Oil and gas companies

 In the early 1950s, oil and gas companies began to acquire leases from private landowners within the Monongahela National Forest. Soon, they became interested in leasing national forest land as well. Between 1951 and 1952, the Bureau of Land Management granted leases to four different gas and oil companies on national forest land. By 1960, almost thirty companies had leases to drill for oil and gas in the forest.

The forest also includes the government-owned Glady gas field, which covers 55,000 acres in Randolph and Pocahontas counties. The government put out bids for companies to drill in the field. Now that the natural gas is exhausted, the Glady field is used as a gas storage field. Gas is pumped into the field during the summer for use in the winter.

In 1957, the Hope Natural Gas Company received a permit to build an interstate gas transmission line for the Atlantic Seaboard Corporation. This "big inch" line was a 24-inch pipeline that originated in Texas and crossed the Monongahela River in a cleared swath in the southern part of the forest. The pipeline is visible at the Mouth of Seneca. Between its completion in February 1958 and discontinuation in 1960, the government received over $550,000 in royalties from the gas transported through the pipeline.

The text begins by discussing the Forest Service's need to develop procedures for working with gas companies, which were becoming increasingly active in the forest. The author, Ephe Olliver, recalls that he had to teach the gas companies what they were allowed to do and not do on the forest. For example, he would not allow them to go up a stream to reach a test well, because this could damage the stream and its habitat.

The text then turns to the topic of wildlife management. Olliver notes that wildlife management became a much more important part of the Forest Service's mission in the 1950s. Prior to that time, there was no wildlife management staff on the Monongahela National Forest, and management decisions were made by the staff in the regional office.

Olliver also discusses the Forest Service's cooperative agreement with the West Virginia Conservation Commission (now the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources) to manage the wildlife on the forest. He notes that the agreement was necessary because, by its constitution, the State of West Virginia owns the animals in the state, while the Forest Service owns the land that provides the habitat.

 

According to the National Forest Service, the state of West Virginia owns the animals in the state while the Forest Service owns the land. For this reason, the state agencies and the Forest Service must work together to manage wildlife on the forest. In February 1952, the Forest Service and the West Virginia Conservation Commission signed a cooperative agreement to provide for the management of fish and game habitat on both the George Washington National Forest and the Monongahela National Forest.

The reintroduction of beavers to the forest has been very successful. The population has grown so large in several places that colonies have to be redistributed.

In 1951, the West Virginia legislature passed a law to allow for a fee of one dollar to be charged to hunt or fish on the forest. The fees, which generated about $70,000 a year, were used to support wildlife management on the forest.

Today, the Forest Service and the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources continue to work together to manage wildlife on the forest. They conduct surveys to monitor wildlife populations, develop habitat management plans, and enforce hunting and fishing regulations.

Rewrite:

Wildlife management on the forests of West Virginia is a cooperative effort between the state and the Forest Service. The state owns the animals, while the Forest Service owns the land. The two agencies work together to manage wildlife habitat and enforce hunting and fishing regulations.

The reintroduction of beavers to the forest has been a success story. The population has grown so large in some areas that colonies have to be relocated.

In 1951, the state legislature passed a law to charge a fee for hunting and fishing on the forest. The fees are used to support wildlife management efforts.