Mountains and Rivers Media
Rewilding the Human Imagination®

The Potomac Highlands

09-21-2021 12:31:03 Comment(s) By John Canan

A few words towards Rewilding from Mountains & Rivers Media founder John Canan, on the essence of the work we provide:

The Potomac Highlands of West Virginia is truly one of the most scenic areas within the central Appalachian Mountains.  Features seven natural wonders: Unforgettable places such as Dolly SodsBlackwater Falls, the New River, the Gauley River, Spruce Knob, the Monongahela National Forest, the George Washington National Forest to have wondrous experiences and to create lifelong memories.  The historic and scenic places such as Greenland Gap, Ice Mountain, Lost River State Park, North Fork Mountain, Seneca Rocks, Seneca Caverns, and Smoke Hole Caverns.  Most of the places in the Potomac Highlands have incredible conservation stories that are still unfolding as people and organizations work together to protect, restore, and preserve this unique landscape and its wildlife for generations to come. 

"Of these places, I am inseparable, and they are inseparable from me. The genius loci — the spirit of place at work. "

Blackwater Falls in the winter, Davis West Virginia
Blackwater Falls, in the winter. Davis West Virginia
The Potomac Highlands, in the central Appalachian Mountains, is where I entered this world. These are the lands that held me as I grew, fostered by wonder and curiosity as I freely wandered throughout my youth. Humanity and the thrilling chase of enterprise have wreaked devastating and toxic havoc on these lands and the organisms that are inextricably part of them. And it is these lands that restore me even to this day. 

The genii locoru refer to the spirits of these places, the varied and unique landscapes; representing each Place and its characteristics, atmosphere, and the Wonder that each one stirs within the human soul: the Spirits of Places.

We collectively referred to these unique bioregions as the Potomac Highlands. And wherever I go — even thousands of miles away, and however long I linger apart from them, these places their genius loci propel my heart: Beat-by-beat, and always beckons me Home. 

As Fred R. Barnard put it, one picture is worth a thousand words".  Experience the spirit of place as conveyed in curated prints for conservation collection.


Milky Way sky with boulder in foreground  Potomac Highlands Prints for Conservation Photography Collection

Beautify Your Space and Help Them Protect Theirs


Prints for Conservation (tm) bring to you the opportunity to give back to lands you love and the organizations that still work to restore them. This curated collection of prints promotes personal connections with nature. Featuring some recent victories for nature resulting from outcomes that have required decades of work by countless people at all levels. 


Here are some highlights of the Potomac Highlands

To learn more about the Potomac Highlands region check with the West Virginia Tourism Website

Learn more about conservation and stewardship efforts and volunteer opportunities check in with these folks:


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