Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend The Fly Fishing Show in Lancaster, PA. The Harrisburg/Carlisle area is not far away and with it comes such history and treasures from years past. Sharing the Vedavoo booth with a fellow PA Native Joel LaMarco I heard tons of stories of these fabled waters. They had a booth for the PA Fly Fishing Museum which has collections at a few places including Boiling Springs. Even growing up fishing the Elk I often heard elkfisher talk of this area and its waters. Attending the show it just showed how they want to preserve this rich heritage and the true pride they do have for it.
Heritage is an important thing and without preserving it at times it gets lost or forgotten by future generations. The Birthplace of Rivers National Monument would preserve traditional land uses like hunting and fishing for the future. The land would be preserved for generations to come without fear of it being developed by any means. The protections created would protect the area for all to enjoy. This is a special area as it is the headwaters of six rivers the Cranberry, Greenbrier, Williams, Cherry, Gauley, and the Elk. This plan is not to change the area but it only will do the same thing a museum does it will preserve this pristine area for future generations. When most people think of fishing they think of these streams whether it would be taking a backpack trip into he cranberry, fishing for Browns on the Williams, wild bows on the Elk, or catching native Brook trout in the Monongahela National Forest. These are areas where most can say they first cast a fly or went trout fishing with dad. By becoming WV's first National Monument it would allow our grand children and their children this same opportunity. People will always have that opportunity to hike, camp, backpack, bike, and fish here for many many years. Sometimes we get afraid of change but this monument would not change this for outdoorsman it would only insure others have that same opportunity. Hopefully this heritage can be preserved and this national monument becomes a reality and we can preserve the birthplace of WV waters!
http://www.birthplaceofrivers.org
