Eagle Scout Candidate Doing His Part Improving Access
to the Wallace Hartman Nature Preserve

CHARLESTON, WV — Boy Scout Troop 31 Buckskin Council will be constructing an entrance, building a split rail fence and clearing and rebuilding trail paths this Saturday, November 19, 2011 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm at the Wallace Hartman Nature Preserve in Charleston. The 50+ acre preserve is a public recreation space that is owned by Kanawha County Parks and Recreation (KCPRC) but is protected from future development under a conservation easement that is held by the West Virginia Land Trust (WVLT). The preserve was donated by Dolly Wallace Hartman and her family for the enjoyment of the residents of Kanawha County. It is accessible from Adrian Drive off of South Ruffner Road in South Hills and will be accessible from Hampton Road, once the entrance is complete.

This will be the second Eagle Scout Project completed by Boy Scout Troop 31 Buckskin Council at the Wallace Hartman Nature Preserve and additional projects are planned for early 2012. Due to the enormous impact this one troop has had on the preserve, the West Virginia Land Trust will be awarding them with the Future Conservationist Award during the 2012 Special Places Dinner, that will be held on February 2, 2012 at the Women’s Club in Charleston. The Future Conservationist Award is given in recognition of outstanding work by young people who are promoting the preservation of West Virginia’s special places for future generations. Boy Scout Troop 31 Buckskin Council will be the first group to receive this award.

This improvement project at the Wallace Hartman Nature Preserve is part of a recently awarded Sustainable Kanawha Valley Initiative Grant. The purpose of the project is to support the efforts of Charleston City Council to change national public perception of Charleston as an unhealthy city by assisting the goal of creating 100 miles of marked biking, jogging and hiking trails. In addition, the project has also received a Recreational Trails Grant from the WV Department of Transportation. The West Virginia Land Trust, in conjunction with partners for the Kanawha County Parks and Recreation Commission, Charleston Land Trust, Boy Scout Troop 31, Buckskin Council, Wilbur Smith Associates and Marshall University- IST will work together over the next several months to improve the existing trail system at the Wallace Hartman Nature Preserve by creating a new trail head, improving existing trail head, developing inviting entrances into the property and adding signage and other amenities.

The WVLT is a private, member-supported, non-profit organization and West Virginia’s only statewide land trust. Since its incorporation in 1995, the organization has helped protect over 17,000 acres statewide through voluntary conservation easements. Conservation easements are voluntary contracts between a landowner and a land trust, such as the WVLT, government agency or another qualified organization. These contracts allow the landowner to place permanent restrictions on the future uses of some or all of their property for the purpose of protecting scenic, wildlife, botanical, recreational, agricultural or historical resources.

The WVLT’s mission is to help preserve the special places that give West Virginia its distinctive character. If you would like to volunteer, become a member or need more information on the West Virginia Land Trust please visit: www.wvlandtrust.org, call 866.982.5863 or email wvlandtrust@te-associates.com.