June 04, 2018

Manchin Secures Funding for Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) secured $7 million for a new visitors center at the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Tucker County. Senator Manchin secured a one-time increase of funds for deferred maintenance for the Fish and Wildlife Service in the Fiscal Year 2018 omnibus spending bill, and also secured language directing the Fish and Wildlife Service to prioritize funding for a new visitors center at the Refuge.  

“I am so glad to have worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge to make sure they can build a new facility in Tucker County. A new facility will save taxpayer dollars, and provide improved environmental education opportunities for those visiting from around the country to pursue the outdoor recreation and sportsmen’s opportunities the refuge has to offer,” Senator Manchin said.

For the past three years Senator Manchin has urged the Fish and Wildlife Service to build a new building to serve as a visitor’s center at Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge instead of spending millions of dollars to repair the outdated and inadequate visitor’s center currently in use. To read his original request to former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Regional Director for the Northeast Region Wendi Weber, click here.

Senator Manchin has visited and toured the existing headquarters to assess what it needs and has worked with the administration to make sure that Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge has the funding it needs to build a new visitors center.

###