Spring Travel to West Virginia

From March 20-24, Kevin Stark and Katie Engelmann traveled to West Virginia for a wetland field verification trip with staff from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. Wetland mapping in all but eight counties within the state has not been updated in 40-55 years. These updates are needed to assist state agencies and the public in understanding, monitoring, and regulating the state’s aquatic resources. GSS staff and student interns started digitally mapping wetlands in 2022 and will wrap up the project later this year. The trip focused in the southwest area of West Virginia, on the edges of the Appalachian Mountains with its many valleys and winding rivers. It included a stop at one of the country’s newest National Parks at New River Gorge, which was “upgraded” from its National River designation in December 2020. During the week, Kevin and Katie also met with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wetland Inventory (NWI) coordinator for the Northeast region.