Summersville Lake | Aug. 11-15, 2022

Managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Summersville Lake is a reservoir located in Summersville, WV. As West Virginia’s largest lake, it boasts ample recreation opportunities including boating, fishing, swimming, water-skiing, picnicking, hunting, biking and more. As a popular destination, impacts from recreation have been increasing over the years including litter, trail erosion, undesignated trail use, as well as vandalism and theft. For the Hot Spot activation, the Subaru/Leave No Trace Team will be at Summersville Lake leading a variety of workshops, outreach programs and community events, including opportunities for community involvement.

*Summersville Lake is located on the ancestral lands of the S’atsoyaha (Yuchi), Moneton, Shawandasse Tula (Shawanwaki/Shawnee) and possibly other tribes*

Solutions

During the Hot Spot activation, the Subaru/Leave No Trace Team led a variety of workshops, outreach programs and community events at Summersville Lake. Leave No Trace worked with the Army Corps of Engineers and various other stakeholders in the area including Active Southern West Virginia and the Access Fund. The implementation of Leave No Trace through further staff and volunteer training, bolstering of site-specific minimum impact messaging, and expanding interpretive programming opportunities will help empower visitors to become stewards of the lake. The Hot Spot reached 137 people with stewardship education and activated volunteers, totaling 24 volunteer hours and 30 lbs of trash removed from the site.