Our mission is to preserve, protect, and promote the environmental health and scenic character of the Cacapon River and its watershed.
The Cacapon River is unique among rivers.
Swimming in its clear, cool waters. Fishing for vibrant smallmouth bass. Admiring bald eagles overhead while kayaking. Spotting playful river otters along the banks. We could go on and on about how the bountiful beauty of the Cacapon River has captured our hearts.
That’s why we’ve worked to protect it for more than 40 years.
The Friends of the Cacapon River began in the 1970s as one of the earliest watershed protection associations in West Virginia. Since incorporating as a 501(c)3 organization in 1992, our efforts have focused on the lower stretches of the Cacapon River that run through Morgan and Hampshire Counties. Over the past 40 years, we’ve implemented and sponsored diverse activities to protect and promote the river.
The Cacapon River is in good health.
In an age when more than 40 percent of rivers in the United States are not suitable for swimming or fishing, we feel lucky that the Cacapon River is one of the cleanest in West Virginia. The endangered Harperella flower grows on its rocky riverbanks. Freshwater mussels, a key species for assessing water quality, are thriving. Wood turtles, an endangered species, are plentiful. What’s more, our watershed is about 80 percent forested—a rate that’s rarely seen today.
But the Cacapon River is not as clean as it once was.
The Cacapon River is being threatened, year after year. Noxious human activities are polluting the river, invasive species are killing and replacing our native ones, deforestation is occurring at an increasing rate, and sedimentation from eroded banks after rainfall is choking underwater plants, to name a few.
Here’s where you come in.
Our members are as diverse as they are passionate. Many of you are river enthusiasts, paddlers, and anglers. Some are environmentalists, scientists, and teachers, while others are community members and land owners. And it is only through your love for the river and your generous support that the Friends of the Cacapon River has existed for so many decades.
We’re all connected by our love for the Cacapon River.