http://www.spocnews.com

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Angling Publications - Index

Angling Publications - Fly Fish America - September 2007 Issue - Index

KING MONTGOMERY PHOTOS
Serenity Now Fly Shop
304-647-9779
Elk Springs Fly Shop
877-355-7774
was supposed to have been completed.
When asked what he thinks about
the Sharp Farm as the site for the new
plant, West Virginia State Senator Walt
Helmick doesn't mince his words: "I'm
very much in favor of personal property
rights, and I am adamantly opposed to
the plant being located on the Sharp
Farm.? Helmick, who has represented
Pocahontas County residents in one way
or another for the past 32 years, knows
that well over half of the county is already
owned by the state or federal government.
Why, he wonders, does the government
need to confi scate private property?
Aside from the human interest drama
that it has become, the situation is of
particular interest to fl y anglers because if
any raw sewage leaks from the proposed
underground pipes, the consequences to
the Elk could be dire. Charlie Heartwell,
renowned fl y tier and former hatchery
supervisor for West Virginia's Department
of Natural Resources with a doctoral
degree in fi sh health, remarks that
although he is not in a position to know
all of the facts of this particular case, he
is convinced that a large, raw-sewage leak
into the Elk could reduce it to "a watery
desert? in a matter of days.
Elk River Fly Shop
866-572-3771
Kate's Mountain Outfi tters
800-624-6070 x 7283
treatment facility. If any raw sewage leaks from the proposed underground pipes, the consequences to the Elk could be dire.
The Pocahontas County commissioners
and the Public Service District-the
three-member board appointed by the
commissioners to head up the project-are
in a bind: They need the revenue
that tourism and growth bring, which
means, among other things, providing
high-quality water and sewer service to as
many residents as possible. The county's
prevalent karst topography makes that
diffi cult, however. In the end, the commissioners
have become the targets of
intense criticism by those incensed over
the use of eminent domain to seize the
Sharp Farm, as well as an increasingly
pro-environment public.
Gil Willis, whose customers come from
surrounding states to enjoy West Virginia's
unspoiled beauty, is concerned that a perceived
lack of focus on the environment
will damage the state's pristine image and
deter tourists. He says that West Virginia's
Governor Manchin recently changed the
state's motto by adding "Open for Business?
to its famous and popular slogan
"Wild and Wonderful.? Gil worries that
the state is so hungry for business that
it's giving the environment short shrift:
"If this plant can be built with so little
environmental concern,? says Gil, "We
need to change the state's motto again
to "West Virginia: Open for Salvage.?
As in every dispute, all parties are convinced
that theirs is the side of right and
justice. Pocahontas County commissioners
insist that they are striving to provide
their constituents with a reliable and
workable regional water plan; opponents
(www.spocnews.com, for example) see
the site choice as both fatally fl awed
and unjust, and the proposed plant as a
taxpayer-funded gift to Snowshoe, since
nearly all of the system's users are on
resort property.
Ultimately, the Pocahontas County
dispute is a reminder of the precarious
position of scarce natural resources in
our fast-paced, development-driven
society. And regardless of the outcome,
the fate of West Virginia's venerable Elk
River hangs in the balance.
Beau Beasley (www.beaubeasley.com)
is an award-winning outdoor writer and
a contributing editor for Fly Fish America.
His fi rst book, Fly Fishing Virginia: A No
Nonsense Guide to Top Waters, is available
in fl y shops across the country.
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