The 2025 West Virginia Watershed Symposium was held at Battlers Knob in Philippi, WV on Friday, October 17 and Saturday, October 18, 2025. Representatives from 17 watershed groups as well as various watershed partners and supporters attended the Symposium. On Friday, attendees enjoyed a 3.5 mile float on the Buckhannon-Tygart Valley Water Trail, celebrating WV’s newest Water Trail. Paddlers also learned how to use WV River’s Stream Watch App to report pollution and monitor water quality.
On Saturday, the WV Watershed Symposium formally kicked off, providing opportunities for watershed volunteers to meet, learn from each other, and engage in statewide collaborative efforts. This biennial event featured restoration success stories, a legislative update from Jennie Smith of the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, and presentations on funding, communications, and the history of the watershed movement in West Virginia. The Symposium is hosted by the WV Watershed Network to provide resources for watershed groups and recognize their efforts and accomplishments.
The Symposium concluded with five watershed groups being honored for their work based on community nominations. The following groups were awarded $1,000 each:
- Headwater Hero Award: Buckhannon River Watershed Association & Save the Tygart Watershed Association
- Stream Smarts Award: Piney Creek Watershed Association
- Watershed Guardian Award: Greenbrier River Watershed Association
- Restoration Rockstar Award: Paint Creek Watershed Association
- Rookie of the Year Award: Twelvepole Rising
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