With a 40% increase in visitation from its redesignation in 2020, the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is contributed nearly $33 million more to local economies in neighboring gateway communities in 2023 than in 2019, says Eve West, chief of visitor services for the park as well as the Gauley River National Recreation Area and the Bluestone National Scenic River. In 2019, pre-redesignation total visitor spending for New River in gateway communities was $53.4 million, according to West, while in 2023, three years after becoming a national park and preserve, visitor spending rose to $86.2 million, a 61 percent increase. As the fourth anniversary of the re-designation which resulted in the birth of NRGNPP arrives later this month, as well as being four years away from the New River celebrating its 50th anniversary as a National Park Service component, local parks officials are still coming to terms with the increased visitation numbers created by the national park designation. “New River is four years away from celebrating its 50th anniversary as part of the National Park Service,” West said this week. With increased tourism traffic, stewardship of national parks includes tasks ranging from helping provide a financial stream of support to people cleaning up local trails and streams as they depart the region after their explorations. There’s a role all interested individuals and organizations can play in the success of the parks, West said. “Everyone has a role to play in the stewardship and support of our country’s national parks and helping to ensure safe and enjoyable experiences in parks,” she said. “Visitors are encouraged to plan ahead, choose activities that align with skill levels, and practice Leave No Trace principles,” West said. Reducing instances of resource damage mitigation or the need for emergency services enables park staff to concentrate on other essential duties, she said. “Right now, we are reflecting a roughly 40 percent increase park-wide. Visitation is also increasing at the Gauley River NRA with the second-highest month ever on record happening this year. To allow the parks to be equipped to handle the ongoing influx of visitors as well as visits from local residents, officials must continue to maintain and upgrade facilities and offerings as time marches on. Sometimes funding for that is limited or takes a little longer to develop. A report earlier in December written by Mike Magner of CQ-Roll Call and distributed by Tribune Content Agency highlighted that the NPS has seen a surge in private support in the face of a maintenance backlog of more than $23 billion. Visits to national parks rose from about 275 million in 2010 to 325 million last year, the report revealed. Many individuals also gave back by volunteering via avenues such as rebuilding trails, clearing trash or organizing special events. According to the report, the National Park Service has an operating budget of $3.3 billion in fiscal 2024 and about 20,000 full-time employees. The Great American Outdoors Act passed by Congress in 2020 supplied up to $1.3 billion annually through 2025 to help reduce the backlog in deferred maintenance projects. The Interior Department reported last year that visitor spending in communities near national parks totals more than $50 billion a year and supports about 400,000 jobs. According to West, deferred maintenance and repair needs in parks are a result of “limited resources available to maintain the National Park Service’s complex portfolio of 75,000-plus assets, including historic structures, roads, bridges, trails, campgrounds and utility systems.” The NPS, she added, is making a “concerted effort” to reduce deferred maintenance and repair needs using a variety of funding sources, including the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund, Federal Lands Transportation Program, Repair/Rehabilitation, Line-Item Construction and Recreation Fee Revenue. West said that New River Gorge NPP currently has an estimated $95 million in deferred maintenance and repair needs, while Gauley River NRA’s deferred needs total an estimated $5.4 million and Bluestone NSR an estimated $475,000. Major projects in the funding stream at NRGNPP for the approaching year include repairs to the Rend Trail and bridges, as well as to Cunard and Glade Creek roads. Estimated costs for these projects combined is $23.5 million, she pointed out. At the Gauley River NRA, the major project will be rehabilitation of the Gauley Tailwaters Campground, pegged at $196,000. Federal highway work is currently proceeding along Cunard Road, according to West. Two recently-completed projects at New River include repair and replacement of portions of the Kaymoor steps on the Kaymoor Miners Trail, and painting and replacing door and window facings at the historic Thurmond depot. More detailed information about park infrastructure projects can be found at https://www.nps.gov/subjects/infrastructure/maintenance-backlog.htm. Support for the national parks comes from several fronts. The Friends of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve “is the primary philanthropic partner and has a mission to enhance, support and promote the three parks,” said West. “The Friends raise funds for projects that benefit the park; two recent examples are the installation of raft blowers for private boaters at the Cunard river access on the New and tailwaters access on the Gauley, and bike pump stations at the Arrowhead and Rend trailheads. “They are a huge supporter of the Camp Brookside Environmental Education Center and have done many things to benefit that facility,” said West. “They also assist the park with public programs and represent the park at various events such as Bridge Day.” For more information or to become involved, the Friends website is www.friendsofnewriver.org. Assistance arrives from other segments of society, too. “Volunteers are varied and perform a variety of functions, either as individuals or members of a group,” said West. “The New River Alliance of Climbers work on trails associated with popular climbing routes, scouting groups do various projects, and New River Conservancy conducts river cleanups. “The park also has a Adopt-A-Trail program where individuals or groups can monitor trails, do trash cleanup and other related activities. Active Southern West Virginia also works directly with the park in providing recreation-based programming through its Get Active in the Park program. Community captains lead hikes, standup paddle board, climbing and various other community outreach programs.” An ongoing proposal that is geared toward removal of some structures of historical prominence in the region has created much debate in recent months. If removal of structures goes forward, that project will not chip away at funds required for other projects in the park, West said. “These funds were provided through the Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Restoration Fund targeted to reduce deferred maintenance and repair needs in national parks,” said West. “Priority was placed upon removal of deteriorating, underutilized and unsafe structures. We cannot use these funds in any other way.” According to West, the park is currently reviewing comments to the environmental assessment phase which lists the three alternatives that have been proposed. Public responses that provide a viable alternative or question the accuracy of the analysis are being considered in the final decision, she said. Email: skeenan@register-herald.com; follow on Facebook
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