UNION, W.Va. — A unique feature on a remote mountaintop in Monroe County is drawing more and more support. The Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory was ordered closed in November and since then, those who love the attraction are trying to find ways to save it.
“It’s going to have to be torn down, but we’re trying to get a structural engineer on site to help design a new one to be built with a longer life,” said Monroe County Commission President Melvin Young.
Volunteers have been using the observatory to watch migrating birds of prey from the apex of the mountain dividing West Virginia and Virginia for many years. Those are the leading advocates for gathering support for the project. The Observatory is a former fire tower from the 1940’s and 50’s and sits on property of the Jefferson National Forest in West Virginia. Young said he’s trying to build support for replacing the remote tower.
“It’s just an amazing place. You can see two states and you’ve got a 360 degree view. It’s an incredible place and it’s just an important part of Monroe County and Craig County in Virginia and the Waitesville area in West Virginia. We cannot let this thing go, we’ve got to get it back,” he explained in a recent conversation on West Virginia Outdoors.
The problem, as usual, is a lack of funding. The U.S. Forest Service has indicated they don’t have the money to rebuild the structure. Monroe County, which just had a fire which set back a $5 Million dollar remodel of the county courthouse, is also without funds to do it. Despite the financial situation, Young said they can’t afford to let it go either because of its value as a tourism draw to the region.
“It’s a big asset for the community. Last year it pulled people from 40 countries into Monroe County. That’s incredible, you can’t find that kind of activity on anything else,” he said.
As difficult as raising the money for the project may be, raising the building might be an even heavier lift.
Young has experience personally as a builder and said the location, a mile and a half off the main road, makes access very difficult. The facility is only accessible by a hiking trail. Young thinks it will require helicopter transport of the materials to build the observation facility or aerial delivery of the finished product.
“I’ve already got a staging location at the bottom of the mountain and then we’ll helicopter everything up there. Depending on how we do it, we could build everything down at the bottom of the mountain and fly it up there,” he said.
The other obstacles include the heavy snow now blanketing the area and the sensitivity of the Forest Service to the project. The agency appears to be on board with the replacement for now according to Young, but they have the final say since it’s on their property.
Young expected to have more meetings in the months ahead with the Forest Service and other officials about moving the project forward.