The Friends of Blackwater Canyon, an organization dedicated to protecting the wildlife and wild areas in and around Blackwater Canyon, has been awarded a grant from the National Wildlife Federation’s (NWF) Keep the Wild Alive™ Species Recovery Fund. The Friends will use this grant to increase the number of populations of two-spotted skippers in the West Virginia highlands. The Species Recovery Fund provides grants to organizations working with local communities to provide a direct, on-the-ground benefit to imperiled species.

“We are very excited to receive this grant, which will allow us to protect one of West Virginia’s rare high mountain butterflies,” said Judy Rodd, director of the Friends of Blackwater Canyon.

The Friends of Blackwater Canyon is one of ten Species Recovery Fund grant recipients that were selected from nearly 100 applications submitted by conservation organizations throughout the country. The Species Recovery Fund is an integral part of NWF’s Keep the Wild Alive campaign, an education, advocacy, and on-the-ground conservation effort that seeks to raise awareness of and improve conditions for endangered species.

“A critical component of conservation is people taking action on a local level to protect the wildlife and wild places they know and love,” said Rebecca Harrison, NWF’s Species Recovery Fund manager. “These grants provide the means for local organizations to implement innovative, community-based wildlife conservation efforts that will be a direct benefit for endangered wildlife.”

The two-spotted skipper is a rare species in West Virginia that is constantly threatened by habitat destruction and fragmentation. The Friends of Blackwater Canyon will use its $7,000 grant to partner with the West Virginia Wildlife Federation, Allegheny Power, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, and area high school students to move a portion of a threatened population of two-spotted skippers to an area of protected habitat within Blackwater Falls State Park. The organization will also create a petition and brochure about the butterfly for park visitors and a butterfly science curriculum for teachers. “The rare two-spotted skipper is another example of the unique flora and fauna of the Blackwater Canyon area; it’s an example of West Virginia’s rich natural heritage that we must preserve for future generations,” said Rodd.

The nation’s largest member-supported conservation group, the National Wildlife Federation unites people from all walks of life to protect nature, wildlife and the world we all share. The Federation has educated and inspired families to uphold America’s conservation tradition since 1936.