Editor’s Notes: Visit the West Virginia Wildlife Center
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The approaching Earth Day is a great time to start thinking about ways to get outdoors and enjoy all the wonderful escapes our region has to offer.
In doing so, it's difficult NOT to want to do a better job taking care of our planet. And yes, that is our responsibility. For goodness sake, Ohio leads the country for tornadoes in 2024 with 38. Kentucky is fourth. Something is changing, folks.
But enough of that. Let's talk about one of the really cool places to explore in the Mountain State: the West Virginia Wildlife Center at French Creek. I tried to visit a few weeks ago and was surprised to see it was closed in the middle of the day on a Saturday. Now I know why.
This week, the state announced the center had reopened after having been shut down because a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which required a perimeter fence, had not been renewed, according to a report by WV MetroNews.
"We had to institute some additional measures to meet their requirements, but once we got the additional electrical fencing around some of the more predatory animals and some surveillance cameras installed, they came out and inspected us and we were able to open up this week," Zack Brown, assistant chief of operations for the DNR's Wildlife Section told MetroNews.
That'll send a chill down your spine, won't it? Improper fencing around the predatory animals -- mountain lions, wolves and bears?
But it's all fixed up now. And the DNR has agreed to more patrols in the area after hours to keep an eye on the exhibits as well.
Brown told MetroNews he didn't know of any single incident that prompted the failed renewal. But that "It was a systematic response from the agency in which they were going to review any variance which was issued prior to 2016. They were looking at a new policy and our variance always said, 'this could be withdrawn at any time.'"
Well, there's that, and there's the matter of a couple of gray wolves that got out back in 2020, though Brown told MetroNews that was not "directly responsible for the removal of the variance."
Whatever was going on, it is good to know the facility will be open again the next time I get out on a road trip. It's such a neat spot -- and near a couple of the more awe-inspiring state parks. It's not far from Audra or Holly River ... but pack the Dramamine. (I've had two different youngsters with me in cars headed that way who sent up the alarm that we'd better pull over.)
While you're at the wildlife center, look around for wildlife that is not in the enclosures. If you look out over the Frog Pond, watch for turtles and snakes. While you walk past the larger animals' enclosures, keep an eye out for the brave chipmunks and squirrels who don't seem to realize what is sharing their space. (They're small enough to get in and out through the fences).
Take a walk down the Old Oak and Fireline trails. Maybe even catch a glimpse of French Creek Freddie, our resident weather-predicting groundhog.
If you're looking for something to do now, or over the summer, with the kiddos, I'm telling you, you can't go wrong here. You can't beat the price, either. For anyone 16 and older, it's a whopping $4 to get in. Kids ages 6-15 are $2. Anyone under 5 gets in free. An annual pass for an individual is only $10.
Learn about animals that are -- or once were -- roaming West Virginia ... and, again, take a minute to think about why some of them are no longer here. Eat a picnic lunch, wander around in our wild and wonderful woods. And as you walk back to your car: First, leave no trace; but second, maybe be determined to do a little better for the wildlife AND for us
Christina Myer is executive editor of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. She can be reached via e-mail at cmyer@newsandsentinel.com