Visitors and their children eagerly listen as they get their hands in the "river of life touch tank" designed by Hatchery Staff, supervised by local Pre-School Teacher, Jennifer Baker. Ms. Baker grew up around the hatchery as her father was the WSSNFH hatchery manager in the 80s. WSSNFH's Inaugural Freshwater Folk Festival, October 1, 2005. Photographer, Catherine Gatenby.

West Virginia's own Kate Long,performs with Footnotes and Friends: Catherine Gatenby, Ann Kilkelly, Carol Burch-Brown, and Catherine's 5y old son, Nash Gatenby-Latham. WSSNFH Freshwater Fok Festival, October 1, 2005. Photographer, Ellen Broudy.

Raceway Fish Rearing Building with a wall of aquatic poster art produced by local elementary grade school children, upon learing about freshwater resources in West Virginia from Hatchery Staff. "Out of the mouths of Babes . . .". WSSNFH Freshwater Folk festival, October 1, 2005, Photographer, Catherine Gatenby, Hatchery Manager

Rhett Miller. "We had our faces painted at the Festival". WSSNFH Freshwater Folk Festival, October 1, 2005. Photographer, 5-y old Nash Gatenby-Latham.

Visitors to the Inaugural Freshwater Folk Festival take in all the envrionmental outreach, arts and crafts, music, and food vendors at WSSNFH's Inaugural Freshwater Folk Festival, October 1, 2005. Photographer, Catherine Gatenby.

A young dancer enjoys the music of Fred Benfield, American Roots. Credit: USFWS/Catherine Gatenby

Friends of the White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery hosted the inaugural Freshwater Folk Festival at the hatchery in Greenbrier County, W. Va., on October 1.  Approximately 1,000 visitors attended the free event. 

The newly formed Friends group is dedicated to promoting understanding, appreciation, and conservation of freshwater resources; and celebrating the natural history and culture of White Sulphur Springs, Greenbrier County, West Virginia.  By launching the Freshwater Folk Festival, the group furthered the mission of the hatchery. 

Expert biologists and research scientists provided interesting and informative lectures in the hatchery's visitor center on "Our Nation's Biodiversity,"  "Effects of Disturbances and Historical Landscapes on our Southern Appalachian Streams," and "Rare and Endangered Fishes of Southwestern United States."  Children and adults had opportunities to explore our environment through fun and engaging activities.  Biologists from a number of natural resource agencies and nonprofit organizations gave demonstrations on snakes, fishes, freshwater mussels, aquatic insects, and efforts to restore habitat along riparian stream corridors in West Virginia. 

Children learned the shapes, skeletal designs, and coloration of local fishes while creating fish prints.  They also learned about the diversity of aquatic life and shell-formation of freshwater mussels while painting freshwater mussel shell-molds and making magnets to take home. 

Members of the local Trout Unlimited chapter taught attendees how to tie flies and a local fly-fishing enthusiast taught proper fly-fishing techniques.  A tribal leader from Red River, a Native American educational group, demonstrated how a traditional fishing hook and pole were made. 

Over 100 environmental posters were displayed on a wall of one of the fish rearing buildings.  The artwork was created by fifth and sixth graders in Greenbrier County who had previously attended lectures by hatchery staff on the diversity of life in West Virginia's rivers and streams.  The posters represented the students' messages to their families and community about water quality and freshwater resources.

Participants enjoyed beautiful drumming and dance demonstrations by Red River honoring freshwater rivers, healing, and the circle of life.  They also enjoyed South American sounds by a musical group called Solazo, hailing all the way from Argentina, Chile, and Ecuador.  In addition to mesmerizing listeners with their music, Solazo taught them about traditional South American musical instruments designed by native peoples to mimic the musical sounds of nature.  Festival-goers also enjoyed the old-time mountain music of the Jugbusters, traditional ballads by American Roots, Appalachian folk music by West Virginia's own Kate Long, and swingin' tunes by Footnotes and Friends.  The hatchery's own project leader, Catherine Gatenby, performed classic rhythm tap-dancing handed down by legendary African-American tap-dancers. She danced with her performance group, Footnotes and Friends. 

Visitors were treated to the beauty of natural history art sold by a variety of artists and craftsmen.  Items ranged from woodenware and chestnut furniture to jeweled gems mined from the Blue Ridge mountains, handmade woven tapestries and rugs, spun wool hats and scarves, crafts made through leather tanning to flint knapping, and a variety of Native American crafts.

A variety of food items were available for purchase, including traditional southern pulled barbecue pork, smoked onsite at the hatchery, traditional southern fried chicken, good old standbys such as hot dogs and chili, and lots of delicious homemade sweets and pies for dessert. 

Sponsors of this inaugural event included:

Freshwater Champions -- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, White Sulphur Springs Rotary Club, The Greenbrier Sporting Club and Gillespie’s Flowers & Productions;

Freshwater Partners -- Mr. and Mrs. Robert Q. Jones;

Freshwater Friends -- Hal and Clare Bredell, The Retreat, and MeadWestvaco;

Freshwater Companions -- George and Helen Aide, Drs. William and Judy Seifer, Dr. Colleen Merriweather, Mary Leb and Bob Foster, Sita’s Dragonfly Gallery, Dr. Frank and Mary Collins, Dr. Mark Kirk and Dr. Frank Collins.

Freshwater Contributors -- Sandy Neely, C.P.A.; Judge Tod Kaufman; Law Office of Rachel Hanna; Ronald and Jeanne Scobbo; Dr. Donald and Susan Rollins; Kerry Kleisner-Butchart and James Butchart; Shoshanna Schwimmer; Ellen Broudy, TAG; and Annabelle Galyean.

Special thanks to Bill Turner and Sue Rosshirt; Marta Lemley; Barbara Elliott; Kitten’s Korner of White Sulphur Springs; U.S. Forest Service; National Park Service; West Virginia D.N.R.; Friends of the Lower Greenbrier River; American Fisheries Society; Trout Unlimited; Jennifer Baker and family; Nikalee Foster and friends; Greenbrier River Watershed Association; and White Sulphur Springs Mainstreet Revitalization.

For additional information, contact the White Sulphur Springs National Fish Hatchery at (304) 536-1361.