[Green] Fwd: A little wetland in Williamstown, WV

Sat Oct 24 10:05:58 CDT 2020

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Dawn Hewitt <bwd at birdwatchersdigest.com>
> Date: October 24, 2020 at 11:05:16 AM EDT
> To: Dawn Hewitt <hewitt at earth-maker.com>
> Subject: Fwd:  A little wetland in Williamstown, WV
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Get Outlook for iOS
> From: Dawn Hewitt
> Sent: Friday, October 23, 2020 5:42:14 PM
> To: green at fuusm.org <green at fuusm.org>
> Subject: FW: A little wetland in Williamstown, WV
>  
> Please don’t reply to me at this address. I’d really like to keep my work and personal life separate (except for birding!!). Still, I thought you might like to know that Julie Zickefoose is involved, and so is the West Virginia Land Conservancy, whose director recommends a letter-writing campaign to WV’s senators. And maybe to the Army Corps of Engineers (with which we have experience!), and to the WV DNR.
>  
> See below!
>  
> 
> Dawn Hewitt
> Editor
> Bird Watcher's Digest and Watching Backyard Birds
> P: (800) 879-2473 ext. 316
> E: editor at birdwatchersdigest.com
> W: birdwatchersdigest.com 
> A: P.O. Box 110, Marietta, OH 45750
>  
>  
> From: Brent Bailey <Brent at wvlandtrust.org> 
> Sent: Friday, October 23, 2020 4:50 PM
> To: Julie Zickefoose <juliezickefoose at gmail.com>
> Cc: Marcy Wesel <wesel62 at sbcglobal.net>; Stephan McCarthy <steve.mccarthy at realliving.com>; Janet Wilson <janet.shila.wilson at att.net>; nellie howard <nhoward8 at frontier.com>; Barbara Stewart <barbhoney at gmail.com>; Dave McShaffrey <mcshaffd at marietta.edu>; Dawn Hewitt <bwd at birdwatchersdigest.com>
> Subject: RE: A little wetland in Williamstown, WV
>  
> Hi Julie,
>  
> Thanks for your note.
>  
> I do know the wetland and its paths. It’s a really nice local resource, and an urban wetland is pretty unique; so are its ecological links to the river and the floodplain. Recreational amenities in the state’s wetlands are rare, so the interest of USFWS is a big plus.
>  
> We received an email heads-up about this last week, and I’ll get together early next week with our Lands Program Manager, Ashton Berdine, to talk about how the Land Trust might provide some support.
>  
> A wetland would be under the jurisdiction of the US Army Corps of Engineers and subject to federal Clean Water Act restrictions, though they are not inviolate. While an exemption of regulations might be achieved via Senator Manchin’s office, some of that threat could be inflated. And certainly if Senator Manchin was made aware that there is strong public sentiment on the part of residents against this destruction – given the high ecological value of wetlands, and the value/proximity to the Refuge – he might pause to offer support for something that’s controversial. I would encourage some letter-writing to both US Senators on the part of local residents; certainly buy-in from the town of Williamstown or the Wood County Commission would also carry weight.
>  
> Before the Land Trust would take any action, it would be helpful for us to have an understanding of a little bit of history, a sense of public support, actions taken to date, etc. We would happily organize a Zoom call for “stakeholders” if folks wanted to weigh in.
>  
> I’ll be back in touch next week.
>  
> Best to you – and glad to know that Liam is doing well. What a strange time to be a college student…
>  
> Brent
>  
>  
>  
>  
> From: Julie Zickefoose <juliezickefoose at gmail.com> 
> Sent: Friday, October 23, 2020 2:35 PM
> To: Brent Bailey <Brent at wvlandtrust.org>
> Cc: Marcy Wesel <wesel62 at sbcglobal.net>; Stephan McCarthy <steve.mccarthy at realliving.com>; Janet Wilson <janet.shila.wilson at att.net>; nellie howard <nhoward8 at frontier.com>; Barbara Stewart <barbhoney at gmail.com>; Dave McShaffrey <mcshaffd at marietta.edu>; Dawn Hewitt <dawn at birdwatchersdigest.com>
> Subject: A little wetland in Williamstown, WV
>  
> Brent Bailey, Executive Director
> West Virginia Land Trust
> PO Box 304
> Morgantown, WV 26507
>  
> Dear Brent,
>  
>  At this point I'm likely better known as Liam Thompson’s mom. Happy to say he’s hanging in there at The Lofts, calling home daily and looking forward to coming home for Thanksgiving. I’m looking forward to that too. It's been a bit hairy watching my kids leave the safety of their home for the spring and summer and venture back off into the real world, but so far so good.
>  
>   I'm writing to you in my capacity as a birdwatcher and someone who cares for the environment. There's a wetland of maybe two acres in Williamstown WV, not far from the Ohio River, that's full of life--red-eared slider turtles, wood ducks, green herons, dragonflies, yellowthroats...it lies behind a restaurant called Da Vinci's. You probably have eaten there, being from Parkersburg. Over the years there have been various states of neglect and attention to this wetland, which is treasured by area birders. One civic group put in asphalt paths and benches, which have unfortunately since gone untended, and now the wetlands' owner, one  Chris Bender, who also owns the restaurant, has put up No Trespassing signs is making it known that she intends to fill the wetlands and build on it. The unsubtantiated rumor is that she wants to build a casino. The community is reeling and people are calling me to ask what can be done. There is concrete support from awesome USFWS employee Michael Schramm, who is willing to take over maintenance of the trails and benches by folding them into his jurisdiction, since there has been some talk of avoiding liability on her part.
>  
> Michael Schramm
> Visitor Services Manager
> Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge
> 3982 Waverly Rd
> Williamstown, WV 26187
> Phone: (304) 375-2923 x117
> Cell: (304) 588-7494
>  
> My question to you is: Who can we turn to for help? The people in my circle don't know much about legal ramifications of filling wetlands. We'd like to think they're Federally protected, but what does that mean any more, under Trump? Could she get a waiver from Manchin, as she's said she intends, to fill and obliterate this habitat? Is there an organization (yours?) that might want to help save this rare little jewel? What we're lacking in this fight is legal expertise in what can and can't be done; we need someone who knows the parameters and has the language to frame opposition or offer alternatives. Several fragments of this same wetland have been filled willy-nilly over the years all around the site, but we're not talking about a swale or a ditch, but rather a big expanse of open water here! 
>  
>  A good little tour from 2011, when the bench and trail installations were new, is here, written by my friend Nelle Dodson Howard: http://beyondmygarden.blogspot.com/2011/07/williamstown-wetlands.html  I've copied Nelle here.
>  
> Thank you for hearing me out, Brent, and I hope that together we can find a path to blocking construction here, and ideally to final formal protection for this wetland. 
>  
> Sincerely,
>  
>  
> Julie Zickefoose
>  
>  
>  
>  
> --
> Julie Zickefoose
> Artist/author
>  
> 
> Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard-luck Jay                  2019
> Baby Birds: An Artist Looks Into the Nest                                   2016
> The Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds With Common Birds   2012
> Letters from Eden: A Year at Home, In the Woods                      2006
>  
> blog      Julie Zickefoose on Blogspot
> site        juliezickefoose.com
> insta:    @juliezickefoose
> twitter:  @harpyeye
>  
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