02 May Tread Lightly! Impact Report: Pinnacle Creek Culvert Installation Project
Project: Pinnacle Creek Culvert Installation Project
Location: West Virginia
Description: This project was funded by Can-Am Off-Road. Can-Am has committed to funding trail stewardship projects in partnership with Tread Lightly! to help maintain and improve access to public lands and off-road trails.
On April 8, 2025, thanks to tremendous support from Can-Am Off-Road, Tread Lightly!, Hatfield McCoy and eight volunteers worked for two days in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to install a new culvert and better trail crossing on the Pinnacle Creek drainage in Wyoming County, West Virginia.
This project was designed to ensure sustainable trail access to the Hatfield McCoy Trail System and improve habitat for the endangered Guyandotte River crayfish. The Guyandotte River crayfish was listed as an endangered species in 2016, and this effort is one of many to help restore this incredible species back to its original range.
We would like to thank all the volunteers that came out to lend a hand in protecting this amazing trail and the wildlife that rely on these lands and waterways. Thank you to Can-Am for your continued support in protecting trail access in West Virginia and to the US Fish and Wildlife staff that helped provide the supplies and equipment needed to complete this project.
Thank you to the partners who made this possible:
“Thank you to our volunteers, Can-Am, US Fish and Wildlife and Applied Trails Research for their commitment to sustainability and species protection. West Virginia is home to some incredible public lands, and we are proud to help in their conservation.”-Doug Bigelow, Tread Lightly!
“This project will improve the condition and resilience of recreational off-road trail systems, reduce maintenance cost, and enhance recreational user experiences while restoring aquatic organism passage and habitat in the Guyandotte River Watershed, WV that is inhabited by an array of aquatic resources including the federally listed Guyandotte River Crayfish. In the end, the project is a testament of what can be accomplished with partnership and our Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program team looks forward to helping out with more impactful and voluntary work under this growing partnership.”-Joseph Kirsch, US Fish and Wildlife
“The Hatfield McCoy Trails in cooperation with the US Fish and Wildlife, Tread Lightly and Can-Am, partnered to install a much needed water handling system to the Pinnacle Creek Trail system. This new culvert stream crossing will alleviate sediment from the stream and allow for safe and environmentally responsible motorized recreation on the Pinnacle Creek Trail System. The stream is home to the endangered Guyandotte crayfish and the efforts of these partners is another step in helping this species recover and flourish in the Pinnacle Creek watershed while preserving motorized recreation for tourist to the area.”-John Fekete, Hatfield-McCoy Trails
Want to get involved in your own Tread Lightly! project? Find upcoming activities, events and grant opportunities at treadlightly.org.
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