Bucky was a professional driver by trade. He has since had to give up his profession due to kidney failure.
Bucky, one of 201 residents of Aurora, West Virginia, has been doing kidney dialysis for 12 years now. His treatments for kidney failure are now daily. I was camping in the forest on assignment to document the beauty of this small slice of a National Forest, managed by the National Forest Service from the Monongahela National Forest office in Elkins, West Virginia. I was gathering visual evidence that this part of the National Forest is utilized and loved for Friends of Blackwater a local conservation organization. Friends of Blackwater was working to rouse people into coming to a public hearing on the issues the forest was facing and to speak up for a place important to them.
The reason for the documentation was to create interest in saving and protecting this natural area from being dammed and from having a fracking wastewater injection well drilled nearly underneath this picturesque stream.
Bucky says that fishing keeps him going. It never matters if he catches anything or not it’s about the quality of time spent outdoors away from others in a peaceful and serene environment. When he catches a trout, then that becomes his dinner for the night. Fishing with Bucky was two of his fishing buddies, Randy and Mike.
There is now an initiative to permanently preserve this wild land that enjoyed by so many people in their own way. Learn more about the initiative or lend your support and help by reaching out to Friends of Blackwater in Thomas, West Virginia.
