>>ANNOUNCER:
Promoting a Healthy Environment It's the air we breathe
Clean, safe water Responsible management of our natural resources
We protect and restore For a sustainable future
Environment Matters
>>Diana HAid: They care about where they live.
They care about the environment.
They care about West Virginia and it show in the projects that they do.
>>NARRATION: Celebrating and half century of good work
as the DEPís Youth Environmental Program turns 50.
Plus: >>Sequoya Bua-Iam:
I know itís a clichÈ that every little bit helps but itís honestly true because if we
didnít come out and do it, this and all this trash ñ even if it is less
year after year ñ it would still remain here.
>>NARRATION: Making a differenceÖ and making it shine.
Volunteers from all around the state are pitching in for the annual Make It Shine spring cleanup.
>>KATHY COSCO: Hello everyone and welcome to Environment
Matters.
Iím Kathy Cosco with the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection.
Getting one step closer to their goal.
The Buffalo Creek Watershed Association had a public recognition ceremony recently to
recognize the various groups involved in a project to restore the stream.
As the DEPís Mike Huff reports, itís been a long road back for the folks along Buffalo
Creek.
>>NARRATION: Spring break on Buffalo Creek in Logan County
and the Buffalo Creek watershed association is holding its annual youth fishing day.
Hundreds of kids and their families spent the day fishing for stocked trout along its
banks.
Itís a scene few could imagine - looking back more than 40 years ago at this same spot.
Saturday morning, February 26, 1972 ñ following
days of rain, a coal slurry impoundment dam located above the town of Saunders collapsed,
sending a wave of black water ñ roughly 130 million gallons ñ down the narrow hollow
and wiping out everything in its path.
The disaster claimed 125 lives, injured more than one thousand and caused more than 50
million dollars in property damage.
Four thousand people were left homeless and life in the valley would never be the sameÖ
>>Perry Harvey: I lived on Buffalo Creek during the flood
in 1972 and it does your heart real good when you look out and see the kids out fishing
ñ a lot of them we give fishing rods and stuff
to.
It gives them an opportunity to go out and do stuff that we did as kids.
>>NARRATION: Following the Buffalo Creek Disaster, the
Army Corps of Engineers reconstructed the stream with a design to minimize the chances
of a flood event in the future and while that design has achieved
the goal of allowing folks here to feel safer and sleep at night,
the now straighter and flatter stream no longer offered the deep pools and other characteristics
conducive to habitats where fish can live and spawn.
>>Christopher White: The ultimate goal is to increase the fisheries
habitat in Buffalo Creek by creating riffle run pool glide complexes and these riffle
runs pools and glides are classified as special aquatic sites by the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers ñ valued by all fishermen and especially the West Virginia DNR which
is one of the goals of the project is to receive more trout stocking.
>>NARRATION: And while water quality is adequate, the DNR
has limited its trout stocking of Buffalo Creek because of the lack of habitat.
So far, Appalachian Stream Restoration has installed boulders, rock structures and tree
structures in about eight miles of the stream to create those fish habitats.
Phase one of the project cost $300,000 and was paid for through a settlement between
the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection
and a mining company following a 2010 discharge from an abandoned underground mine.
The discharge heavily impacted the stream ñ
causing severe discoloration from Proctor Hollow all the way down to Buffalo Creekís
confluence with the Guyandotte River in Man but the money from the settlement
allowed the Association to put its plan for the complete restoration of Buffalo Creek
ñ and with work completed on the first section, DEP Cabinet Secretary Randy Huffman committed
to an additional $311,000 to continue the project for the remainder of the 13 miles.
>>Randy Huffman: If you want to make a difference in the community,
itís the community thatís going to make the difference.
The rest of us are just here to help and look at the team of people that these guys brought
together ñ none of us ñ the bureaucracy thatís in our organizations
would have never allowed us to pull this off on our own.
We couldnít have done it.
But you had local leadership and they were able to bring the resources together, bring
all the parties together and make a tremendous difference.
>>NARRATION: Organizers with the group say their ultimate
goal is getting all 13 miles of the stream placed on the Division of Natural Resources
seasonal trout stocking list.
Something that, besides local recreational opportunities brings a potential economic
benefitÖ >>Chris WHite:
During the springtime when the January, February, March, when the Hatfield-McCoy Trail is down
itís a potential for increase in tourism for people to come down and fish
in a well restored stream channel.
In Colorado and Montana and thereís actually people that spend millions and millions of
dollars for a private ranch and they bring people in and theyíll spend
ten thousand dollars a week to go trout fishing and those same construction techniques are
right here on Buffalo Creek.
>>NARRATION: But for now, enjoying a free hotdog and a
new fishing pole and a day on the water seemed to be just fine with the folks from Buffalo
CreekÖ >>Haidon Thompson:
This is actually my first time fishing down here.
Q: Think youíll have some luck later?
A: I might!
>>Randy Huffman: Itís all about local leadership and you guys
have just done an outstanding job.
If every community in our state had this kind of leadership
it would really be a whole different world that we live in.
>>NARRATION: A project that local leaders hope can become
a model for the rest of the state.
In Logan County, Iím Mike Huff for Environment Matters.
>>KATHY COSCO: In addition to the money from DEP, Cliffs
Natural Resources made a contribution of $20,000 and the Mountain State Mitigation Bank contributed
another $4,600 to the Buffalo Creek Watershed to support
the project.
This project, in conjunction with other mitigation structures that are part of the new four-lane
construction in the area, will result in the restoration of mining's
most heavily impacted stream.
Itís a part of DEP that older than the DEP itself ñ weíre talking about the Youth Environmental
Program which celebrates its 50th Anniversary this spring.
The DEPís Greg Adolfson joins us now and Greg, itís a program that continues to grow
and evolveÖ >>GREG ADOLFSON:
Thatís right, Kathy.
There were a lot of things introduced in 1963 that are still going strong today:
Zip codes, James Bond movies, X-Men comics and the Pro Football Hall of Fame ñ to name
just a fewÖ Also making its debut in 1963 ñ West Virginiaís
Youth Environmental Program and inspiring young people to take an interest in the environment
we all share has been its mission from the very beginning.
>>NARRATION: They are pictures from a different time.
Amid a growing environmental awareness, the program ñ then known as the Youth Conservation
Program -- was organized by the late Maxine Scarbro of
the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources.
Then, as now, the program worked with organized groups
like 4H, scout troops and church and civic groups to create an interest and enthusiasm
for conservation, involve West Virginia youths and their families
and encourage community projects to benefit the environment.
That was then.
This is nowÖ >>Hanna Hill:
I just like being in nature and being able to make new friends.
Itís just a good experience.
>>Diana Haid It creates an awareness for the environment
with young people.
It fosters an incentive for them to do things to improve their surroundings
to make a difference in their communities.
These kids are ñ they care about where they live.
They care about the environment.
They care about West Virginia and it shows in the projects that they do.
>>NARRATION: Groups do projects throughout the year and
then submit reports ñ the projects are judged and groups receive cash awards ñ nearly 15-thousand
dollars this year ñ for their workÖ
>>Diana Haid: The awards that they win puts money back into
the club that they can do other special things for.
A lot of these groups will use the money that they win and help provide scholarships the
kids that are members of the club to go to one of the state campsÖ
>>NARRATION:
There are two different summer camps ñ Junior Conservation Camp for ages 11 to 14 and the
West Virginia State Conservation Camp for students 14 to 18.
Add in Youth Environment Day and the Annual Youth Environmental Conference and you have
a lot of opportunities to promote the message of environmental stewardshipÖ
>>CALLIE SAMS: We have such wonderful and abundant natural
resources here in West Virginia and I think the kids just really enjoy being able to get
out and experience that as well as learning about how to take care of those resources
so that theyíll be available to be here for the next generation to enjoy and all of our
programs ñ the kids get to spend a lot of time outdoors.
They meet other kids around the state and I think thatís a big plus.
>>Jessy Labella: Itís just a lot of fun and I have friends
here that live in other parts of the stateÖ >>NARRATION:
The program also provides a host of education opportunitiesÖ
>>BRAD BLAINE: Coolest part of the program?
I think the Youth Environmental Program is exposure the people to the environmental sciences.
We give them the ability to really go as far as they want with it.
>>Nick Pahoundis: The thing that surprised me most ñ I grew
up in the country, so I was always involved in the outdoors and a lot of the kids I work
with are from the city so they havenít got to experience just the
little things of even taking a walk out through the woods and hearing the birds chirp or anything
like that...
>>NARRATION: There are roughly 850 clubs around the state
that are involved with the Youth Environmental Program.
There is no cost or obligation for groups to take part in the program.
Members receive project ideas ñ thereís even a college scholarship program.
>>Nick: Itís fun.
You get to make a difference in the community and for the next generation of children growing
up itís a great thing to be involved in.
>>GREG ADOLFSON: Saturday, May 18th is the 50th Anniversary
of Youth Environmental Day.
Groups from around the state will gather at North Bend State Park to be recognized for
their efforts to promote a healthy environment.
Kathy, program organizers say there are a whole range of activities and projects that
these youth groups can take part in ñ they say itís only limited by the groupsí
imagination.
>>KATHY: Thanks, Greg.
To find out more about how your group can participate, you can check out the Youth Environmental
Programís page on our website dep.wv.gov.
Applications are also available on our website for Junior Conservation Camp.
The camp, located at Cedar Lakes in Ripley, runs from June 17th through the 21st and offers
a wide variety of classes in things like forestry, archery, wildlife studies, recycling and more.
Coming up: >>Elizabeth Chaffin:
Weíre encouraged overall that itís better because that means weíre making ñ that our
actions are making a difference.
>>NARRATION: Theyíre making it shine.
Groups from all around the state are doing their part for the Make It Shine Annual Spring
CleanupÖ Plus: >>Sarah Alford:
Iím Sarah Alford in Charleston.
April is Earth Month ñ weíll have some simple tips for you to do around the house that will
help you save time, money ñ and the planet.
Those stories and more when Environment Matters continuesÖ