daily304 - Episode 02.16.2024

Today is Friday, Feb. 16  

#1 – From ONE TOYOTA – Environmental engineer Amanda Young has worked for Toyota West Virginia for three years. She spoke to One Toyota about her role, why she’s passionate about biodiversity and why you should always speak up.

“Environmental work is unpredictable. However, my team and I are working every day to make sure Toyota West Virginia is always in compliance and meeting our goals. We physically inspect equipment, write reports and mitigate any issues as they arise,” Young said.

She is part of the Region 1 team that assists non-manufacturing sites with their environmental compliance. She also works with the sustainability team through the biodiversity working group to try to effect change across Toyota North America to protect native species and help build native habitat.

Young has found that women at Toyota are extremely supportive of each other. 

“I was nominated to attend the women’s conference last year and met some amazing women who are still my friends to this day. We want to see each other succeed and be role models for others,” she said.

Read more:

https://one.toyota.com/member/post/072cf164-0692-48c1-bf17-b9816ea0b858?uc=34588&g=f215efa5-d6f2-4c97-b149-08e20ebfcb4a&f=186416

#2 – From WV NEWS – The West Virginia Department of Natural Resources has taken on a four-year project to study the state’s snowshoe hare population.

The DNR plans to observe the hares in their natural habitat. The snowshoe hare can be spotted in the upper regions of the state, from Tucker and Grant counties to Greenbrier County. 

The snowshoe hare has always been a resident of the state, but a population influx in the 1940s increased their numbers.

The snowshoe hare undergoes a color change in winter, from brown to white. Instead of burrowing underground like rabbits do, they inhabit dense, low areas on the ground and are active mainly at night.

The research team uses trail cameras to record the hares and even collects their droppings. The droppings are unique to each hare and can provide data about the location and population of these hares in West Virginia.

Read more:

https://www.wvnews.com/news/wvnews/west-virginia-dnr-launches-four-year-study-on-snowshoe-hare-population-and-habits/article_3a6ff184-c75a-11ee-ae9e-0348c9eede99.html

#3 – From TIMES WV – A downtown Bluefield restaurant that’s celebrating its 10th anniversary is getting a shining spotlight this month that’s putting it before a national audience.

The RailYard will host a visit from America’s Best Restaurants on Feb. 19. Emma Bailey, the restaurant’s former general manager, said ABR learned about The Railyard while shooting an episode last year at The Corner Shop restaurant in Bramwell.

“We’re really excited. It kind of brings up all of the hard work we’ve had in the past 10 years. That brings it into the light and shows what we’ve really done,” Bailey said.

America’s Best Restaurants is a national media and marketing company focusing on bringing attention to local, independently-owned restaurants. The episode will air on social media channels at a later date, according to the ABR.

To learn more about The RailYard and view a menu, visit www.railyardwv.com.

Read more:

https://www.timeswv.com/news/monday_news/bluefield-restaurant-the-railyard-to-be-featured-on-americas-best-restaurants-roadshow/article_b8e80631-c718-569c-99f3-bece7173591f.html

 Find these stories and more at wv.gov/daily304.

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That’s all for now. Take care. Be safe. Get outside and enjoy all the opportunity West Virginia has to offer.