Nestled deep in West Virginia's Monongahela National Forest is the Birthplace of Rivers, an area that protects not one but six rivers that are the lifeblood of downstream communities. A diverse coalition of businesses, sportsmen, and conservationists is working to preserve this area as a national monument.
Prized for its outstanding hiking, camping, kayaking, fishing, and hunting, the Birthplace of Rivers is among the wild places featured in Season Three of “This American Land,” which is carried on the Public Broadcasting Service nationwide.
Check out the video and learn why local residents are working to permanently protect the Birthplace of Rivers as a national monument.
The segment introduces the owner of a local inn, for example, who says, “Let's build on our strengths. And tourism, natural beauty, clean water, healthy forests: these are our strengths.”
You will also meet Angie from the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, who likens the Birthplace of Rivers to a new baby, explaining that “Parents of a newborn are bestowed this responsibility upon them to care for and protect this very fragile, vulnerable being. And I think of headwaters that way.”
Future episodes of “This American Land,” produced by Environment News Trust in partnership with Pew, will spotlight a green oasis less than an hour from downtown Los Angeles, Oregon's “Grand Canyon,” and a wilderness watershed in Colorado, with a focus on the everyday people who advocate their protection.
Check your local PBS listings for all of the episodes of “This American Land.”