Gauley River National Recreation Area Story Archives - Page 2 of 2

Loss of Rock Could Change Gauley Ride

A whitewater industry expert says a rock formation change could give experienced rafters a different ride through one of the Gauley River’s most challenging rapids.

ACE Adventure Resort chief of staff David Bassage tells The Register-Herald that a car-size rock at the Class V Heaven Help You rapid on the Lower Gauley is gone. He says the rock apparently broke off.

The rock was one of two located about 10 feet apart just before a pour-over.

Bassage says there’s no indication that the change will pose a bigger risk or hazard.

He says the last significant rapid formation change of this magnitude occurred in 1985 when a flood rearranged rivers in northern West Virginia.

The Gauley River rafting season is scheduled to begin Sept. 11.

National Park Visitors Spent $53 Million in Southern W.Va. in 2014

A report from the National Park Service says three parks in southern West Virginia brought tens of millions of dollars into the surrounding communities, supporting hundreds of jobs.

The National Park Service says the New River Gorge National River, Bluestone National Scenic River and Gauley River National Recreation Area brought 1,280,604 visitors into southern West Virginia last year.

Those visitors spent $53,448,900 in communities near the parks which supported 808 local jobs. NPS quantifies the cumulative local benefit from the three parks to be $60,572,100.

The peer-reviewed spending analysis was conducted by NPS in conjunction with the U.S. Geological Survey. It says visitors spent the most dollars locally on lodging, food and gasoline.

Nationally, 292.8 million people visited national parks last year spending $15.7 billion in communities within 60 miles of those parks. That spending also supported 277,000 jobs across the country.

National Park Service to Update Fire Plan for W.Va. Parks

The National Park Service plans to update the fire management plan for three parks in Southern West Virginia.

The plan would cover New River Gorge National River, Gauley River National Recreation Area, and Bluestone National Scenic River.

The park service says the plan needs to be updated to comply with new federal fire policies and to protect natural and cultural resources, the public, and employee and park facilities.

Public comment is being solicited on a scoping document that explains the purpose of the proposed update. The document includes three preliminary alternatives. The park service says public comments will be used in an evaluation each alternative’s environmental impact.

The document can be accessed online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/neri. May 5 is the deadline to submit comments.

National Park Visitors Spent $51 Million in Southern W.Va. last year

A new National Park Service report shows that visitors to national park areas in southern West Virginia spent $51 million in nearby communities in 2013.

The report says a little more than 1,243,000 people from around the world visited the New River Gorge National River, the Bluestone National Scenic River, and the Gauley River National Recreation Area in 2013.

In a release today NPS Superintendent Trish Kicklighter said that in addition to providing visitors remarkable experiences in America’s outdoors, National Park Tourism is a significant driver in the national economy.

She said for every $1 invested in the National Park Service, $10 is returned to the local economy.

The visitor spending analysis was conducted by U.S. Geological Survey economists. It shows most visitor spending was for lodging (30.3 percent) followed by food and beverages (27.3 percent), gas and oil (12.1 percent), admissions and fees (10.3 percent) and souvenirs and other expenses (10 percent).

The reports says the spending supported 673 jobs in southern West Virginia, mostly at restaurants, bars, and lodging facilities.

Trust to Preserve 665 Acres Along Gauley River

More than 600 acres in the Gauley River National Recreation Area will be protected from development.

The West Virginia Land Trust said Monday that it has acquired 665 acres from Bright Forestland Properties, Larry Deitz, and the Anne E. Deitz Trust. The property is an area known as the Gauley Canyon downstream from the river’s confluence with the Meadow River.

The land trust says in a news release that the gorge provides rafting, kayaking, hiking, fishing and other recreational opportunities.

Adventures on the Gorge vice president Dave Arnold says rafting companies run the Gauley River year-round. He says the land trust’s acquisition of the property offers a potential public access point when the river is low.