’s benefited from 14 conventional gas wells on his property.

“For the hydraulic fracturing, in my case, it could make me a fortune,” said Shear.

Still, Shear is not sure yet if he would welcome fracking operations on his land.

“If it was in an out of the way place where I didn’t think that it could ever contaminate my water system, I might be agreeable.,” said Shear.

Back over the hollow at Bonhage-Hale’s Lavender farm, Myra, and her son Bill, and her granddaughter, Aijah, are out in the garden. 9-year-old Aijah has discovered three tomatoes that she planted this spring.

Bonhage-Hale fears that this idyllic scene will be lost, along with her farm’s customers, if hydraulic fracking comes to Alum Bridge.

“And I feel so badly that I spent so much time, and I grew to love something so much, that we’re all gonna lose,” said Bonhage-Hale.

If fracking plans go ahead, Bonhage-Hale is considering buying property in Maryland. But she knows that even there, she might not be able to escape the development of natural gas drilling, which could include fracking in the future.

On Tuesday, hundreds of people crowded into a tight assembly hall at Jackson’s Mill to attend a public forum, hosted by CONSOl energy. Though many people, including Myra Bonhage-Hale, were anticipating a presentation, energy company representatives instead spoke to people one on one to people. For a report on this meeting, click here.

Screen shot from West Virginia DEP’s interactive oil and gas wells map. Horizontal wells are marked red.

The latest figures from the Department of Environmental Protection indicate that there are upwards of 400 horizontal well pads in West Virginia. How many more will there be? Want to learn how you can navigate the DEP’s interactive Gas Well Map? Click here.

AmeriCorps Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Friday marked the 20th Anniversary of AmeriCorps- a volunteer service program that works on a number of community development projects across the country. The ceremony was a rare opportunity for AmeriCorps members from across the country to come together—along with alumni and community partners.

AmeriCorps tutor children and help address issues of homelessness and poverty. They help veterans find successful employment, and they develop heritage sites and preserve historic towns.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the program, AmeriCorps alumni met up with this year’s AmeriCorps members, who were sworn in today in ceremonies across the country.

Four Presidents also helped celebrate the 20th anniversary of AmeriCorps. President Obama and President Clinton delivered remarks at the White House, while President George H.W. Bush participated in a pledge ceremony in Maine. President George W. Bush and Laura Bush filmed a video that was shown at pledge ceremonies across the country.

And in Charleston, AmeriCorps volunteers and AmeriCorps alumni also celebrated.

“I came thinking that I was just going to be serving a community, and I’ve been given an opportunity to learn about that community and learn about what that place is, and the people that are a part of it,” said Audrey Stefenson, who just began serving in her third year of AmeriCorps with the Appalachian Forest Heritage Area Project.

Stefenson is from New York City, but she found a community in Tucker County that she loves. She’ll be continuing to help organize the Art Spring festival in Thomas.

“I think the AmeriCorps program in West Virginia is very unique. Part of it is it’s a small state, people tend to know their neighbors, so there’s definitely a spirit of community and people being willing to help each other out,” said Stephanie Yu, executive director of Volunteer West Virginia, which organized today’s events in Charleston.

The swearing in ceremony took place at 1:00 pm todayon the Capitol Steps located on Kanawha Boulevard in Charleston. At least 275 National Service members, alumni, and community partners attended the celebration.

Two West Virginians Join Artists Across the Globe to Reimagine Hubcaps as Art

Janice Summers-Young is one of two West Virginian artists who were selected for a new exhibit at The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, Virginia. The exhibit, called Second Time Around: The Hubcap as Art, features 287 artists from 36 different countries and opened yesterday.

Young lives in the community of Queen Shoals, about a mile from the Elk River, right on the line between Kanawha and Clay Counties. By day, she and her husband Terry work for their construction business. Most weekends they spend hiking, camping, and collecting materials that Young uses in collages that are on display throughout their home.

“I’ve always loved art, and I’ve always done some form of art, and tried to make my whole life a kind of art,” said Young.

When Young and her husband began to build their home, they discovered fossils in the rocks that they dug out of the dirt. So they decided to use the fossilized stones to build the exterior of their home.

“The area had been coal mined quite a bit, some years back. We started building our house here, we started hand-picking our stones from where we had dug here, the excavation, the stones we turned up, and also stones along the creek bank, because they’re rich in fossils. And I also wanted it to look like this house fit here,” said Young.

Young’s art, like her home, also includes objects from nature, from wasp nests that are preserved with porcelain, to pieces of driftwood that are constructed into circular collages, inspired by whirlpools she finds in rivers.

She also finds imaginative ways to incorporate pieces of trash that other people dump in the woods, like using scrap wire to shape into trees.

Her work drew the attention of Pennsylvania artist Ken Marquis, founder of the Landfill Arts Project. He invited Young to submit a piece of art for a new exhibit, which opened on September 7^th. Over 1,000 artists from around the world were given a hubcap. Each of them repurposed their hubcap in their own way. Young was one of a few hundred artists whose piece was selected for the exhibit.

“When I got the hubcap, the first thing that entered my mind was the driftwood piece, inside the hubcap. I’ve seen so many hubcaps in the river. And I’ve watched them pop off the hill and roll down into the river.

And there’s swirlholes where the whirlpools land, and they’re circular. And they’ll have little bits of wood or stones collect inside of them, said Young.”

The Landfill Arts Project organized the exhibit to help encourage the public to think creatively about re-purposing old materials. What one person might consider trash, artists like Janice Young see as materials that can be used to create.

Painting of an owl, by Janice Summers-Young

“I thought it was a really really neat project that’s gonna have that many people from all around participating in something that I’m passionate about. You know, just not wasting so much and trying to reuse as much as possible. No, we can’t all be environmental saints, but any little thing that we can do all adds up eventually,” said Young.

Young says she doesn’t consider herself an environmentalist. But as a West Virginian artist, she does feels inspired by the delicate beauty of the mountains and the rivers. Often, it’s a beauty that she thinks is abused.

When she sees trash in the river, she picks it up, and tries to turn it into art. Now, that art will be on display in a museum, surrounded by the works of artists from across the world. All 287 of them are tied together by the willingness to create– out of the waste that most people call trash.

Young and another West Virginian artist, Romney Shelton Collins, will both have their hubcap art on display at The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester, Virginia through next March. The museum is open Tuesday-Sunday, 10-4.