Hokom Elected Chair of Guardians of West Fork Watershed

Dr. Matthew Hokom, Associate Professor of English at Fairmont State University, has been elected Chair of the Board of Directors for the Guardians of the West Fork Watershed, a non-profit organization centered in Marion, Harrison and Lewis counties in West Virginia.

The Guardians are dedicated to improving the ecosystem health of the West Fork and to preserving water quality for human use and recreation. The organization particularly focuses on issues that currently threaten stream health in the watershed, such as acid mine drainage (AMD) from coal mining activities, agricultural and industrial run-off, littering, invasive species, dam construction/removal and sewage treatment problems. The organization is also involved in wetland restoration projects.

“I’m generally interested in environmental issues, and specifically in water quality issues, for two reasons: 1) my drinking water comes from the West Fork Watershed and 2) I spend a lot of time fishing and canoeing on the West Fork River,” Hokom said.

Guardians of the West Fork Watershed is a volunteer organization. Those interested in joining the Guardians or those who would like to receive newsletters from the organization should contact President John Eleyette at JMELEYETTE@rocketmail.com.The organization meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the Harrison County Bureau of Emergency Services Building in Nutter Fort. For more information, visit the Guardians’ web site at http://www.guardiansofthewestfork.com/.

Matthew HokomCollege of Liberal ArtsLanguage & LiteratureGuardians of the West Fork Watershed