CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia DNR held a public meeting Tuesday evening in regard to the master plan for the Forks of Coal Natural Area in Kanawha County.

Residents were able to stop by the Claudia L. Workman Wildlife Education Center in Alum Creek and were able to comment on what they wanted to see in the future at the facility.

“Public comments are very important. It helps us gauge public interest and we are also able to help determine what is most important to the public,” said Zack Brown, the assistant chief of operations for the wildlife resources section of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. “I might have a certain idea that doing ‘project x’ is the most important, but if the public comes to us and says ‘No, we really need that parking lot so that we can get access to that new area across the road, then that makes sense and maybe we put that as priority one.”

Todd Schoolcraft, the landscape architect and project manager with EL Robinson Engineering Company, says the area is divided into a couple of sections, and both will be seeing improvements.

“It’s kind of like a two-fold project. We have Forks of Coal North, which is already developed, and we’re expanding on that development and improving it. Then we have an additional plus or minus 200 acres that we’re calling Forks of Coal South that we’re now developing newly and is just coming into the park system.”

Representatives with the DNR had several different ideas they’ve floated around presented to the public on display boards at the meeting Tuesday.

Brown says some of these ideas could soon turn into long-term parts of the facility.

“We brainstormed and got some ideas of how we can help develop facilities out here,” Brown said. “This is a long-term plan that will help us as we proceed forward and as funding becomes available. It helps our foundation know what grants to apply for.”

11 ideas have been presented for Forks of Coal North. They are as follows:

• New trail on the Little Coal River side connecting FOC North with FOC South
• New service vehicle access and pedestrian trail on the Big Coal River side connecting FOC North and FOC South
• A boardwalk in the pollinator field to help users navigate the wet areas
• An outdoor classroom near the pollinator field
• A shelter located on the edge of the parking lot near the Yellow and Blue Trails trailhead
• Detention pond beautification via a new rain garden/bioretention area near the main parking lot
• An ADA accessible pathway to the top of Roof Rock
• A trail connecting Mine Portal Trail with Yellow Trail
• Reconfiguration of existing amphitheater
• Closure of historic pedestrian suspension bridges due to deterioration
• New benches and interpretive signs

10 ideas have been presented for Forks of Coal South. They are as follows:

• School House Fire Trail Trailhead located across from existing main entrance to FOC North
• Tree limb trimming to improve sight distances for users entering and exiting the new trailhead parking lot
• Sorghum Patch Bypass Trail that will provide service vehicle access and pedestrians under the Corridor G bridges to FOC North
• Gore Mountain and Jeep Trail Lookout Towers
• Fence around the Hill property
• Various trail improvements
• New amphitheater/outdoor classroom located in the open field
• The Crooked Branch Trail extension
• Cemetery access
• New benches and interpretive signs

Chapmanville resident Kenneth Wilson says the center is vital for the next generation in and around Kanawha County.

“This is a real educational tool for children,” Wilson said.

“We need to expand it as much as possible and put more things in here for people to see,” he continued.

Public comments for the master plan will be accepted until June 6. You can submit comments at sites.google.com/wv.gov/forks-of-coal-master-plan

The West Virginia University baseball program was swept at home by the Kansas Jayhawks over the weekend and fell out of the two top 25 polls.

West Virginia remains ranked in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers association (17) USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll (23) and Perfect Game (23), while dropping out of D1baseball.com and Baseball America.

The Mountaineers sit 28th in the RPI.

West Virginia lost five of its last six Big 12 Conference games, including four consecutive decisions to end the regular season. However, Mountaineers clinched the program’s second Big 12 regular season championship, the first outright title since joining the league in 2013.

Junior Sam White has a team-high batting average of .352 with 39 RBI, senior Kyle West has clubbed a team-best nine home runs and is hitting .352, which ranks second on the team, and senior Jace Rinehart leads the team in RBI and is third on the team with a .333 batting average.

Senior Jack Kartsonas leads the team with a 2.29 ERA, senior Griffin Kirn has recorded a team-leading 83 strikeouts, while sophomore Chase Meyer is leading the team with eight wins.

West Virginia in the National Rankings

D1Baseball: NR

USA TODAY Sports: 23

NCBWA: 17

Baseball America: NR

Perfect Game: 23

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Retired Commander of the West Virginia National Guard, Major General Bill Crane will be joining in on discussions regarding the need to strengthen America’s starter battery supply chains.

Crane is going to be a panelist at a CQ/ Roll Call briefing in Washington D.C. on Tuesday morning that’s sponsored by the Responsible Battery Coalition (RBC), who promotes supply chain security for the batteries in American vehicles.

During the briefing, Crane and other officials will not only be discussing battery supply chain necessities, but the importance of bolstering critical mineral production and ensuring national security amid rising global instability.

Crane recently came on MetroNews Midday to talk about everything the panel would be holding discussions on Tuesday.

He said this need of securing supply chains was something that first came about during the height of the Covid-19 Pandemic in 2020 when China was implementing measures that significantly had an impact on global supply.

“We realized how our supply chains are really controlled by China, because we couldn’t get masks, gowns, and all of those medical supplies, and we really learned a lot during that time, and so, it’s the same thing you’re seeing today,” Crane said.

China currently dominates 48% of the global supply.

Now, with two-thirds of U.S. access to critical minerals like antimony, that is used for strengthening batteries in vehicles and devices being cut off, as well as tensions with China escalating, Crane said this conversation is more crucial than ever as it deals with protecting American jobs, industrial capacity, and national security.

Crane said 100% of those Rare Earth minerals are processed in China and are sent back to the U.S.

He said while the U.S. has some processing capabilities, it’s not to the degree that the country needs, and this coalition wants to make sure that we have those capabilities so that we have control over our own supply chains.

“It’s absolutely critical for our defense, every vehicle, every plane has a battery in it, all of our weapons systems have some kind of a rare Earth element piece to it, so again, it’s really critical for us to control those supply chains,” he said.

Key topics during the event will include:

.Protecting America’s starter batteries

.Reducing reliance on foreign-controlled minerals like antimony

.Advancing U.S. battery recycling and innovation to build a secure, circular domestic supply chain

Crane said that everything that we must have in order to create and advance the modern society we enjoy today comes down to these rare earth elements that are currently controlled by China.

“We want to build our own stuff here in America so we can trust it and know that it’s safe,” he said.

He added that all of our devices, such as what’s in our solar panels, our iPhones, and our critical infrastructure all contain these elements.

Crane said the next step is in making some kind of investment in ensuring we can process these minerals ourselves and control our own destiny.

He said a promising aspect in potentially solving this issue is found in coal ash, mostly from coal processed right here in Appalachia as it contains a lot of rare earth elements.

“So, you know, what was a by-product of burning coal to produce the power, now you can reprocess it and actually extract rare earth elements out of the coal ash,” he said.

Maj. Gen. Crane was selected to be on this panel for being a champion in helping to modernize America’s defense and industrial capabilities, and is a strong advocate for domestic battery manufacturing and resilient supply chains that support both military and civilian infrastructure,

Crane served as the Adjutant General of the West Virginia National Guard from 2021 to 2025 with the Critical Infrastructure Protection Battalion under his command.

He is a 36-year Army veteran and engineer. Once commanding the 111th Engineer Brigade, Crane was instrumental in improving the nation’s homeland defense, emergency response and critical mineral security.

He said Tuesday’s panel will be made up of himself and eight others with expertise all around. Crane further explained how the panel was going to go.

“There’s some folks from Israel, there will be other corporate partners there as well,” Crane said. “We’ve also set up a meeting after the event, we’re going to try and sit and talk with Senator Capito for a little bit and explain that to her as well.”

Other confirmed speakers include:

Adam Muellerweiss, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Clarios; President, Responsible Battery Coalition
Craig Singleton, Senior Director, China Program, Foundation for Defense of Democracies
Micah Thompson, Senior Manager, Energy and Utilities, Advance Auto Parts
Lisa Jacobson, President, Business Council for Sustainable Energy
Elected Officials and Policymakers – To Be Announced

The event gets underway from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Tuesday. You can stream the event on securingamericanbattertech.com.