This episode explores the meaning and significance of an ethic of land stewardship by focusing on a nature preserve in the mountains of West Virginia. The Upper Shavers Fork Nature Conservancy Preserve is rare in ecological complexity, and blessed with extraordinary scenic beauty. It is situated in the million-acre Monongahela National Forest within the southernmost section of the northern boreal forest and contains the highest major river in the eastern United States. It is also home to several rare and endangered plant and animal species, and is rich in cultural history. The program depicts a cooperative effort of West Virginia citizen volunteers, national non-profit organizations, and government agencies to restore a landscape formerly devastated by over-timbering and mining to its former health and beauty. It is a narrative of challenges and a story of hope intended to inspire citizens of West Virginia and the nation to participate in similar efforts in their local communities to preserve and protect the quality of their environment.

This episode features historians, citizen activists, artists, and environmental scientists who enrich the viewer's understanding of the history and unique natural environment of the site. They point out current threats to the site such as acid rain, hemlock wooly adelgid, and beech bark fungus disease. Also they examine specific stewardship strategies and discuss the ethic informing the preservation effort.