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Ed McCoy will present “Sportsmen and Stewardship: Botetourt’s Role in Forest and Wildlife History” at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15 at the Wilson Warehouse in Buchanan.
McCoy, local historian and former editor of The Fincastle Herald, will share the history of how the Weeks Act and early wildlife reintroduction transformed Botetourt; protecting 85,000 acres of forest and bringing back deer and elk to the region.
One hundred years ago, seeing a whitetail deer in Botetourt earned a mention in the local newspapers. Thanks to the Weeks Act and the federal government’s ability to purchase thousands of acres of former mining and timberlands, along with the formation of the Botetourt County Game and Fish Protective Association, deer, turkey and elk were reintroduced. They eventually flourished on what became National Forest lands that now make up one-quarter of the county’s geographic area.
McCoy’s presentation will look at this part of the county’s history, a history that includes the efforts of many of today’s outdoorsmen’s and women’s fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers.
The presentation has been arranged by the Botetourt County Libraries. Admission is free. The Wilson Warehouse is located at 421 Lowe Street in Buchanan.
For additional information call the Buchanan Library at (540) 928-3005.
~Buchanan Town Improvement Society
