The Chesapeake WILD (and Wonderful) Act

"Once there were brook trout in the streams in the mountains. You could see them standing in the amber current where the white edges of their fins wimpled softly in the flow. They smelled of moss in your hand. Polished and muscular and torsional. On their backs were vermiculate patterns that were maps of the world in its becoming."

This quote by American novelist Cormac McCarthy paints an eloquent picture that resonates with anybody who lives in or has visited our beautiful state, wild and wonderful West Virginia.

Our state is the birthplace of rivers, with our mountain streams in the east forming the headwaters of the Potomac River, and in the west flowing ultimately into the Mississippi River. These streams are home to many important species, including our state fish the eastern brook trout, and other less known but equally important species, like American eels.

These species, and countless others, are part of our natural heritage. More than that, they are a vital part of our economy. A 2015 report from the American Sportfishing Association found that West Virginia has more than 400,000 resident anglers that support over 6,600 fishing-related jobs and generate nearly $42,000,000 in state and local tax revenue.

But these species and their habitat won't be here forever, not without our help.

Poor water quality and impaired waterways challenge the well-being of wildlife across our state, and our demand for resources has fragmented their habitats.

Progress is being made, but not fast enough. A recent US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) project removed barriers to American eel passage by installing an "eelway" at Dam #5 on the Potomac River, but current funding for USFWS projects is limited.

The Chesapeake Watershed Investments for Landscape Defense (WILD) Act would accelerate progress by authorizing, for the first time, USFWS to play a direct role in the restoration of the 64,000 square mile Chesapeake Bay watershed, including the Potomac headwaters of West Virginia.

This bipartisan legislation, co-sponsored by Senators Capito and Manchin, would assist communities in implementing conservation projects identified in our state's Watershed Implementation Plan that protect and enhance fish and wildlife habitat.

"Conservation and recreation can go hand-in-hand in the Chesapeake watershed, and the Chesapeake WILD Act makes that clear… By making more resources available to invest in projects like the one at Dam #5 in Berkeley County, we can improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay watershed while also improving the health of populations of species important to sportsmen and fishermen." –Shelley Moore Capito, U.S. Senator

"Every species of fish and wildlife that lives in the Chesapeake Bay watershed is vital to the watershed's health. As Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will always work to protect the wildlife of our state that we are so blessed to have." –Joe Manchin III, U.S. Senator

The Chesapeake WILD bill was introduced in the Senate in September, and then incorporated into the Senate's America's Conservation Enhancement Act (S. 3051), which passed the Senate on January 9. Chesapeake WILD was introduced in the House (H.R. 4967) in November, and no action has yet been taken on it.

While the WILD bill continues to move through Congress, as the state lead for the Choose Clean Water Coalition, West Virginia Rivers Coalition will continue to advocate for Chesapeake Bay watershed restoration to keep West Virginia WILD (and wonderful).

–Tanner Haid is the Eastern Panhandle Field Coordinate for West Virginia Rivers Coalition and West Virginia State Lead for the Choose Clean Water Coalition