As a difficult and challenging year winds down and the pandemic shows new surges, I find much comfort observing nature. The transition from late fall into winter to me represents more of a beginning than an end. Read the Full Story >>
Economy & Environment
Counting on the Well Water
After the WV Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) issued a notice on November 5, 2020 that it was authorizing the Rockwool stone wool insulation manufacturing facility in Ranson to operate under a general water pollution control permit, the Jefferson County Foundation noted that the source water protection area map submitted as part of the facility’s application process marked only 4 drinking water wells within the one mile buffer zone. Read the Full Story >>
A Colorful Winter Ahead?
Last month I heard a different bird call coming from one of our tall arborvitae trees in the front yard. When I heard it again a few days later I recognized it—pine siskins! I was excited to see a flock of about a hundred land in the same tree. Read the Full Story >>
Sustaining Plastic Recycling
Clint Hogbin has been focusing on trash and recycling for three decades. Now he's looking back at how the Berkeley County Solid Waste Authority has evolved over that time and what the future holds - especially for plastic recycling. Read the Full Story >>
Sparking A Converstation: Local Farmers Discuss Large-Scale Solar Development
Pastoral landscapes may be easy on the eyes, but farming them is a hard life. Todd Hough of Oakwood Farm has been working the land since he was a child. He and his brother are the fourth generation to run the family farm in the Kabletown District of Jefferson County. Read the Full Story >>
The Water Connecting Us
One hundred years ago, underneath the Old Opera House in Charles Town, locals and tourists danced the night away beside a crystal-clear lake inside a cavern filled with orchestral tones. Today, the Lakeland Caverns cave is quiet, all entries sealed off from the public. Read the Full Story >>
Rediscovering Hummingbirds
Can you find something positive to remember about this summer, despite the lockdown and the quarantine? I shall remember this as the summer we rediscovered hummingbirds. Read the Full Story >>
How Solar Plugs Into the Grid
There are two 138,000 volt transmission lines running through the southern portion of Jefferson County, both of which are suitable for connecting large-scale solar projects. Read the Full Story >>
Butterfly Weed — Outstanding In Our Field
We were talking and my wife suddenly stood with her mouth open, staring out into our distant hayfield. “That looks like orange butterfly weed!” she exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise. Read the Full Story >>
Perspectives from a Local Solar Professional
For the first article in this series, we invited Danny Chiotos to research and address some questions about the nature of the specific solar generation project that initiated the request for proposed zoning amendment ZTA 19-03. Read the Full Story >>
Solar in Jefferson County
With this post, The Observer introduces SIGHTLINE stories, in-depth explorations intended to engage and inform the community on key topics. Our first SIGHTLINE story explores the implications of large-scale solar development in Jefferson County. Read the Full Story >>
Protected Farmland Expanding in Jefferson County
Six years ago, the Farmland Protection Board set a long-term goal of obtaining conservation easements on 20,000 acres -- representing roughly one-third of the total farmland in Jefferson County. Read the Full Story >>
Country Roads Not Friendly to Rockwool
The Rockwool factory in Ranson has been encountering some rocky roads as of late and the fight to keep them from their final destination continues. Read the Full Story >>
Wake Up: It’s Later Than You Think.
March sneaks up on me. I still consider it the beginning of nature’s year when the earliest spring birds and flowers appear. But now there’s a somber side to nature’s awakening—an odd, empty feeling, like waking up to discover I forgot to set the alarm clock. Time has passed while I’ve been snoozing. What did I miss and why is it so quiet? Read the Full Story >>
Big Manufacturers Want a Big Property Tax Break
Once again, the West Virginia Manufacturers Association (WVMA) is coming to the Legislature with a proposal to give large manufacturers and mining companies a property tax break. Read the Full Story >>