847 acres added to Bear Rocks Preserve near Dolly Sods

ELKINS, W.Va. (WBOY) — The Bear Rocks Preserve in Grant County, West Virginia is expanding to about 2,000 acres after a land donation from Dominion Energy.

The Nature Conservancy (TNC), which protects more than 125,000 acres of critical natural lands in West Virginia, announced Wednesday that the donation will help expand protected land along the Allegheny Front. The land includes some of “West Virginia’s most scenic and ecologically significant habitats” that are adjacent to the Monongahela National Forest and Dolly Sods.

According to Thomas Minney, executive director of TNC in West Virginia, Bear Rocks is one of the most visited places in West Virginia and the fourth most visited TNC preserve in America.

The addition will expand public access to the area and add new recreational opportunities.

“Dominion Energy’s donation will have a huge impact on conservation of this ecologically important landscape,” Minney said in the release. He continued, “It is important we continue to work with partners like Dominion to increase protection efforts in this key landscape.”

The Bear Rocks and Allegheny Front Preserve became America’s 600th National Natural Landmark in 2021.

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