Friends of the Tug Fork River 

A nonprofit organization formed to preserve and protect the Tug Fork River and its watershed, raise awareness of its history, and develop recreation, tourism, and economic opportunities for our area.

Help Us Help Our River With a Donation!

We have many needs including equipment purchases, local funds to match state and federal grants, insurance, river access site maintenance and more. All donations will be put toward the work we do with our river.

Use the donate button to process through PayPal or mail a check made payable to "Friends of the Tug Fork River" to 30 N. Sunset Blvd, Williamson, WV 25661. We are a 501(c)3 nonprofit so all donations are tax deductable.

Want to Paddle and/or Fish the Tug Fork River?

Check out our West Virginia "Bloody Mingo Tug Fork River Water Trail". The trail runs 60 miles, the entire length of Mingo county, WV and its border with Pike and Martin Counties in Kentucky. Our river is an excellent smallmouth bass fishery and has plenty of scenery and history as well.

We admittedly have a huge problem with waste tires in our river. Our Annual "Tire Tug of War" waste tire cleanup events have been a major success but years of work remain. 

Tires have been our main focus for a few years but a more diverse approach to address other important issues is coming! An EPA Watershed Based Plan to be developed soon will lead us into the future.

Waste Tire Drop-off Trailer

...A Pound Of Cure

In 2022 we formed a partnership with WV DEP REAP, City of Williamson, Mingo County Solid Waste Authority, and Veolia Water to provide an alternative for disposal of waste tires. West Virginia residents can bring up to 10 old tires from their home to be disposed of properly by REAP free of charge.

The program has sparked residents to do neighborhood and stream cleanups. We gladly accept those "formerly wilded" waste tires too. 

As of the end of October 2023, after two years, we have had 2,487 tires dropped off. We know that these will not end up dumped over a hillside or in our river. 

Some Of Our Partners