For those of you who don't get our public email newsletter, here is what came out earlier today:

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Hello Everyone.

There has been little to report, in the past few months, regarding the proposed Lower Cove Dam. The Natural Resource Conservation Service was on landowner property again to do more test drilling and studies. This will possibly be on-going for the next few months. Landowners continue to oppose the project and fight the system. If you are interested in helping financially, please log on to http://www.SaveLostRiver.org to make a tax deductible donation. Donations are used to pay attorney fees.

There are a few new items regarding other issues related to the project. Ed Kesecker, the district NRCS representative out of Moorefield and major proponent of the project, announced his retirement at the December Potomac Valley Conservation District meeting. His retirement is effective Jan. 2008.

Also, elections will be held for conservation district supervisors during the general election in Nov. 2008. This is NEW. In the past, conservation district supervisors were elected in the spring at farm or general stores. For more info, you can read the story at http://www.wvca.us/news/news_story.cfm?id=1083

If you live in Hardy County and are interested in running as a Hardy Co. representative (the top two vote getters will become the supervisors), you need to pick up a candidate packet and have everything turned in by Feb. 8, 2008. Candidate packets can be picked up at the county clerk's office in Moorefield, at the local conservation district office in Romney, or you can download it from http://election08.wvca.us/

This election process will be the same for every county in WV. So, if you know of people interested in running for these positions, please pass this email along. Each county will elect two supervisors (except Kanawha Co. will get 5). The packets are the same regardless of the county one lives in, so the above links have all the necessary info. This is an opportunity to bring positive changes and new ideas to the conservation districts.

Thanks,
Stephanie Slater

So I gather the plans continue unabated? What's to stop it?

Our lawyers are working hard behind the scenes with several lawsuits and are pushing ahead legally. However the best hope we have is getting all of the individuals replaced on the potomac valley soil conservation board with decent people who don't abuse the system. This dam has been a pet project by those on the current board for the last 30+ years (yup, the same people are on there from 30 years ago). I highly doubt this will be a project any new board members want to take on, esp after we got the others kicked out.