Tom’s Run Preserve

This project will expand the public hiking trails within Elizabeth’s Woods, a mature hardwood forest in a 325-acre conserved natural area called Tom’s Run Preserve — owned and managed by West Virginia Land Trust. Located on the outskirts of Morgantown, the state’s most rapidly growing metropolitan area, the preserve hosts over 2 miles of wooded hiking trails, and offers tremendous potential as a public greenspace for non-motorized outdoor recreation. Trails in Elizabeth’s Woods wind through a sloping wooded area and are built on a mostly soil base using hand tools (shovels, mattocks, pulaskis, hoes, and rakes). Some areas have rocks which may need moving or used to build berms, waterbars, or other trail features. There may be some underbrush and fallen branches to be cleared during construction requiring a handsaw (WVLT staff will have a chainsaw available as needed. The trail work for the project was designed by Rick Landenberger – WV Land Trust’s Science and Land Management Specialist, and a research assistant professor of geography at West Virginia University – who will provide oversight and assistance for the trail crew, as well as instruction in conservation trail building techniques. The crew’s cabin is at a campground just a short drive away, and volunteers will be transported via van to the site each day. WV Land Trust will lead a mid-week group excursion to beautiful Davis, WV, and offer free participation in the annual Cheat River Float trip on Saturday, June 8th (canoe/kayak & equipment rentals available for a fee). It’ll be great week in the beautiful mountains of West Virginia, developing a publicly accessible preserve for high-quality community recreation, and playing a bit, too.