West Virginia Hosts Choose Clean Water Coalition Steering Committee
Sleepy Creek Watershed’s Edmisten Lane stream restoration site. Photo courtesy of Maria Russo.
On September 9-10, 2026, members of the Choose Clean Water Coalition Steering Committee traveled to Berkeley Springs, West Virginia for their annual in-person meeting.
The visit started with a field trip led by the Warm Springs Watershed Association, beginning with a walking tour of downtown Berkeley Springs followed by a trip to Greenway Cemetery. The trip highlighted various stormwater and green infrastructure projects aimed at improving water quality in the local area and further downstream, ultimately supporting the Chesapeake Bay!
Next, the group traveled to Edmisten Lane just outside of town to view a stream restoration site, hosted by the Sleepy Creek Watershed Association and the Cacapon Institute. The groups showcased completed projects as well as the next phase of projects that would be in progress soon.
All the groups highlighted funding they had leveraged to make these projects possible, including support from the Chesapeake Bay Trust, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, and Chesapeake Bay Program.
After some time to relax, the group headed to a beautiful sunset dinner at the Panorama Public House, overlooking the Potomac River winding through the beautiful mountain vistas. Finally, the group ended the day the West Virginia way -- sitting around a campfire and chatting into the night back at Cacapon State Park.
The following day, the Coalition Steering Committee held their meeting at Cacapon. The meeting was kicked off by West Virginia Rivers Coalition, who presented on the priorities, challenges, and successes across water policy in WV.
The committee continued the work, digging into updates on the Coalition’s strategic plan, having a discussion on data centers, and hearing about funding opportunities such as the Chesapeake Bay Stewardship Fund through the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
While they were not meeting, the Steering Committee members spent time in the Cacapon State Park gift shop, grabbing figurines of Mothman and other beloved cryptids, ramp jam, and stickers to bring back to their loved ones at home.
Thank you to all of the West Virginia members of the Coalition who helped provide robust learning opportunities for the meeting, to the Steering Committee for their thoughtful engagement, and to the Coalition for organizing logistics.
We hope to see you back in West Virginia soon!
Check out another look into our Steering Committee retreat below!
