Currently viewing the tag: "West Virginia"

Cruisin’ With Barb

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by Barb Cline

America Just Got a New National Park

Since 1978, the New River Gorge has been managed by the National Park Service. But now, West Virginia is hopeful that this new status of the Gorge will encourage out-of-towners to travel to Southeast West Virginia and boost tourism for their local businesses.

The official title of the Bill as introduced by Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Capito and Congressperson Carol Miller on October 4, 2019, into the House of Representatives: To designate the New River Gorge National River in the State of West Virginia as the “New River Gorge National Park and Preserve,” and for other purposes. 

The New River Gorge will become the 63rd National Park, the first in West Virginia, and the 20th National Preserve in the United States. As a result, the New River Gorge National Park is also designated as a National Preserve, with 7,021 acres of scenic riverfront pinned for ultra-protected national park status, and the remaining 65,165 acres carrying over current hunting and fishing access as a national preserve. Its dual-status makes it the first of its kind outside of Alaska. 

This new designation is also a signal that West Virginia is moving away from its prominence as a coal-mining state and towards one of increasing conservation and recreation. This is one of West Virginia’s most treasured playgrounds because of its outdoor sports, fishing, rafting, hunting, and natural beauty. There are a thousand reasons to smile about our newest national park.

On The Wild Side

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The Politics of Pollution

by Christine Maccabee

I am certain most people would agree with me when I say that clean water and air are precious resources for us, and we must protect them for future generations. As far as I can tell, clean water is as important as money, if not more important. So, for me, when I consider my political and economic priorities, my bottom line is always the water and the air. How there can be any debate about this, I am not sure. Perhaps people would have to have seen what I saw years ago to begin to feel as I do.

I lived in Western Maryland and West Virginia in the 1970s. Being the nature lover that I am, I took long walks in places most people never go. One day, I heard the sound of rushing water and, thinking that it was a stream, I ran to see it. What I witnessed startled and shocked me beyond belief. I saw a swift stream running bright orange in color. I stood there transfixed, thinking it was just a temporary problem, but the orange water just kept coming. At the time, I could not figure out why it was orange, but knowing I was in coal country, it soon became clear to me that it must have been due to the waste dumped into it by the coal company upstream.

Ever since that day, I have not been the same. I became semi-political but did not know how to get my voice heard, so I wrote songs. I am in good company as a nature lover/song writer. Jean Ritchie, a songstress who grew up in Eastern Kentucky, wrote a song called “The Last Old Train’s a Leavin,’” which spoke of the mountaintop removal that tore up her grandfather’s land. Jean chose to stay, and fight, and sing her songs.

While living in Frostburg, Maryland, I, too, witnessed a mountaintop removal and, in the aftermath, felt like I was walking through the end times of utter devastation. A group of students and community members like me attempted to plant saplings on the rocky mountaintop, but many of the trees died. Unlike Jean, I did not stay and have not been back since. However, I took away with me a desire to rectify environmental problems wherever I live.

Recently, I heard that an important Stream Protections Rule, which had finally been put in place seven years ago, is being abolished. Now coal companies will once again be permitted to discharge their toxic waste into the nearest streams as they were doing during the 1970s and before. This will save the companies money, they say. I became sick at heart when I heard this news, and this is just the beginning of a process of deregulation, which will certainly be continuing over the next number of years. Unfortunately, the bottom line is no longer purity of water and air, but money and convenience.

The way I see it, pollution is not really a political problem. It is actually a human problem. We contemporary humans have every opportunity to help with the pollution problems by using less energy in our homes and businesses. We can learn to use less electricity by using energy efficient light bulbs; turning off unnecessary lights; keeping temperatures a bit lower during the winter; using air conditioners only as needed; and yes, using solar energy, which people are starting to do more. All of this, and more, is the inside work.

I recently watched a Maryland Public TV film, Keeping the Potomac: the Politics of Water,” and was sickened when I saw a paper mill along the upper Potomac constantly spewing its waste into the river, killing off all aquatic life below the issuance point. It is beyond disheartening to see the brown gunk coming out of the pipes and the harm it is doing downstream. Regulations are and have been needed there, badly. Question is: Why are there no regulations to control such a travesty?

Fortunately, as humans, we have built in problem-solving skills. We can recycle our waste paper and buy more recycled paper products. Also, perhaps coal and paper company managers need to do more problem solving on their own, do more inside work, and some real soul searching regarding their priorities. That way, they can come up with solutions of their own rather than relying on governmental regulations or deregulations, as the case may be. Or, perhaps, it is time someone knocked on their door.

As a friend of mine said recently, “this is the inside work we all must do, whether it be in our homes, at our jobs, or in our relationships with others.” Outside will be fine so long as we all do the inside work. First, we must examine our spiritual callings to be caretakers of this planet, and of each other, and then we must learn, teach, and act.

So, the true politics of pollution resides in the human heart. That may be our only hope.

U.S. Crossbow Club Holds Awards Banquet

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Grace Eyler

Crossbow_1On August 15, 2015, the U.S. Crossbow Club (USCC) celebrated its 2nd Annual Awards Banquet. Located on Tower Road in Thurmont, members from across Maryland, and as far away as Ohio, joined together to share stories of their crossbow hunting adventures, to display their mounted trophy animals, and to receive awards for their hunting and fishing accomplishments. Although these USCC members come from all walks of life, the one thing they all have in common is their passion for hunting, fishing, and their crossbows. Dennis R. Britton of Thurmont is the club’s founder and first president. He recalled purchasing his first crossbow at Jefferson Archery in 2008. At the time, Britton was sixty-five years old and could legally hunt with a crossbow, but after reading Maryland’s laws and regulations governing hunting with a crossbow, he found them to be biased, discriminating, and unfair when compared to other legal archery hunting equipment: (1) a crossbow hunter could only hunt on sporadic specified dates of the archery season whereas the traditional bowhunter could hunt every day of the archery season; (2) a crossbow hunter had to be at least sixty-five years old, while the traditional bowhunter had no age limits; and (3) a crossbow hunter had to be physically impaired whereas a traditional bowhunter did not. He recognized the laws and regulations prevented many younger and healthier hunters from having a choice of hunting weapons. A firm believer in equal rights and freedom of choice, Britton campaigned for a change that would benefit all sportsmen across Maryland, regardless of age or disability.

Britton started in Thurmont with a door-to-door petition to enlighten as many residents as he could about the uneven archery hunting laws. After collecting over 2,500 signatures, Britton then sent the petition to the Maryland Governor’s Office, The Department of Natural Resources, and key state senators. He thought 2,500 votes could convince Governor Martin O’Malley to reverse his way of thinking in an election year, and they did. Beginning with the 2010-2011 Maryland hunting season, crossbows became a legal archery hunting weapon for everyone, without limits or restrictions for the entire hunting season!

In September of 2010, Britton founded the Maryland Crossbow Federation to unite all Maryland crossbow hunters into a single voice, and to represent that voice in all legal crossbow matters.

Britton said, “Because of reputation and popularity, our membership has grown overwhelmingly and has spread into Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, Florida, Ohio, as well as Germany, Canada, and South America. On February 4, 2015, the Maryland Crossbow Federation became legally known as the U.S. Crossbow Club.

Today, Britton and his wife, Lucy, warmly welcome archers to the club’s headquarters and new crossbow range. The site has twenty Ironman targets, with no two targets being placed at the same elevation or distance. It is the only archery range in the state of Maryland to have permanent-placed straight in-line targets at 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 yards, great for calibrating long distance scopes.

During the awards ceremony, Dennis reminded his fellow members that, “…Our mission as a club is to promote more crossbow hunting and shooting opportunities for everyone, without limits and restrictions, and to recognize each member for their outdoor sports accomplishments.”

The U.S. Crossbow Club (USCC) has the most extensive awards programs in the world.

Britton said, “We have awards for all Maryland and National big game species, in both fair chase and estate hunting conditions,” adding, “We are the first hunting organization to recognize our member’s fishing and crabbing talents, and also the first hunting organization to recognize our member’s harvesting of Maryland and National doe whitetail deer.”

The 2nd Annual All Awards Presentations ceremony began with the club’s Biggest Catch Award, where award recipients reminisced about their fishing stories.

Next, another unique award was presented: the Maryland-National Heaviest Whitetail Doe Award, which was created to (1) allow young whitetail bucks to mature; (2) create award opportunities to those that never see a mature whitetail buck; (3) help in managing our ever-growing whitetail deer herd; and (4) recruit and retain crossbow hunters.

Other awards included Hunter of the Year; Estate Hunter of the Year, for harvesting the most different species of big game animals; and the USCC Golden Arrow Award and Estate Golden Arrow Award, for harvesting the most big game animals of the same species.

After members received their awards, Lucy gathered everyone for a tasty barbecue lunch. Members dined and swapped stories of their outdoor adventures. As the afternoon progressed, members said their goodbyes, and are now looking forward to next year’s gathering.

For more information on the USCC, contact Dennis Britton at 301-271-7001 or at uscrossbowclub@hughes.net.

You do not have to be a Maryland resident or even a U.S. citizen to enjoy the benefits of being a U.S. Crossbow Club member.

Emma Jean’s General Store Opens

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Lindsay Brandt

emma jean store nowA new general store has opened in Creagerstown. However, Emma Jean’s General Store isn’t your everyday store. Yes, it has the usual milk, bread, and eggs, but you may be surprised to learn that it is also an antique store.

Emma Jean Goldberg and her son, Chuck Johnson, had the same kind of store open in West Virginia, but when they had an opportunity to purchase the old building in Creagerstown, they felt it would be a perfect spot to open up a new store. “It’s an authentic 1800s store; it’s the nostalgia of old things, and we are trying to make it as authentic as possible,” describes Emma Jean.

The property was on the market several times; it went to auction, had no bidders, and then eventually went into foreclosure. That’s when a friend of Emma Jean and Chuck informed them about the 118-year-old building. So the pair packed up their West Virginia store and headed to Creagerstown.

While strolling through the store, the sense of history and the feeling of nostalgia are noticeable. The store’s shelving, the 24-foot store counter, and the grand staircase leading up to the antiques are all original to the turn-of-the-century building. The additional pieces of furniture that are now housed in the store come from many types of stores and include seed counters, nail bins, cheese cases, shirt display cases, and bread cases. There is also a selection of furniture from old hardware, mercantile, and general stores. They are hoping that the store will become a tourist attraction.

“I’ve always liked general stores. We take old store fixtures and use them in the house. They just have a look that we prefer. It’s solid furniture. We have a bunch of old ice boxes in the store. We just like the look,” Chuck said.

Some of the many antique items that are for sale include advertising antiques, industrial pieces, an old teller station, antique ice boxes, display cases, a revolving nail bin, displays, vintage mannequins, a workbench, old toys, signs, and milk bottles. Whether you are an avid collector or just like to look at old unique pieces, this store will appeal to anyone who appreciates antiques.

Emma Jean’s General Store is already helping to keep local antique historical items in the community. Emma Jean and Chuck purchased several items from the Cozy Restaurant auction that are now being used to enhance the history of the store. Some items acquired are a lamppost, an enormous Christmas wreath, and holiday angels.

“It’s different, almost like a tourist thing,” Chuck said. “We’ve been pleasantly surprised by people showing up. It was packed for Colorfest. We weren’t ready, but we had to let people know that we were here.”

Along with managing the store, both mother and son are working to get involved with local charities in the area. They hope to get the community into the holiday spirit by hosting Santa! Santa will be visiting the store December 13, 2014, starting at 4:30 p.m. The donations received will go to local charities.

In addition to hosting some community activities, they want to service the community. “In winter time, if people can’t get out, we’ll have things to keep people going,” stated Chuck. “If somebody calls at closed hours, and they say they need some milk or something, of course, come on up and we’ll meet you at the door! If we are here, we won’t turn you away. If we can accommodate the people, this is fun for us.”

Emma Jean’s General Store is located at 8636 Blacks Mill Road in Creagerstown (technically) Thurmont. Call 240-288-8778 for more information.

Store hours are Wednesday through Sunday, from 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.