Natural Area Donated in Charleston

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin says a Kanawha County family has donated more than 100 acres to the state for creation of a natural area. Tomblin announced the gift from the Jack Workman family Thursday. The Forks of Coal State Natural Area will be adjacent to the Coal River and can be accessed from Corridor G a few miles south of the Southridge retail complex. It will feature a youth environmental education center and a variety of nature exhibits and programs. The Claudia L. Workman Environmental Education Visitors Center will be named in memory of Jack Workman’s late wife. The state Division of Natural Resources expects to open the natural area to the public in the spring.