| By Bob Weaver
West Virginia officials are opening offers to drill and frack under wildlife conservation land in Tyler County.
The state Department of Commerce will publicly open bids for oil and natural gas rights under Conaway Run Wildlife Management Area.
The bid requires A 20-percent royalty on what's extracted.
The state took bids for extraction and fracking under the Ohio River in northern West Virginia.
More than 5 million people get their drinking water from the Ohio River.
Other properties being considered are 131 acres under Fish Creek in Marshall County; Jug Wildlife Management Area in Tyler County; 24 acres in Doddridge County; and seven more miles under the Ohio River.
There is a new movement to open up national forests to extraction, an movement that was fought against during the Bush administration that pushed to open national park land for extraction.
Trout Unlimited is highlighting the George Washington and Jefferson national forests in Virginia and West Virginia that are places that are at risk from gas drilling activities.
Trout Unlimited's new "10 Special Places" report ranks the region as fifth for its areas that are rich in fish, game and natural beauty.
The report covers threats to the specific regions and offers recommendations for the best approaches that can be used to protect these areas from potential risks.
The group says it would be almost impossible to develop drilling without severely impacting and changing the character of the national forest, its woodlands and streams. | 
