New Trail Bridges Key Connections

As dappled sunlight filters down to the forest floor and a mild breeze drifts through the air, you find yourself awash in the beauty of the hardwood forest. You've found yourself on the Chris Clower Trail.

Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge is excited to announce the opening of the Chris Clower Trail, a trail winding through upland hardwood forest to connect Camp 70 Road with Cortland Road. This moderate trail repurposes old logging roads and uses sustainable trail building techniques to give hikers and bikers an enjoyable experience on this part of refuge. Merging with the previous Canaan Mountain Trail, the Chris Clower Trail provides a 3.8-mile adventure at the edge of the valley.

Wildlife viewing opportunities are plentiful on the Chris Clower Trail, including this white-tailed deer fawn.

The upland hardwood forest this trail meanders through offers ample opportunities to view wildlife. Trees such as beech, basswood, and maples support a number of species of birds, including ruffed grouse, wild turkey, indigo buntings, and white-breasted nuthatches. You may also encounter box turtles, garter snakes, white-tailed deer, raccoons, fishers, and more!

The trail is named after Chris Clower, a career Service employee who supervised the West Virginia Field Office from 1980 until his death in 1996. Chris was a conservationist who was committed to protecting wetlands across the State of West Virginia. He was an integral member of the Canaan Valley Task Force, a group of Federal agencies, local businesses, and conservation organizations who met regularly to discuss how to protect the wetlands of Canaan Valley. In the end, the group agreed that creating a national wildlife refuge national wildlife refuge
A national wildlife refuge is typically a contiguous area of land and water managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service  for the conservation and, where appropriate, restoration of fish, wildlife and plant resources and their habitats for the benefit of present and future generations of Americans.

Learn more about national wildlife refuge would best accomplish the task. Chris was instrumental in garnering public support for the Canaan Valley refuge. As outlined in our comprehensive conservation plan, naming this trail after him will help ensure current and future visitors will not forget his contributions to the protection of the valley's wetlands.

This project was made possible by our partnership with The Nature Conservancy, who assisted the refuge in obtaining an activation grant from the R.K. Mellon Foundation for a number of recreation projects in the area.

Mike Powell, director of land management and stewardship for The Nature Conservancy in West Virginia said, "The Chris Clower Trail is a critical connector from trails near the town of Davis and the southern portion of the refuge. The Nature Conservancy was happy to help obtain funding for many recreation projects in the area, but for this one especially. Chris Clower was an influential conservationist who played a major role in the development of the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge. This trail is a nod to his work."

The Chris Clower Trail will be open to the public on Saturday, September 7th. Join us for a ribbon cutting event at 1pm that day at the trailhead at the end of Camp 70 Road in Davis, WV.

And don't forget to say, "Thanks, Chris!"

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