Botanical Restoration along the North Fork of the Blackwater River

Person wearing a white t-shirt and ripped jeans using a rake to clear weeds or brush in a grassy outdoor area, with two other people working in the background.

The first aspect of this project is to remove invasive species from along the 3.8 mile section of the Blackwater Rail Trail from Thomas, WV to Douglas Falls. The main problem species include: autumn olive, stilt weed, multiflora rose, garlic mustard, Tartarian honeysuckle, and Japanese barberry. These plants choke out and overgrow important native species like milkweed, an essential host for monarch butterflies.

Removing invasive species.

A person kneeling on the ground in a forest, planting or inspecting a young tree protected by a wire mesh tree guard.

The second aspect of this project is planting native species where invasives were removed. We plant a variety of native species such as common ninebark, sycamore, yellow birch, red maple, cinnamon fern, white oak, and more!

Planting Native

Species

We recently received a shipment of native plants. Luckily, the National Youth Science Center in Davis, WV gives us permission to store our plants at their greenhouse. This is especially helpful during the cold months when planting is not optimal.

Indoor greenhouse with potted plants on a raised bed, a glass roof, and exposed pipes and ventilation systems.
A woman standing outside next to a white van with open sliding door, filled with green leafy potted plants, under a partly cloudy sky.

Read our five-year plan.

Click on the document to view.

Cover page of a report titled 'Five-year Plan for Treating Invasive Plants along the Blackwater Rail Trail,' dated November 24, 2021, featuring a photograph of a wooden bridge with green trees on both sides.
A close-up of a butterfly with orange and black patterned wings, sitting on a light-colored rock surface.
Illustration of five children and a bicycle walking along a nature trail beside a river with trees and rocks.

Our Botanist, Samantha Miller, just completed a coloring book about our work on the Blackwater Rail Trail! Illustrations were done by Artist, Carol Jackson.

New Coloring Book!