Appalachia’s coldwater resources are still struggling from century-old impacts of the energy industry, including streams buried from mountain top removal and rivers filled with abandoned mine drainage from coal mines. Today, a new form of energy development—unconventional shale gas—is being aggressively pursued. The potential ecological and environmental risks associated with drilling for shale gas are many and varied, including those to West Virginia and Virginia’s storied trout streams.  To protect these areas, Trout Unlimited is building state-wide network of volunteer stewards to monitor high quality streams and conduct visual reconnaissance in watersheds that are most vulnerable to the impacts of gas development. To learn more about the WV/VA Shale Gas Monitoring Program please contact Jake Lemon, Eastern Shale Gas Monitoring Coordinator, at jlemon@tu.org.