In the not-too-distant future, Kanawha County will be home to a spanking-new environmental education center.
The center will be located on 102 acres between the Big and Little Coal rivers near Alum Creek, on property donated to the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources by a local businessman, Jack Workman, in honor of his late wife, Claudia.
When complete, the center will include an outdoor natural area, an indoor nature-education facility and live wildlife displays. In addition, the property will house the DNR's District V law enforcement detachment as well as its fish and wildlife staff.
"We think this is a legacy property," said DNR Director Bob Fala. "When we're all gone, there will still be something there to provide outdoor education and recreation for future generations."
Fala said he had "no doubt" that school groups from the Kanawha Valley, Teays Valley, Huntington and the state's coalfield counties would make extensive use of the center.
"When we're finished developing it, this will be a popular spot," he said. "Its location just off [Corridor G] makes it very easy to get to."
The tract is located quite literally at the forks of the Coal River. The Little Coal forms the western and northwestern boundaries, the Big Coal forms the eastern and northeastern boundaries, and Corridor G forms the southern boundary. Workman's donation included three large masonry buildings, which DNR officials plan to use for the education center and DNR offices.
Workman said he donated the land to honor his wife, who had a deep-seated interest in nature.
"This is a donation from a good West Virginian and his beautiful wife who wanted a nature center," said the 86-year-old Boone County native. "The children of today's Appalachia know very little about the nature that surrounds them, and Claudia had a real problem with that. She wanted to do something about it, so all of this is for her."
He envisions the property becoming what he refers to as "French Creek South," a reference to the West Virginia Wildlife Center located at French Creek in Upshur County.
"I'd like to see exhibits with live animals, such as elk and bears and deer," he said. "Only this version of French Creek would come with classrooms and biologists, too."
Workman said education was important to his wife, whom he described as "a brilliant woman who earned four degrees, including a master's in chemistry."
"Growing up, she knew little about nature, but she learned about it. She collected books on it, and we developed quite an extensive library on the subject. If she encountered a plant she couldn't immediately identify, she looked it up."
Fala said DNR officials feel "very honored" that Workman would make "such a generous gift to the state."
"We're delighted with the property and the location," Fala said. "We see it as a perfect fit for a natural area. This will be great for kids, for education and for recreation. We think it will also be a great place for people from the valley who just want a place to go for a walk."
A network of trails, developed by the Workmans, crisscrosses the property. Fala said the DNR would install interpretive signs along the trails so that hikers and walkers would be able to identify trees, wildflowers, birds and animals they might encounter along the way.
The DNR's Parks Section will administer the natural area and the education center. Parks chief Sam England said agency officials would strive to maintain the area's natural integrity.
"We don't envision for this to become a highly developed park," he said. "We don't foresee putting in lodges, campgrounds or cabins. We see this more as a natural area where people can view wildlife, hike nature trails and fish the rivers."
England said development of the wildlife exhibits and nature center "will probably take some time, because we want to do it right."
"We'd like to set up a foundation to help provide vision and direction, and to handle fundraising," he said. "We'll be relying on the resources of the community to help us keep this area open and operational."
Paul Johansen, the DNR's wildlife chief, said one of the property's existing buildings would be used to consolidate the agency's District V law enforcement and wildlife staffs under a single roof for the first time in decades.
"For years, District V has been an anomaly," he explained. "The law enforcement staff has been located in St. Albans and in Nitro, and the wildlife staff has been located at the McClintic Wildlife Management Area near Point Pleasant.
"Combining the two under one roof will allow us to serve the public better, and in a more central location within the district. We'd be hard-pressed to find a better location. It's right off Corridor G, which will make us much more accessible and available to the public."
Workman said he would also like the DNR to host an annual tribute to the era when both forks of the Coal were home to extensive lock-and-dam systems, and barges loaded with coal and oil plied the river.
"I'd like to see at least one day a year dedicated in honor and memory of the 18 sternwheelers that went up and down the river," he added. "It's an important part of the river's history, and I don't want to see it lost."
Workman said he "looks forward to seeing the public begin to use the property."
"Our dream has always been to keep the property in its natural state, and [for it] to serve as a learning tool for children to teach them stewardship of the land and how to use the natural resources. Unfortunately my wife is no longer with us, but her vision will come true."
Reach John McCoy at johnmccoy@wvgazettemail.com or 304-348-1231.