Handlan (Charleston) Chapter
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The Handlan Chapter is Charleston's oldest and only organized group dedicated to the study and enjoyment of wild birds.
In 1944 members of the Brooks Bird Club from the Charleston WV area formed the BBC Handlan Chapter.
In 1944 members of the Brooks Bird Club from the Charleston WV area formed the BBC Handlan Chapter.
OSBRA EYE SPRING NATURE WALKS 2025 ~ SATURDAY APRIL 19, 2025
Upcoming Club Meeting/EventOSBRA EYE SPRING NATURE WALKS 2025
SATURDAY APRIL 19, 2025 REGISTRATION BEGINS AT 8:30 WALKS BEGIN AT 9:00 1 AQUATIC LIFE – Davis Creek – will use nets to catch and identify fish, aquatic insects, and other life forms; great for kids and all ages – can watch from the side or get in the stream - Easy – Leaders: John Wirts, Mindy Huffman, Paul Cretaro, Xris Hess, Jerry Bias 2 WILDFLOWERS – Snipe Trail and Shrewsberry Hollow – Easy to Moderate – Mark Watson, Michelle Platt, Ted Jones, Ken Fox 3 GEOLOGY – Overlook Rock Trail – rocks tell the story of the ancient history of the Appalachian Mountains – Moderate to Difficult – Pete Sullivan, Devan Fox, Jane Hange 4 TREES, WILDFLOWERS, and BIRDS – Polly Trail – Moderate – Sara Miller, Bill Minear, David Minear, Dollie Fox 5 WILD WETLANDS – T. K. Pauley Amphibian Loop – explore life forms of wetlands, including frogs, salamanders, snapping turtles, wildflowers, and plants – bring shoes you don’t mind getting wet/muddy – Easy – Jess Blalock, Reece Watkins 6 BIRDS – Rattlesnake Hollow – Identify birds by sight and sound – bring binoculars if have them: loaner binoculars available – Easy to Moderate – Jim Waggy, Kevin Cade 7 MEDICINAL and USEFUL PLANTS – Johnson Hollow – Slow and Easy – Becky Linger 8 MINING KANAWHA STATE FOREST – Davis Creek, Shrewsberry Hollow, Snipe Trail – view remnants of mining activity, learn when it occurred, the mining techniques used, and discuss the role of coal in daily life and the mine wars – Easy to Moderate – Dale Porter 9 NATURE INTERPRETATION and FOREST MANAGEMENT – Salamander Trail – learn how the pieces fit together in a healthy forest – Easy: handicapped accessible trail – Tiffany Jarrett Regular Handlan Chapter meetings are normally held at the South Charleston Library 6:30pm -7:45pm The South Charleston Library is located at 312 4th Ave, South Charleston, WV 25303 Additional meetings/events are posted at the bottom of this page. Anyone interested in birds is welcome to our events.
Birders Wanted!
Friends of the Mary Ingles Trail:
The Pianfetti Foundation has given the Mary Ingles Trail Blazers Chapter (MITB) of the WVSTA a grant to construct 50-feet long puncheon walkway through a wetland at the Winfield Trailhead of the AEP segment of the MI Trail. 
RHWO 4/1/23 in Charleston. Photo Christy Carr
Barred Owl hanging out at Little Creek Park. Photo Laura Boggess
WV Christmas Bird CountThe Charleston (WVCH) Christmas Bird Count (CBC) started back in 1912! That was back on the 13th National Audubon Society's count.
The Charleston count continues as one of the longest running Christmas Bird Counts in the state! |
Handlan Notes:For complete details and directions to all events go to our Calendar of Events page!
You can look for additional Handlan Chapter bird outings/events on the WV Mountain State Birders Facebook page. FYI ... The back, right-hand corner of the Walmart parking lot in Hurricane is an unusual, good birding spot. There's a very small wetland area and a scrubby hillside there. Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge Newsletter
Birding Kanawha CountyHave a birding or nature event in Kanawha County that you want to let others know about? Contact the BBC Handlan Chapter member Jim Triplett [email protected]
2025 Past EventsMarch 7th - 9th 2025 ~ Woods Lore & Tracking
The annual Woods Lore and Tracking Workshop at Twin Falls. This is a very fun and educational weekend event that is superb for families with children, youth groups, and adults with interests in 18th century history, making nature observations, and developing tracking skills. Event Brochure Monday, March 10th, 2025 Monthly meeting. Naturalist John Northeimer will present "Ferns of West Virginia." John will cover the evolution of ferns, reproduction by spores (the fern life cycle), and characteristics for identification. His presentation includes a gallery of photos showing common species. April 4th, 2025 - Hit the Trails with TNC! ~ Brochure The Nature Conservancy in West Virginia is excited to invite you to take a hike with us at our Hungry Beech Preserve, just north of Charleston. With the support of the American Water Charitable Foundation and West Virginia American Water, we are opening a brand new 2-mile trail at Hungry Beech and celebrating the preserve’s induction into the Old-Growth Forest Network.
2023 Outings ~ find them in the BBCHC 2023 ArchivesOther Items of InterestHandlan Chapter builds Chimney Swift (CHSW) towers. Learn about The BBC Chimney Swift Project!
You can look for additional Handlan Chapter bird outings/events on the WV Mountain State Birders Facebook page.
Louis Watts captured this photo of a Bald Eagle sitting on a nest in Putnam County
Lets go Birding!To find a pre-scheduled Handlan Chapter or other BBC nature related outing, check out our Calendar of Events page. You can link our calendar to your computer, tablet or phone.
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Regular Meetings:
Handlan Chapter meetings are normally held at the South Charleston Library
The South Charleston Library is located at 312 4th Ave, South Charleston, WV 25303
Doors open at 6:15pm.
Handlan Chapter meetings are normally held at the South Charleston Library
The South Charleston Library is located at 312 4th Ave, South Charleston, WV 25303
Doors open at 6:15pm.
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2025 Meetings/Events: |
Printable Newsletters:
Winter 2023 |
Monday, January 13th, 2025
South Charleston Public Library, 312 4th Ave, South Charleston, WV 25303, USA
Be sure to bundle up and come out for our Monday, January 13, meeting, when West Virginia Division of Natural Resources State Ornithologist Rich Bailey will present an update on bird conservation efforts in West Virginia and opportunities for volunteer engagement. The meeting begins at 6:30 PM at the South Charleston Library. Hope to see you there!
Monday, February 10th, 2025
Andy Altman giving updates and info on the West Virginia Land Trust Mammoth Preserve.
Big dreams in a big place: The West Virginia Land Trust’s new Mammoth Preserve, named for both the nearby town and for its large size, creates a lot of opportunity.
Located in eastern Kanawha County, the 5,000-acre former surface mine site will host a cutting-edge forest and stream restoration project. It will also offer recreational opportunities for residents of a region undergoing an economic transition, where leaders are eager to expand amenities for community residents and visitors alike.
Monday, March 10th, 2025
Monthly meeting. Naturalist John Northeimer will present "Ferns of West Virginia." John will cover the evolution of ferns, reproduction by spores (the fern life cycle), and characteristics for identification. His presentation includes a gallery of photos showing common species.
Future 2025 schedule will be posted when available.
South Charleston Public Library, 312 4th Ave, South Charleston, WV 25303, USA
Be sure to bundle up and come out for our Monday, January 13, meeting, when West Virginia Division of Natural Resources State Ornithologist Rich Bailey will present an update on bird conservation efforts in West Virginia and opportunities for volunteer engagement. The meeting begins at 6:30 PM at the South Charleston Library. Hope to see you there!
Monday, February 10th, 2025
Andy Altman giving updates and info on the West Virginia Land Trust Mammoth Preserve.
Big dreams in a big place: The West Virginia Land Trust’s new Mammoth Preserve, named for both the nearby town and for its large size, creates a lot of opportunity.
Located in eastern Kanawha County, the 5,000-acre former surface mine site will host a cutting-edge forest and stream restoration project. It will also offer recreational opportunities for residents of a region undergoing an economic transition, where leaders are eager to expand amenities for community residents and visitors alike.
Monday, March 10th, 2025
Monthly meeting. Naturalist John Northeimer will present "Ferns of West Virginia." John will cover the evolution of ferns, reproduction by spores (the fern life cycle), and characteristics for identification. His presentation includes a gallery of photos showing common species.
Future 2025 schedule will be posted when available.
All BBC events with location maps can also be found on our Calendar of Events page!
History of the BBC Handlan Chapter
Handlan Chapter was established on February 29, 1944 and named in honor of its president John W. Handlan. Handlan had been one of the founders of Brooks Bird Club in Wheeling, WV, and wrote a nature column for the Charleston Gazette, "Signs Along the Trail". The new chapter held a Christmas count in 1944 and a spring migration count in 1947. Much research was conducted in the forties on the elusive Swainson's Warbler, with nests and populations finally documented in several Charleston local stream hollow locations. In 1952 club members started traveling to Monroe County each fall to count migrating raptors on the peaks of Peter's Mountain. In the sixties Handlan Chapter had a clubroom at Sunrise Museum and also hosted showings of the Audubon Wildlife Films. The 60's and 70's also found us helping with birds at nearby Coonskin Park, Kanawha State Forest, and at a South Charleston Purple Martin roost. We were feeding and banding birds and conducting nest counts. We published "Birds of the Kanawha Valley" in 1976. We helped with the statewide census for the "Atlas" project in 1984-89, leading to the publication of "The West Virginia Breeding Bird Atlas". In 1994 we changed meeting sites to First Presbyterian Church and three years later we published a new edition of "Birds of the Kanawha Valley". Most recently we published the "Swainson's Warbler" journal and partnered with Spring Hill Cemetery for bird walks and a bird checklist.
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Wings over the Mountains ~ By former Handlan Chapter member J. Lawrence Smith With his stories about nature and state history spanning more than 40 years, J. Lawrence Smith was Wonderful West Virginia’s most enduring writer. Whether he told of the magnificence of an ancient spruce forest, the heyday of bateaus on the New River, or the poignant loss of the Bewick’s wren, John engaged readers with his wealth of knowledge and his lyrical prose. His deep love of nature, especially birds, continues to inspire us, as it shines through the pages of this volume. You can order your copy here on the BBC website! Wings over the Mountains |
Current Handlan Officers (2023 ~ 2024)
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Contact information:
Chuck Wirts
[email protected]
Want to join the BBC Handlan Chapter?
Here's a PDF membership form!
Chuck Wirts
[email protected]
Want to join the BBC Handlan Chapter?
Here's a PDF membership form!