Yeager Airport Adoption
West Virginia’s largest airport environmental reclamation project.
Glenville State College “Adopts” an Airport
The 40th anniversary of Earth Day — April 22nd — was a fitting date for the continuation of the ongoing reclamation effort at Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia. The project is a landmark partnership between the Glenville State College Land Resources Department and Yeager Airport to environmentally reclaim the land disturbed during the extension of the airport’s runway.
Approximately one hundred students and community volunteers gathered at the site to continue the massive tree planting effort to reforest the slope below the runway. Students from Glenville State College were joined by those from Washington and Lee University, Edison Middle School in Parkersburg, Pfeiffer University, Oberlin College, and West Virginia Wesleyan College.
“This has been a terrific service learning experience for our students. It has certainly surpassed our expectations. GSC President Dr. Peter Barr should be commended for his support and vision. He gave the green light to this green project.” — Dr. Bob Henry Baber, GSC Major Gifts Officer
Why It Mattered
Many West Virginians had been alarmed by the visible denuding of the mountain at the base of Yeager Airport. The FAA had given the airport a stark choice: extend the runway 1,000 feet for safety reasons — or cease commercial aviation altogether. The resulting excavation disturbed 146 acres and generated immediate environmental consequences: erosion, $15,000 in DEP fines, mudslides, sedimentation of the Elk River, and destruction of a beloved community trail.
It was in this moment of need that Glenville State College stepped forward. On September 12, 2008, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed, and the largest airport “adoption” in West Virginia history began.
“This historic partnership represents a unique confluence of need and ability. We have the need and Glenville State College has the ability.” — Rick Atkinson, Yeager Airport Director
Photos courtesy of Steven Rotsch, the Governor’s official photographer.
Honoring Those Lost at Upper Big Branch
The Earth Day activity included a special planting of twenty-nine flowering pear trees — one in honor of each of the miners who were killed in the Upper Big Branch mine explosion on April 5th. GSC graduate William Roosevelt Lynch ’72 was among those killed in the disaster.
Glenville State College President Dr. Peter Barr joined West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin, Secretary of State Natalie Tennant, and other dignitaries for the ceremony. Over three thousand trees supplied by the West Virginia Division of Forestry were planted that single day.
To date, the reclamation project has planted over ten thousand red oak, locust, Norway spruce, Scotch pine, and Chinese chestnut trees at the airport.
Learn More About the ProjectThe Reclamation in Progress
A Model for Environmental Stewardship
To learn more about the Yeager Airport Adoption project or Dr. Baber’s environmental advocacy work, reach out directly.