Charleston, WV (AP) -- The county extension service that aids West Virginia farmers may also help the state keep tabs on its cemeteries.
The House of Delegates voted 87-11 Monday to send the senate a measure that would use extension agents in collecting global positioning system coordinates for a statewide map of grave sites.
The measure comes as the state's family and community cemeteries are being lost to time and to mining, timbering and development.
Opponents question adding this duty to an agriculture agency.
But supporters say its officials endorse the idea, and locating these grave sites would be a great project for local 4-H clubs.
The mapping measure appears the most successful of several bills introduced this session that aim to protect small cemeteries.
(Copyright 2009 by the Associated Press. All rights reserved.)
