One of the biggest issues with reclaiming old strip mine sites has been the use of non-native species and the inability of getting anything to grow on the compacted land. A number of government agencies and NGO's have been working together to solve this problem and things are looking promising. Last week a group of volunteers from the assorted agencies and a local middle school met on Cheat Mt. WV to plant native trees using these new techniques. How refreshing to see all these groups coming together. We had volunteers from The Office of Surface Mining, The Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife, WV DNR, the EPA, working hand in hand with people from American Rivers, Green Forest Works, The Nature Conservancy, the Canaan Valley Institute and a few more groups that I can't remember. Here are a few shots from that planting.