During the 1890s, America faced an environmental crisis similar in many ways to our situation today. Our country had nearly ended its westward expansion. Read the Full Story >>
conservation
American Conservation Film Festival 2023
The 2023 American Conservation Film Festival (ACFF) will light up the screen at the intimate and historic Shepherdstown Opera House for three days, (March 10, 11 & 12 — Fri, Sat & Sun) and will spotlight short films that are 40 minutes or less. From among the 300 films submitted from 44 countries, the ACFF Read the Full Story >>
2021 American Conservation Film Festival
The American Conservation Film Festival (ACFF), now in its eighteenth year, is presenting 48 contemporary films in an online festival format for 2021. Aside from the obvious shift away from in-person venues at the National Conservation Training Center (NCTC) and Shepherd University, the biggest change to this year’s format is the flexibility of watching any (or all) of the films at any time during the festival dates (March 24-28). Read the Full Story >>
Bringing Back Bobwhite Quail
On our wall hangs an ammunition poster printed in the 1940s featuring a crouched rabbit and ten Bobwhite quail. Painted by sporting artist Lynn Bogue Hunt, it celebrates bygone days when hunting was a favorite fall pastime. Read the Full Story >>
Welcome Back, Bob White!
The whistled call, “Bob-White,” is seldom heard here anymore. But that may be about to change. Interested farmers and landowners in Virginia and West Virginia now have an opportunity to bring the cheerful little quail back to their original habitat. Read the Full Story >>
Ash Trees Continue to Receive Life-Saving Treatment
The last standing grove of mature green ash trees in the Eastern Panhandle is the subject of an ongoing preservation project organized by the Shepherdstown Community Club (SCC). Read the Full Story >>
The Right Place to Roost
Chimney swifts have something special that other songbirds don’t: they roost in large numbers—a thousand or more at a time if they can find the right place. And Shepherdstown has the right place; or at least it has for a long time. In fact, Shepherdstown currently hosts the largest chimney swift roost in West Virginia. Read the Full Story >>
W-elk-ome Home
Don’t be fooled by your friends and family in the southern part of West Virginia this holiday season if they post pictures or videos of wildlife with captions like “I believe,” or #Blitzen. We are a little south of caribou territory, but it turns out that due to some recent environmental changes, and the persistent efforts of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR), we will soon be inviting some old friends back to the state. Read the Full Story >>