Gauley River Public Meeting December 11th!

On December 11th, 2003, the National Park Service will hold the second of four public meetings to discuss the Development Concept Plan for the Gauley River National Recreation Area. Paddlers who attended the first meeting, on September 23rd, found the meeting to be a valuable forum for sharing ideas and concerns with the National Park Service. American Whitewater was represented at that meeting by Eastern Conservation and Access Director Kevin Colburn and Board Member Charlie Walbridge.

American Whitewater would strongly suggest that paddlers that recreate on the Gauley and Meadow rivers get involved with this public process. Decisions will be made through this process that affect river access and access for other forms of recreation, ecological integrity, and the greater paddling experience.

For additional background the best resource is the August Newsletter published by the NPS and to learn more about what happened at the September 23rd meeting check out the hot-off-the-press November Newsletter.

To get involved you should consider attending the public meetings, filing written comments, and keeping an eye on the AW page for action alerts. We will be filing comments when the opportunity arises and will be requesting that the paddling community do the same.

The second public meeting is scheduled for December 11th, 2003 from 7:00 -9:00 PM at the Kesslers Cross Lanes Volunteer Fire Department, on WV Route 129 (6.5 miles west of U.S. Route 19) in Kesslers Cross Lanes, WV.

The third public meeting will be scheduled in the late winter of 2004.

Public comment is welcome throughout the planning process. Interested parties should provide their comments to the NPS in writing, using either the address or e-mail link below.

Write to: Calvin Hite, Superintendent
Gauley River National Recreation Area
P.O. Box 246
Glen Jean, WV 25846

Park Headquarters: (304) 465-0508
Fax: (304) 465-0591

Please email your questions or comments to: gari_dcp@nps.gov.