Those Markers We See So Often

They Sometimes Blend Into The Background

What are they all about, where are they located throughout our County, and what the heck do they say?
Shucks, you never have time to read them when you're driving by.

We reckon the best way to describe the the markers would be to borrow the wording from the
West Virginia Division of Culture and History's website:

Presenting
A Safe Harbor for Natural Beauty:


A visit in April of 2013 revealed a splendid destination for communing with nature, dabbing in the arts and learning about sustainability amidst our fast growing Baltimore/Washington Metro Area suburb.Craftworks is a multifaceted endeavor founded on a deep love of nature and the environment. Its WEBSITE relates the organization's mission eloquently:

Blue Ridge Primary School Partners
w/ Communitree April 2013

with a little help from your Blue Ridge Watershed Coalition

On April 15th trees were planted at the new primary school that was constructed last year. The project was part of the
West Virginia Project Communitree
whose mission is:

YAY!
The Spring festival held on Saturday, March 23, 2013 was a resounding success. We've put together an article

(remember that most of the images below are linked to larger versions for your viewing pleasure)


The center wants to thank Santa for reprising his role again this years. He brought

Mountain Community Center's Rain Garden 2012
A project by the
Blue Ridge Watershed Coalition(BRWC)

This project was made possible with a grant from the
West Virginia Stream Partners Program

The demonstration project was part of a larger effort designed to capture the first inch of rainfall and slow and filter as much of the water as possible from the land around the Mountain Community Center (MCC) by:

• Capturing rain from the rear roof and storing it in a cistern for irrigation and as an additional source of water for fire suppression
  
• Capturing water from the front roof in a series of rain barrels for irrigation of a garden and,
  
• Designing and constructing a drainage system to divert water from the driveway area and the hillside area into a rain garden. Water will also be "feathered" to spread it out and into an existing forested area.

The Mountain Lake Club's October 2012 Schedule

Click on the shield for more about

The Mountain Lake Club

Nat'l Headquarters ATC
Welcome to our presentation of Jefferson County's portion

Rufi, The Ruby Throated Hummingbird


One of our website's members, "9933", came upon a Hummer Tuesday morning, April 24, 2012. This elegant bird had apparently recently flown into a window.

The little fellow was barely alive.

Lake Shannondale's Construction 1964-1966
The photos below are part of a book dedicated to Charles M. Johnson, Shannondale's developer, by Granville (Pete) Cave. Pete devoted an extraordinary amount of time and energy to make a record that is both fascinating and historical. And he did it with a Kodak Instamatic camera and a pair of scissors. In this day of digital pix and photo shop his job would have been SO much easier.



When finished in 1966, it was the largest, privately owned lake in West Virginia. It was financed by Shannondale Inc., the developer of Shannondale, with proceeds earned from land sales. Enjoy the show.
(Note that much larger versions of the images can be seen by clicking on the pictures below-we don't want you all to strain your eyes)

New Rt 9 @ Keyes Gap + Construction Photos

Click on the image above to see a larger version

Courtesy of Commissioner Lyn Widmyer

Willis & Cpl Sell 10/7/2011 Ready to Hit the Road
click the pic

The Report



I arrived at the sheriff's office in Bardane a little before 3PM or 10 hour shift (3pm-1am) and was assigned to ride with Sergeant Sell, probably so they could keep me out of trouble.

We left the lot a little before 4PM after the Sgt. had checked logs and given me a short course on what to expect as a "ride-along" and I had staged the photo op above.

The Sergeant introduced me to the “cockpit" of the cruiser, packed with electronic equipment and pointed out how to “light up” the cruiser and activate the various

The Black Dog Coffee Company was born out of a decade's long journey in search of the ultimate cup of coffee. Our efforts led to an astonishing discovery.

So,
I finally was able to coordinate with my friend and arrange a visit to the summit of Lover's Leap. The view was simply breathtaking. The first two images show the panorama of

CLICK THE PIC & SCROLL FOR A CLOSER VIEW

The Blue Ridge Mountain's Watersheds in Jefferson County WV

Showing the sub-watersheds of the western slope of the Blue Ridge mountain

Focus on Stink Bugs 2011
All you want to know about stinkbugs in one odoriferous topic


Many of you have asked for documents presented at the stink bug lecture by Dr. Tracy Leskey on Wednesday, February 9th. She has generously agreed

Originally A Forum Thread Started 12/21/2009


Millers1 had it right in another thread. Some veterans of mountain life got lazy, lulled into complacency by 6 years of easy going Winters.

Received from Jennifer Garlesky, Conservation Specialist with the Eastern Panhandle Conservation District: