Fish Distribution
Kanawha Falls is the primary physical barrier that divides the distinct fish fauna of the New River System from that of the Upper Ohio River System (fig. 4). About 90 native species are known from basin streams downstream from Kanawha Falls. This area, referred to as the Kanawha River System, is, along with other river basins throughout West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Maryland, part of the Upper Ohio River System (Hocutt and others, 1986). Upstream from Kanawha Falls, the New River System includes the New and Gauley Rivers, their tributaries, and about one mile of the Kanawha River. The New River System has no more than 45 native species, 8 of which are endemic (found nowhere else in the world) (Jenkins and Burkhead, 1994). Many or most of the native species of the New River System are cold tolerant and thought to be relicts of Pleistocene glaciation (Jenkins and Burkhead, 1994). Many researchers have studied the routes of dispersal for the rest of the native species (Cope, 1868; Addair, 1944; Hocutt and others, 1978, Hocutt and others, 1979; Jenkins and Burkhead, 1994). Whatever the route of natural dispersal into the New River System, at the arrival of Europeans the New River was a depauperate (lacking in species) warm-water system surrounded by environmentally similar stream systems with richer faunas.
Starnes and Etnier (1986) consider much of all fish zoogeography speculative. The native status of several fish species in the New River System is not definitely known, because studies extensive enough to document fish species distribution were not done until after many non-native species were well established in many streams. Stocking records show that some fish species were introduced soon after the first survey of the fish in the basin, when collections were made at only four sites in Virginia (Cope, 1868; Jenkins and Burkhead, 1994). The second survey of the basin’s fish (at fewer than 10 sites) was made in response to a reported precipitous decline in Appalachian Plateaus fish populations caused by elimination of the virgin forest and related events, including widespread fires and commercial harvesting of stream fish using explosives (Goldsborough and Clark, 1908; Clarkson, 1964). No extensive basinwide fish collections were made until the 1930’s, well after fisheries managers had pursued aggressive stocking programs but probably before rapid transportation enabled anglers to move bait species extensively across drainage boundaries.
Addair (1944) collected fish throughout the West Virginia part of the basin during the 1930’s. He collected 28 fish species from about 50 sites upstream from Kanawha Falls, and some of these (smallmouth, spotted, and rock bass, common carp) were known introductions. Addair collected fish only by seining. Fish collection technology has improved since the 1930’s, making it possible to collect more species of fish from a given stream reach, including species that might have been present but not abundant during Addair’s surveys. However, human movement of bait fish across drainage basin boundaries became widespread during or shortly after Addair’s surveys. These trends combine to make the native status of species first collected in the basin since Addair’s collections ambiguous. Scientific judgment of the native status of several species in the New River System has changed through time (Jenkins and others, 1972; Hocutt, Stauffer, and Jenkins, 1986; Jenkins and Burkhead, 1994). Known non-native fish species continue to expand their ranges in the New River System (Cincotta and others, 1999); this expansion suggests that some species presently considered native or tentatively native, which were first collected in the 1970’s at only a few sites but are now more widespread, may not be native.New River
Sunday, October 2, 2011
USGS Kanawha Basin Facts
Description of the Kanawha River BasinThe Kanawha River Basin drains 12,223 mi2 in North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia (Messinger and Hughes, 2000). The New River, the major tributary of the Kanawha River, is formed in North Carolina (fig. 1). Major tributaries (> 400 mi2) of the New River are the Bluestone and Greenbrier Rivers in West Virginia. The Kanawha River is formed at Gauley Bridge, W.Va., by the confluence of the New and Gauley Rivers, and its other major tributaries are the Elk and Coal Rivers. The Kanawha River drains to the Ohio River at Point Pleasant, W.Va.
The Kanawha River drains parts of three physiographic provinces (fig. 2), the Blue Ridge Province (17 percent), Valley and Ridge Province (23 percent), and the Appalachian Plateaus Province (60 percent) (Fenneman, 1938). In the Appalachian Plateaus part of the basin, hilltop altitude ranges from about 1,000 ft to about 4,000 ft, generally from northwest to east and southeast, and relief and stream gradient generally are greater in the area with greater altitude. The differences in altitude and relief within the Appalachian Plateaus have caused differences in environmental conditions including precipitation, streamflow, stream gradient, terrestrial vegetation, and land use (Messinger and Hughes, 2000).
The climate of the Kanawha River Basin is classified as continental, with four distinct seasons and marked temperature contrast between summer and winter (Messinger and Hughes, 2000). The maximum precipitation in the basin is greater than 60 in/yr both in the northeastern Appalachian Plateaus and in the southern Blue Ridge Province. The minimum precipitation in the basin, about 36 in/yr, is in the Valley and Ridge Province and in the Greenbrier Valley, in a regional rain shadow; however, the westernmost part of the Appalachian Plateaus receives only slightly more precipitation, about 40–45 in/yr.
Streams are regulated by four major flood-control dams, three navigation dams, and several smaller dams. All these dams obstruct fish movement. No fish that migrate to or from the ocean have ever been common in the basin, although some native fish, notably suckers, are strongly migratory within and near the basin. Ninety miles of the Kanawha River main stem are regulated for barge navigation by large locks and dams at London, Marmet, and Winfield. This entire reach of the river is dredged periodically.
Streams in the Blue Ridge Province follow a dendritic drainage pattern. Many mountain streams are cold and support (or formerly supported) brook trout populations, but the larger streams are warm. Stream water is typically dilute (less than 200 mg/L dissolved solids) and neutral to slightly acidic. Streams of the Valley and Ridge Province follow a trellised drainage pattern. Bedrock in the valleys is typically shale and limestone, and waters in Valley and Ridge streams are generally slightly alkaline
(7.0–8.0 pH units) and contain more dissolved solids (200–350 mg/L) than do streams in the Blue Ridge Province.
Streams throughout the Appalachian Plateaus follow a dendritic drainage pattern. Many high-altitude streams are cold, and some streams draining areas larger than 100 mi2 support trout populations. Bedrock in the northeastern part of the Appalachian Plateaus generally is inert, insoluble sandstone and shale. Stream water in this area typically is very dilute (30–100 mg/L dissolved solids) and poorly buffered, and some streams have been degraded by acid precipitation (Messinger, 1997). Streams in the rest of the Appalachian Plateaus typically have lower gradients than streams in the areas of highest altitude. The Greenbrier River and its eastern tributaries are underlain by limestone, and their waters are mildly alkaline (7.0–8.0 pH units), well buffered, and moderate in dissolved solids (150–200 mg/L). Bedrock in the western part of the Appalachian Plateaus Province is predominantly sandstone, shale, and coal, with interbedded limestone. The shale typically yields more solutes than the sandstone does, and relative amounts of shale increase in a gradient from south to north. Stream water in the western part of the Appalachian Plateaus contains more dissolved solids than any other part of the basin, with typical concentrations of 500 mg/L in the Coal River and its tributaries, the downstream tributaries of the Elk River, and many minor tributaries of the Kanawha River. Most stream water in this part of the basin is mildly alkaline and well buffered. The basin is mostly forest (81 percent) with a substantial amount of agricultural land (16 percent) (Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Interagency Consortium, 1997). Major industries in the basin include coal mining and chemical manufacturing in West Virginia, timbering throughout most of the basin, and pasture agriculture in Virginia, North Carolina, and parts of West Virginia (Messinger and Hughes, 2000). The Kanawha River Basin produces about 7 percent of the coal mined in the United States, mostly from a band of Pennsylvanian-age rocks in West Virginia (fig. 3). Where coal is minable, it has usually been mined repeatedly, using different methods (Paybins and others, 2001). Numbers of active surface and underground mines and abandoned mines are all generally greatest in the areas with the most total coal production, complicating attempts to separate the effects of these factors. Major hydrologic effects of coal mining include addition of sulfate, aluminum, iron, and manganese to water, and increase in stream sedimentation. Base flow is increased downstream from valley fills (Wiley and others, 2001), but subsidence from underground mining beneath valley floors can dewater aquifers and streams (Hobba, 1981) The New River may be among the oldest rivers in the world, although the claim that it is the second oldest river in the world is no longer considered to be well-founded (Swift, 2001; Lessing, 1997). Until about 2 million years ago, the New River was the headwater of the Teays River, the master stream flowing from the central Appalachian Mountains toward the Gulf of Mexico (Fridley, 1950). The native fish fauna of the New River is probably affected by both the New River’s ancient position as head of the Teays River, and by combinations of geomorphic barriers and climate changes during times of glaciation (Jenkins and Burkhead, 1994).
The Kanawha River drains parts of three physiographic provinces (fig. 2), the Blue Ridge Province (17 percent), Valley and Ridge Province (23 percent), and the Appalachian Plateaus Province (60 percent) (Fenneman, 1938). In the Appalachian Plateaus part of the basin, hilltop altitude ranges from about 1,000 ft to about 4,000 ft, generally from northwest to east and southeast, and relief and stream gradient generally are greater in the area with greater altitude. The differences in altitude and relief within the Appalachian Plateaus have caused differences in environmental conditions including precipitation, streamflow, stream gradient, terrestrial vegetation, and land use (Messinger and Hughes, 2000).
The climate of the Kanawha River Basin is classified as continental, with four distinct seasons and marked temperature contrast between summer and winter (Messinger and Hughes, 2000). The maximum precipitation in the basin is greater than 60 in/yr both in the northeastern Appalachian Plateaus and in the southern Blue Ridge Province. The minimum precipitation in the basin, about 36 in/yr, is in the Valley and Ridge Province and in the Greenbrier Valley, in a regional rain shadow; however, the westernmost part of the Appalachian Plateaus receives only slightly more precipitation, about 40–45 in/yr.
Streams are regulated by four major flood-control dams, three navigation dams, and several smaller dams. All these dams obstruct fish movement. No fish that migrate to or from the ocean have ever been common in the basin, although some native fish, notably suckers, are strongly migratory within and near the basin. Ninety miles of the Kanawha River main stem are regulated for barge navigation by large locks and dams at London, Marmet, and Winfield. This entire reach of the river is dredged periodically.
Streams in the Blue Ridge Province follow a dendritic drainage pattern. Many mountain streams are cold and support (or formerly supported) brook trout populations, but the larger streams are warm. Stream water is typically dilute (less than 200 mg/L dissolved solids) and neutral to slightly acidic. Streams of the Valley and Ridge Province follow a trellised drainage pattern. Bedrock in the valleys is typically shale and limestone, and waters in Valley and Ridge streams are generally slightly alkaline
(7.0–8.0 pH units) and contain more dissolved solids (200–350 mg/L) than do streams in the Blue Ridge Province.
Streams throughout the Appalachian Plateaus follow a dendritic drainage pattern. Many high-altitude streams are cold, and some streams draining areas larger than 100 mi2 support trout populations. Bedrock in the northeastern part of the Appalachian Plateaus generally is inert, insoluble sandstone and shale. Stream water in this area typically is very dilute (30–100 mg/L dissolved solids) and poorly buffered, and some streams have been degraded by acid precipitation (Messinger, 1997). Streams in the rest of the Appalachian Plateaus typically have lower gradients than streams in the areas of highest altitude. The Greenbrier River and its eastern tributaries are underlain by limestone, and their waters are mildly alkaline (7.0–8.0 pH units), well buffered, and moderate in dissolved solids (150–200 mg/L). Bedrock in the western part of the Appalachian Plateaus Province is predominantly sandstone, shale, and coal, with interbedded limestone. The shale typically yields more solutes than the sandstone does, and relative amounts of shale increase in a gradient from south to north. Stream water in the western part of the Appalachian Plateaus contains more dissolved solids than any other part of the basin, with typical concentrations of 500 mg/L in the Coal River and its tributaries, the downstream tributaries of the Elk River, and many minor tributaries of the Kanawha River. Most stream water in this part of the basin is mildly alkaline and well buffered. The basin is mostly forest (81 percent) with a substantial amount of agricultural land (16 percent) (Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Interagency Consortium, 1997). Major industries in the basin include coal mining and chemical manufacturing in West Virginia, timbering throughout most of the basin, and pasture agriculture in Virginia, North Carolina, and parts of West Virginia (Messinger and Hughes, 2000). The Kanawha River Basin produces about 7 percent of the coal mined in the United States, mostly from a band of Pennsylvanian-age rocks in West Virginia (fig. 3). Where coal is minable, it has usually been mined repeatedly, using different methods (Paybins and others, 2001). Numbers of active surface and underground mines and abandoned mines are all generally greatest in the areas with the most total coal production, complicating attempts to separate the effects of these factors. Major hydrologic effects of coal mining include addition of sulfate, aluminum, iron, and manganese to water, and increase in stream sedimentation. Base flow is increased downstream from valley fills (Wiley and others, 2001), but subsidence from underground mining beneath valley floors can dewater aquifers and streams (Hobba, 1981) The New River may be among the oldest rivers in the world, although the claim that it is the second oldest river in the world is no longer considered to be well-founded (Swift, 2001; Lessing, 1997). Until about 2 million years ago, the New River was the headwater of the Teays River, the master stream flowing from the central Appalachian Mountains toward the Gulf of Mexico (Fridley, 1950). The native fish fauna of the New River is probably affected by both the New River’s ancient position as head of the Teays River, and by combinations of geomorphic barriers and climate changes during times of glaciation (Jenkins and Burkhead, 1994).
New River Musky
Muskellunge were first stocked in the New River in 1972. The total number of fish stocked varied from year to year until a stocking rate of 1-2 fingerlings per pool acre became the standard. Tiger musky were stocked a few years but survival was poor and anglers were not seeing them, so we went back to stocking pure strain musky. A musky habitat study began in 1992 and lasted through 1995. Pool lengths, widths, and depths were measured on the Clinch, New, James, and Shenandoah Rivers. Aquatic vegetation was identified. Stocking rates and stocking locations were then adjusted to more efficiently allocate the muskies produced in our hatchery system.
Beginning in 2000, a cooperative musky research project between Virginia Tech and our Department, began to evaluate management of the New River musky fishery. Musky captured by electrofishing in the Whitethorne section of the river were outfitted with radio transmitters and tracked weekly for three years. During that time, additional sampling was done each winter and early spring throughout the New. Stomachs of each collected musky were pumped for food items, and most fish were released back into the river. A select few were sacrificed for additional internal investigations, and a bone called the cleithra, found in the gill covering plate, was removed for aging of the fish. Data analysis lead researchers to recommend an increase in the minimum harvest length from 30 inches to 42 inches, and a decrease in the creel limit from two fish per day to one fish per day on the entire New River and its impoundments. The new regulations were approved and went into effect on July 1, 2006.
Current Management Project
One of the goals of the New River musky stocking program has been to produce a self sustaining, naturally reproducing population of fish, with the understanding that periodic stockings would have to be done to support the population. For the last 20 years or so,
musky reproduction was considered possible in the New, particularly in the lower river below Claytor Lake because of the abundant habitat, forage, and adult population found there. To document reproduction, a plan was devised to skip a couple of years of stockings in the lower river in 2004 and 2006, and to intensively sample for young-of-year (YOY) musky the following winters (when the fish would be nearly a year old). If young fish were found, it would be assumed that they were naturally reproduced. In addition, all musky stocked in 2005 received a fin clip, and all those stocked in the lower river in 2007 were clipped and given a pink visual implant elastomer (plastic) mark in their anal fin.
Our musky, produced at the Buller Fish Cultural Station near Marion, VA, are usually four to six inches in length when stocked. A change was made in the program in 2007 for the New River fish. Following the draining of the production pond at Buller, the New River fish were stocked back into the pond after it was refilled. They were fed with minnows for an additional three months and when the pond was drained in September, the musky averaged nine inches with some as long as twelve inches in length. The purpose of the grow-out plan was to stock a larger fish, hoping for better survival the first year.
Management Project Results
Electrofishing on the lower New in January and February, 2005, resulted in the capture or close observance (defined as just out of reach of the net!) of 25 YOY musky, which equates to a catch-per-effort (CPE) rate of 1.6 YOY musky per hour of electrofishing
(Table 1). On the upper New at Fosters Falls and Austinville during that same time period, only one YOY was captured for a CPE of 0.1 per hour (Table 2). All of these 26 YOY had to have been naturally reproduced since no musky were stocked in 2004.
Sampling on the lower river in 2006 resulted in approximately the same YOY CPE at 1.5 per hour, and a slight increase in the upper river to 0.5 YOY per hour. The increase in CPE on the upper river is not really significant as it reflects the capture of only two young musky rather than one the year before. None of the YOY captured in 2006 exhibited the fin clip done to 2005 stocked musky. Here again is evidence of natural reproduction. In addition, several two year old musky were captured in 2006 that came from a non-stocked year in 2004. It was decided that sampling for YOY musky should be concentrated more on the lower New for the next two years where natural reproduction appeared to be much more significant.
There was a slight drop in YOY CPE on the lower New in 2007 to 1.2 per hour. But as in 2005, all 25 fish were the result of natural reproduction since no stockings took place in 2006. CPE remained the same on the upper river but again, only two YOY were caught there.
A dramatic increase in the number of YOY musky collected took place below Claytor Lake in 2008, all the way to West Virginia. Young fish were found in high numbers at almost every sampling location for a CPE of 7.7 per hour. The most significant thing about this was that only three fish exhibited the pink elastomer mark and fin clip of the 2007 stocked musky. The rest of the more than 100 YOY were wild fish. Only one short sample was done above Claytor and no musky were seen.
Adult musky were captured and/or observed each year of the investigation. Adult CPE had been slowly increasing on the lower river but then dropped significantly in 2008. Sampling conditions were poor for adult collections in 2008 as the
water was low and extremely clear for most of the sample dates. Large musky tend to remain more in the middle of the river under these conditions and they are not easily sampled there. They can also easily avoid the electric field when the water is clear and they can see
the boat from a distance. CPE on the upper river decreased each year on the upper river but was most likely the result of the decrease in sampling effort there. The most abundant size group of adult fish observed on both sections of the New has been fish in the mid to upper 30 inch range. However, musky up to 45 inches were routinely seen.
Current Population Status
The New River, particularly the reach from Claytor Dam downstream to West Virginia, has been and remains today, the premier destination to fish for large musky in Virginia. Anglers have registered 361 citation size musky (40 inches or 15 pounds)
over the last eleven years, including eight over 50 inches (Table 4). The present state record, a 53 inch, 45.5 pound giant, was caught in the lower New June 1, 2007. Based on the weight of eggs taken from a 39 pound musky sacrificed during the joint VT/DGIF study, this female musky undoubtedly would have weighed over 50 pounds back in the spring during spawning
season.
Almost half of the registered citation musky were caught during the May through July time period. The coldest months of December through January produced the second highest total of citation fish. Many large musky are caught by smallmouth anglers throughout the year, but the majority of the winter citations are registered by dedicated musky anglers fishing the river pretty much by themselves. March and September are the two months when the lowest number of citations are registered from the New. During March there is a migration from winter holes to spawning areas, and in September, the migration is back to their winter holes. It becomes difficult for anglers to find the moving fish during those months.
This high rate of angler harvest was one of the main reasons that the size limit was raised to 42 inches in 2006. Almost 50% of the citations were for fish under 42 inches and it is a good thing that those size musky are now protected from harvest. Up to about 40 inches or so, musky grow more in length than weight, but from there on up they really pack on the pounds and become true trophy fish.
Musky natural reproduction was first documented in 2005, and verified in 2007 and 2008. Natural reproduction by musky in the lower New produced an outstanding year class of young fish in 2007. Aquatic weed beds and backwater eddies covered in leaves are prime spawning areas for musky and the lower New has these habitats in great abundance. The question remains as to whether or not natural reproduction alone can maintain the musky population at its present level in the lower New. Although winter musky sampling has not yet been as frequent on the upper river, spring bass, sunfish, and walleye sampling has not shown musky reproduction to be significant upstream of Claytor Lake.
A couple of weeks after this report was written, we spent almost two hours electrofishing two sections of the lower New in order to collect adult brood fish for Buller Hatchery. All total, close to 30 adult musky (up to approximately 30 pounds) and eight YOY were collected in that short time.
Management Recommendations
The 2008 lower New River musky stocking should be cancelled due to the finding of an extremely abundant 2007 year class. Natural reproduction in 2007 should be able to support the fishery without stocking in 2008. Fin clips collected from sampled musky in 2007 and 2008 should be genetically analyzed at Virginia Tech to determine if a unique native stock of musky exists in the New River. Intensive sampling should continue on the lower New during January and February 2009, to continue documentation of natural reproduction. The results of that sampling and the genetic research should be used to develop a long term stocking plan for the lower river. One idea is to base whether to stock and the number to stock on winter surveys of the abundance of the previous years YOY portion of the fishery. Consideration should be given to always stocking advanced fingerlings of at least nine inches to increase the chance of survival. Smaller musky are too easily preyed upon immediately after stocking.
The 650 musky to be stocked in the upper New River in 2008 should be grown to advanced fingerling size as they were in 2007. Those to be stocked in 2009 should also be grown to advanced fingerling size prior to stocking, and also marked in some way to
facilitate an investigation into quantifying natural reproduction. Surveys should occur during the winter of 2009 as time allows, but intensive sampling needs to be a priority in 2010 to look for the marked individuals stocked in 2009.
Beginning in 2000, a cooperative musky research project between Virginia Tech and our Department, began to evaluate management of the New River musky fishery. Musky captured by electrofishing in the Whitethorne section of the river were outfitted with radio transmitters and tracked weekly for three years. During that time, additional sampling was done each winter and early spring throughout the New. Stomachs of each collected musky were pumped for food items, and most fish were released back into the river. A select few were sacrificed for additional internal investigations, and a bone called the cleithra, found in the gill covering plate, was removed for aging of the fish. Data analysis lead researchers to recommend an increase in the minimum harvest length from 30 inches to 42 inches, and a decrease in the creel limit from two fish per day to one fish per day on the entire New River and its impoundments. The new regulations were approved and went into effect on July 1, 2006.
Current Management Project
One of the goals of the New River musky stocking program has been to produce a self sustaining, naturally reproducing population of fish, with the understanding that periodic stockings would have to be done to support the population. For the last 20 years or so,
musky reproduction was considered possible in the New, particularly in the lower river below Claytor Lake because of the abundant habitat, forage, and adult population found there. To document reproduction, a plan was devised to skip a couple of years of stockings in the lower river in 2004 and 2006, and to intensively sample for young-of-year (YOY) musky the following winters (when the fish would be nearly a year old). If young fish were found, it would be assumed that they were naturally reproduced. In addition, all musky stocked in 2005 received a fin clip, and all those stocked in the lower river in 2007 were clipped and given a pink visual implant elastomer (plastic) mark in their anal fin.
Our musky, produced at the Buller Fish Cultural Station near Marion, VA, are usually four to six inches in length when stocked. A change was made in the program in 2007 for the New River fish. Following the draining of the production pond at Buller, the New River fish were stocked back into the pond after it was refilled. They were fed with minnows for an additional three months and when the pond was drained in September, the musky averaged nine inches with some as long as twelve inches in length. The purpose of the grow-out plan was to stock a larger fish, hoping for better survival the first year.
Management Project Results
Electrofishing on the lower New in January and February, 2005, resulted in the capture or close observance (defined as just out of reach of the net!) of 25 YOY musky, which equates to a catch-per-effort (CPE) rate of 1.6 YOY musky per hour of electrofishing
(Table 1). On the upper New at Fosters Falls and Austinville during that same time period, only one YOY was captured for a CPE of 0.1 per hour (Table 2). All of these 26 YOY had to have been naturally reproduced since no musky were stocked in 2004.
Sampling on the lower river in 2006 resulted in approximately the same YOY CPE at 1.5 per hour, and a slight increase in the upper river to 0.5 YOY per hour. The increase in CPE on the upper river is not really significant as it reflects the capture of only two young musky rather than one the year before. None of the YOY captured in 2006 exhibited the fin clip done to 2005 stocked musky. Here again is evidence of natural reproduction. In addition, several two year old musky were captured in 2006 that came from a non-stocked year in 2004. It was decided that sampling for YOY musky should be concentrated more on the lower New for the next two years where natural reproduction appeared to be much more significant.
There was a slight drop in YOY CPE on the lower New in 2007 to 1.2 per hour. But as in 2005, all 25 fish were the result of natural reproduction since no stockings took place in 2006. CPE remained the same on the upper river but again, only two YOY were caught there.
A dramatic increase in the number of YOY musky collected took place below Claytor Lake in 2008, all the way to West Virginia. Young fish were found in high numbers at almost every sampling location for a CPE of 7.7 per hour. The most significant thing about this was that only three fish exhibited the pink elastomer mark and fin clip of the 2007 stocked musky. The rest of the more than 100 YOY were wild fish. Only one short sample was done above Claytor and no musky were seen.
Adult musky were captured and/or observed each year of the investigation. Adult CPE had been slowly increasing on the lower river but then dropped significantly in 2008. Sampling conditions were poor for adult collections in 2008 as the
water was low and extremely clear for most of the sample dates. Large musky tend to remain more in the middle of the river under these conditions and they are not easily sampled there. They can also easily avoid the electric field when the water is clear and they can see
the boat from a distance. CPE on the upper river decreased each year on the upper river but was most likely the result of the decrease in sampling effort there. The most abundant size group of adult fish observed on both sections of the New has been fish in the mid to upper 30 inch range. However, musky up to 45 inches were routinely seen.
Current Population Status
The New River, particularly the reach from Claytor Dam downstream to West Virginia, has been and remains today, the premier destination to fish for large musky in Virginia. Anglers have registered 361 citation size musky (40 inches or 15 pounds)
over the last eleven years, including eight over 50 inches (Table 4). The present state record, a 53 inch, 45.5 pound giant, was caught in the lower New June 1, 2007. Based on the weight of eggs taken from a 39 pound musky sacrificed during the joint VT/DGIF study, this female musky undoubtedly would have weighed over 50 pounds back in the spring during spawning
season.
Almost half of the registered citation musky were caught during the May through July time period. The coldest months of December through January produced the second highest total of citation fish. Many large musky are caught by smallmouth anglers throughout the year, but the majority of the winter citations are registered by dedicated musky anglers fishing the river pretty much by themselves. March and September are the two months when the lowest number of citations are registered from the New. During March there is a migration from winter holes to spawning areas, and in September, the migration is back to their winter holes. It becomes difficult for anglers to find the moving fish during those months.
This high rate of angler harvest was one of the main reasons that the size limit was raised to 42 inches in 2006. Almost 50% of the citations were for fish under 42 inches and it is a good thing that those size musky are now protected from harvest. Up to about 40 inches or so, musky grow more in length than weight, but from there on up they really pack on the pounds and become true trophy fish.
Musky natural reproduction was first documented in 2005, and verified in 2007 and 2008. Natural reproduction by musky in the lower New produced an outstanding year class of young fish in 2007. Aquatic weed beds and backwater eddies covered in leaves are prime spawning areas for musky and the lower New has these habitats in great abundance. The question remains as to whether or not natural reproduction alone can maintain the musky population at its present level in the lower New. Although winter musky sampling has not yet been as frequent on the upper river, spring bass, sunfish, and walleye sampling has not shown musky reproduction to be significant upstream of Claytor Lake.
A couple of weeks after this report was written, we spent almost two hours electrofishing two sections of the lower New in order to collect adult brood fish for Buller Hatchery. All total, close to 30 adult musky (up to approximately 30 pounds) and eight YOY were collected in that short time.
Management Recommendations
The 2008 lower New River musky stocking should be cancelled due to the finding of an extremely abundant 2007 year class. Natural reproduction in 2007 should be able to support the fishery without stocking in 2008. Fin clips collected from sampled musky in 2007 and 2008 should be genetically analyzed at Virginia Tech to determine if a unique native stock of musky exists in the New River. Intensive sampling should continue on the lower New during January and February 2009, to continue documentation of natural reproduction. The results of that sampling and the genetic research should be used to develop a long term stocking plan for the lower river. One idea is to base whether to stock and the number to stock on winter surveys of the abundance of the previous years YOY portion of the fishery. Consideration should be given to always stocking advanced fingerlings of at least nine inches to increase the chance of survival. Smaller musky are too easily preyed upon immediately after stocking.
The 650 musky to be stocked in the upper New River in 2008 should be grown to advanced fingerling size as they were in 2007. Those to be stocked in 2009 should also be grown to advanced fingerling size prior to stocking, and also marked in some way to
facilitate an investigation into quantifying natural reproduction. Surveys should occur during the winter of 2009 as time allows, but intensive sampling needs to be a priority in 2010 to look for the marked individuals stocked in 2009.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Gauley Season Dates/Release Schedule 2011
GAULEY RIVER
DATES FRI SAT SUN MON TARGET FLOW
Sep 9-12 7:00- 1:00 6:00- 2:00 6:00- 2:00 7:00- 1:00 2800 cfs
Sep 16-19 7:00- 1:00 6:00- 3:00 6:00- 3:00 7:00- 2:00 2800 cfs
Sep 23-26 7:00- 1:00 6:00- 2:00 6:00- 2:00 7:00- 1:00 2800 cfs
Sep 30-Oct 3 7:00- 1:00 6:00- 2:00 6:00- 2:00 7:00-1:00 2800 cfs
Oct 7-10 7:00- 1:00 6:00- 2:00 6:00- 2:00 7:00- 1:00 2800 cfs
Oct 15-16 6:00- 2:00 6:00- 2:00 ----- 2800 cfs
Note for Summersville:
Summersville will draw-down to 1520 feet in early November 2011. This will result in extra releases between September 19th - October 3rd and the first week in November. (potentially 2800 cfs all day)
Special Info for Gauley River:
An extra hour of releases is scheduled for Saturday, September 17th and Sunday, September 18th of Gauley Fest weekend, and Monday, September 19th of Race Day.
FISHING: Oct 11-30, the scheduled release is 250-700 cfs all day, excluding October 15th and and 16th. Fish Stocking on week beginning Oct 11. Due to periodic inspection, flows will be in the upper end of the releases.
FILMING WINDOW: Recommend weeks of September 19th - October 3rd and first week of November.
NOVEMBER PLANNED RELEASES: Approximately 2800 cfs the first week of November 2011. The last three weeks of November, return to minimum flow until winter pool is achived.
DATES FRI SAT SUN MON TARGET FLOW
Sep 9-12 7:00- 1:00 6:00- 2:00 6:00- 2:00 7:00- 1:00 2800 cfs
Sep 16-19 7:00- 1:00 6:00- 3:00 6:00- 3:00 7:00- 2:00 2800 cfs
Sep 23-26 7:00- 1:00 6:00- 2:00 6:00- 2:00 7:00- 1:00 2800 cfs
Sep 30-Oct 3 7:00- 1:00 6:00- 2:00 6:00- 2:00 7:00-1:00 2800 cfs
Oct 7-10 7:00- 1:00 6:00- 2:00 6:00- 2:00 7:00- 1:00 2800 cfs
Oct 15-16 6:00- 2:00 6:00- 2:00 ----- 2800 cfs
Note for Summersville:
Summersville will draw-down to 1520 feet in early November 2011. This will result in extra releases between September 19th - October 3rd and the first week in November. (potentially 2800 cfs all day)
Special Info for Gauley River:
An extra hour of releases is scheduled for Saturday, September 17th and Sunday, September 18th of Gauley Fest weekend, and Monday, September 19th of Race Day.
FISHING: Oct 11-30, the scheduled release is 250-700 cfs all day, excluding October 15th and and 16th. Fish Stocking on week beginning Oct 11. Due to periodic inspection, flows will be in the upper end of the releases.
FILMING WINDOW: Recommend weeks of September 19th - October 3rd and first week of November.
NOVEMBER PLANNED RELEASES: Approximately 2800 cfs the first week of November 2011. The last three weeks of November, return to minimum flow until winter pool is achived.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Bridge Day
Bridge Day
West Virginia's largest one-day festival, celebrated on the third Saturday in October, commemorates the October 1977 completion of the New River Gorge Bridge. The first official Bridge Day was celebrated in 1980.
Join tens of thousands of visitors as you walk across the longest, single-span steel arch bridge in the western hemisphere, and take in the views from 876 feet up in the air.
NOTE: Pets, bicycles, carts, and strollers are not permitted on the bridge during Bridge Day. Coolers, packages, and large packs or satchels will not be permitted on the bridge for security reasons.
One of America's Top One Hundred Festivals
The 3,030-foot New River Gorge Bridge took three years to complete and cost nearly $37 million. Because of the chosen arch design, and the depth of the gorge, steel was moved into position by trolleys running on three inch diameter cables stretched between two 330-foot towers. More than 88 million pounds of steel are incorporated. Michael Baker Jr., Inc. was the design engineer company for the structure, which was built by the American Bridge Division of US Steel. Its cor-ten steel will never need painting. The span arches across the New River, among the oldest rivers in North America, considered to be America's best whitewater.
Take A Flying Leap
Jumpers will gladly accommodate that request on Bridge Day, their annual convention. BASE stands for building, antenna, span, earth -- the fixed objects from which these jumpers leap. Since it's only a few seconds from bridge rail to splash down, jumping requires a well-orchestrated team of water-safety, communications and emergency personnel.
Oh, What a Dangled Web
Beneath the bridge's unseen catwalk dangle expert rappellers who resemble so many spiders weaving a web. Our Bridge Day trolls practice well-honed skills with the breathtaking gorge as their backdrop.
These Boots Are Made For Walking
No skill required, no experience necessary. The bridge is open today only for your walking pleasure. Join the Hillbilly Hikers at the northernmost booth for an official VOLKSWALK. Two well-marked walks take you across the bridge into historic Fayetteville or deep into the gorge and back.
Great Entertainment
The historic Fayetteville Theater offers lively entertainment at 8 p.m. every weekend evening. Call the Chamber of Commerce visitor center for details.
Bridge Day Information
For more information about Bridge Day events, contact the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-927-0263. or visit PRO River Outfitters Website
West Virginia's largest one-day festival, celebrated on the third Saturday in October, commemorates the October 1977 completion of the New River Gorge Bridge. The first official Bridge Day was celebrated in 1980.
Join tens of thousands of visitors as you walk across the longest, single-span steel arch bridge in the western hemisphere, and take in the views from 876 feet up in the air.
NOTE: Pets, bicycles, carts, and strollers are not permitted on the bridge during Bridge Day. Coolers, packages, and large packs or satchels will not be permitted on the bridge for security reasons.
One of America's Top One Hundred Festivals
The 3,030-foot New River Gorge Bridge took three years to complete and cost nearly $37 million. Because of the chosen arch design, and the depth of the gorge, steel was moved into position by trolleys running on three inch diameter cables stretched between two 330-foot towers. More than 88 million pounds of steel are incorporated. Michael Baker Jr., Inc. was the design engineer company for the structure, which was built by the American Bridge Division of US Steel. Its cor-ten steel will never need painting. The span arches across the New River, among the oldest rivers in North America, considered to be America's best whitewater.
Take A Flying Leap
Jumpers will gladly accommodate that request on Bridge Day, their annual convention. BASE stands for building, antenna, span, earth -- the fixed objects from which these jumpers leap. Since it's only a few seconds from bridge rail to splash down, jumping requires a well-orchestrated team of water-safety, communications and emergency personnel.
Oh, What a Dangled Web
Beneath the bridge's unseen catwalk dangle expert rappellers who resemble so many spiders weaving a web. Our Bridge Day trolls practice well-honed skills with the breathtaking gorge as their backdrop.
These Boots Are Made For Walking
No skill required, no experience necessary. The bridge is open today only for your walking pleasure. Join the Hillbilly Hikers at the northernmost booth for an official VOLKSWALK. Two well-marked walks take you across the bridge into historic Fayetteville or deep into the gorge and back.
Great Entertainment
The historic Fayetteville Theater offers lively entertainment at 8 p.m. every weekend evening. Call the Chamber of Commerce visitor center for details.
Bridge Day Information
For more information about Bridge Day events, contact the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-927-0263. or visit PRO River Outfitters Website
Great Hiking in the New River Gorge
The Endless Wall is one of the best "unknown" hiking destinations within the New River Gorge Nationial Gorge park. Long known to locals and rock climbers, this property was added to the park in May 1998, thanks to the willingness of trustees for the Nuttall Estate to sell this spectacular property to the NPS. This addition to the park protects significant natural and historical resources, and will provide visitors with abundant opportunities.
Great views of the New River, almost 1000 feet below, are abundant. You can often hear the voices of whitewater rafters as they experience the wild rapids of the lower New. This area also offers significant historical resources, being the site of the Nuttallburg Mine — the largest mine in the New River Coalfields in the late 1800s.
You might also get a glimpse of some of the thousands of rock climbers who visit the park to challenge themselves on the vertical sandstone walls that rim the gorge. Climbers come from all over the United States, and around the world, to select from the over 1600 climbing routes in the park. Visit our Climbing Page for more information.
Endless Wall Trail
The Endless Wall Trail is a 2.4 mile moderate walk that passes through rich forest, crosses Fern Creek, then zig-zags along the cliff edge. Many vistas can be seen along the trail. The overlook at Diamond Point provides a good turnaround spot, creating a popular two-mile out-and-back hike from Fern Creek parking area. If you continue to the end of the trail, you will need to walk for 0.5 miles back along the road to get to the starting point.
Please use caution when near cliff edges!
To reach the trailhead, turn off Route 19 on Lansing-Edmond Road, located just north of the Canyon Rim Visitor Center. Fern Creek Trailhead is located 1.3 miles (just before Fern Creek) down this road, while the Nuttall Trailhead is 1.8 miles from U.S. Route 19. This is a narrow road; please drive with caution.
.
Great views of the New River, almost 1000 feet below, are abundant. You can often hear the voices of whitewater rafters as they experience the wild rapids of the lower New. This area also offers significant historical resources, being the site of the Nuttallburg Mine — the largest mine in the New River Coalfields in the late 1800s.
You might also get a glimpse of some of the thousands of rock climbers who visit the park to challenge themselves on the vertical sandstone walls that rim the gorge. Climbers come from all over the United States, and around the world, to select from the over 1600 climbing routes in the park. Visit our Climbing Page for more information.
Endless Wall Trail
The Endless Wall Trail is a 2.4 mile moderate walk that passes through rich forest, crosses Fern Creek, then zig-zags along the cliff edge. Many vistas can be seen along the trail. The overlook at Diamond Point provides a good turnaround spot, creating a popular two-mile out-and-back hike from Fern Creek parking area. If you continue to the end of the trail, you will need to walk for 0.5 miles back along the road to get to the starting point.
Please use caution when near cliff edges!
To reach the trailhead, turn off Route 19 on Lansing-Edmond Road, located just north of the Canyon Rim Visitor Center. Fern Creek Trailhead is located 1.3 miles (just before Fern Creek) down this road, while the Nuttall Trailhead is 1.8 miles from U.S. Route 19. This is a narrow road; please drive with caution.
.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
WVDNR Regulations
WVDNR Announces Public Meetings in March to Discuss Proposed Hunting, Trapping and Fishing Regulations
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR) will hold 12 public meetings across the state in March to provide hunters, trappers, anglers, landowners and other interested parties an opportunity to review and comment on proposed 2011 hunting regulations for white-tailed deer, wild turkey, boar and black bear, proposed 2012-2013 general hunting and trapping regulations, and proposed 2012 fishing regulations. These meetings will be held from 6 - 8 p.m. on March 14 and March 15, and the public is encouraged to attend.
“Again this year, these meetings have been designed to use an ‘Open House’ format,” said DNR Director Frank Jezioro. “This informal meeting style allows people to attend at their convenience during the scheduled meeting times, learn of proposed regulation changes, discuss these proposals with wildlife and fisheries biologists and Natural Resource Police Officers and comment on the proposed regulations and other wildlife-related issues.”
As in the past, written comments from the public on these proposed hunting, trapping and fishing regulations will also be encouraged. The deadline for written comments is April 8, 2011. Anyone interested in attending the meetings scheduled in their areas should note the following list of meeting dates and locations:
Monday, March 14, 2011
Fairmont – East Fairmont High School (Commons Area)
Martinsburg – James Rumsey Technical Institute (Cafeteria)
Summersville – Summersville High School
Lewisburg – Brier Inn Hotel (Conference Room)
Milton – West Virginia Pumpkin Park (4-H Building)
Harrisville – North Bend State Park
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Glen Dale – John Marshall High School
Moorefield – Moorefield Middle School (Cafeteria)
Buckhannon – Buckhannon-Upshur High School
Mullens – Twin Falls Resort State Park (Lodge)
Logan – Chief Logan State Park (Conference Center)
Parkersburg – City Building Lobby
**DNR**
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR) will hold 12 public meetings across the state in March to provide hunters, trappers, anglers, landowners and other interested parties an opportunity to review and comment on proposed 2011 hunting regulations for white-tailed deer, wild turkey, boar and black bear, proposed 2012-2013 general hunting and trapping regulations, and proposed 2012 fishing regulations. These meetings will be held from 6 - 8 p.m. on March 14 and March 15, and the public is encouraged to attend.
“Again this year, these meetings have been designed to use an ‘Open House’ format,” said DNR Director Frank Jezioro. “This informal meeting style allows people to attend at their convenience during the scheduled meeting times, learn of proposed regulation changes, discuss these proposals with wildlife and fisheries biologists and Natural Resource Police Officers and comment on the proposed regulations and other wildlife-related issues.”
As in the past, written comments from the public on these proposed hunting, trapping and fishing regulations will also be encouraged. The deadline for written comments is April 8, 2011. Anyone interested in attending the meetings scheduled in their areas should note the following list of meeting dates and locations:
Monday, March 14, 2011
Fairmont – East Fairmont High School (Commons Area)
Martinsburg – James Rumsey Technical Institute (Cafeteria)
Summersville – Summersville High School
Lewisburg – Brier Inn Hotel (Conference Room)
Milton – West Virginia Pumpkin Park (4-H Building)
Harrisville – North Bend State Park
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Glen Dale – John Marshall High School
Moorefield – Moorefield Middle School (Cafeteria)
Buckhannon – Buckhannon-Upshur High School
Mullens – Twin Falls Resort State Park (Lodge)
Logan – Chief Logan State Park (Conference Center)
Parkersburg – City Building Lobby
**DNR**
Husky Musky
Results of 2010 Husky Musky Club Catch Report Announced
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Anglers caught and reported 319 muskies to the West Virginia Husky Musky Club in 2010, according to Bret Preston, assistant chief of the Wildlife Resources Section of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. The fish were reported from 29 West Virginia waters and more than 60 percent of them came from water stocked by the WVDNR. The 2010 catch represented the largest in more than 40 years of record keeping.
The top waters in 2010 included: Little Kanawha River (54 fish); Stonewall Jackson Lake (47 fish); Buckhannon River (41 fish); Middle Island Creek (20 fish); and Monongahela and South Fork Hughes rivers (14 fish each). Two muskies more than 50 inches in length were reported from Stonewall Jackson Lake.
The Husky Musky Club has maintained musky catch information since 1969 and 5,222 fish have been registered from 71 different West Virginia waters. The top 10 waters during this 42-year period are: 1) Middle Island Creek; 2) Buckhannon River; 3) Little Kanawha River; 4) Stonewall Jackson Lake; 5) Elk River; 6) South Fork Hughes River; 7) Hughes River; 8) West Fork River; 9) Stonecoal Lake; and 10) Tygart River.
Anglers interested in registering their first legal-sized musky may join the West Virginia Husky Musky Club for no membership fee. More information about this Club may be found at www.wvdnr.gov/fishing/HuskyMusky.shtm or from the nearest WVDNR district office.
For more info on guided Misky fishing visit www.profishwv.com
**DNR**
SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Anglers caught and reported 319 muskies to the West Virginia Husky Musky Club in 2010, according to Bret Preston, assistant chief of the Wildlife Resources Section of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. The fish were reported from 29 West Virginia waters and more than 60 percent of them came from water stocked by the WVDNR. The 2010 catch represented the largest in more than 40 years of record keeping.
The top waters in 2010 included: Little Kanawha River (54 fish); Stonewall Jackson Lake (47 fish); Buckhannon River (41 fish); Middle Island Creek (20 fish); and Monongahela and South Fork Hughes rivers (14 fish each). Two muskies more than 50 inches in length were reported from Stonewall Jackson Lake.
The Husky Musky Club has maintained musky catch information since 1969 and 5,222 fish have been registered from 71 different West Virginia waters. The top 10 waters during this 42-year period are: 1) Middle Island Creek; 2) Buckhannon River; 3) Little Kanawha River; 4) Stonewall Jackson Lake; 5) Elk River; 6) South Fork Hughes River; 7) Hughes River; 8) West Fork River; 9) Stonecoal Lake; and 10) Tygart River.
Anglers interested in registering their first legal-sized musky may join the West Virginia Husky Musky Club for no membership fee. More information about this Club may be found at www.wvdnr.gov/fishing/HuskyMusky.shtm or from the nearest WVDNR district office.
For more info on guided Misky fishing visit www.profishwv.com
**DNR**
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
New River Gorge Bridge
The New River Gorge Bridge is a steel-arch bridge, near Fayetteville, West Virginia, United States. With a length of 3,030 feet, it was for many years the longest in the world of that type. It is now the third largest arch bridge in the world. Its arch extends 1,700 feet. Part of U.S. Route 19, it is crossed by an average of 16,200 motor vehicles per day. Its construction marked the completion of Corridor L. In 2005the structure was further immortalized when a depiction of the span was placed on the West Virginia state quarter.
The New River Gorge Bridge carries US 19 over the New River at a height of 876 feet making it the second highest vehicular bridge in the Americas (behind the Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge which bypasses the Hoover Dam), and the fifth highest in the world. Before the 2004 opening of the Millau Viaduct in France, it was the highest in the world. Several suspension bridges in China have since surpassed them. The current record holder is the Si Du River Bridge which opened in November 2009 and currently has 1,549 feet of clearance above the river of that name.
Construction began on the bridge in June 1974, and completed on October 22, 1977. It was designed by the Michael Baker Company, under the direction of Chief Engineer Clarence V. Knudsen, and executed by U.S. Steel's American Bridge Division. Final cost of construction was $37 million (approximately $4 million over bid). It is made from COR-TEN steel. The use of COR-TEN in construction presented several challenges; notable among them was ensuring that the weld-points weathered at the same rate as the rest of the steel.
Many locals say, with little exaggeration, that completion of the bridge cut the travel time from one side of the gorge to the other from 45 minutes to 45 seconds.
The bridge is the centerpiece of Fayette County's "Bridge Day", during which the bridge is closed to vehicular traffic. Until recently, the bridge was half-open, with two way traffic. Security concerns have prompted the closing of the entire span to vehicles during the festival. This festival includes demonstrations of rappelling, ascending and BASE jumping, and is held every October on the third Saturday. Bungee jumping has been banned from Bridge Day since 1993. The bridge is within the New River Gorge National River and the National Park Service operates a visitor center at the northern end of the bridge with scenic overlooks and a staircase that descends partially into the gorge. A Bridge Walk catwalk two feet wide runs the full length of the bridge underneath the roadway and a considerable fee is charged to walk the quarter mile with safety rigging.
Guided Catwalk tours are now available daily for $69.00 per person;
visit www.profishwv.com for more information
Monday, April 11, 2011
West Virginia Trout Stocking Week of April 4 - 8
ELKINS, W.Va. – The following waters were stocked with trout the week of April 4, 2011.
Anthony Creek
Beech Fork Tailwaters
Berwind Lake
Big Clear Creek
Big Run Lake
Big Sandy Creek
Blackwater River
Buffalo Creek (Brooke)
Buffalo Fork Lake
Bullskin Run
Cacapon Park Lake
Castleman Run Lake
Cherry River
Chief Logan Pond
Clover Run
Conaway Run Lake
Coopers Rock Lake
Cranberry River
Deer Creek (Pocahontas)
Dillons Run
Dry Fork
Dry Fork (Randolph, Tucker)
Dunkard Fork Lake
East Fork Greenbrier River
East Lynn Tailwaters
Edwards Run
Elk River
Evitts Run
Fall Run
Fitzpatrick Lake
Fort Ashby Reservoir
French Creek Pond
Gandy Creek
Glade Creek of Mann
Glade Creek of New River
Glady Fork
Greenbrier River
Jimmy Lewis Lake
Knapps Creek
Laurel Fork (Randolph)
Laurel Fork Lake
Laurel Fork of Holly River
Left Fork of Holly River
Lick Creek Pond
Little Beaver Lake
Little Clear Creek
Little River East Fork Greenbrier River
Little River West Fork Greenbrier River
Long Marsh Run
Lost River
Mason Lake
Middle Creek
Middle Wheeling Creek Lake
Mill Creek of Opequon Creek
Mill Creek of South Branch
Mill Run of Back Creek
Mountwood Park Lake
New Creek
Newburg Lake
North Fork Fishing Creek
North Fork of Anthony Creek
North Fork of Cherry River
North Fork of Patterson Creek
North Fork of South Branch
North River
Opequon Creek
Pinch Creek
Pipestem Lake
Poorhouse Pond
Rhine Creek
Rockhouse Lake
Rocky Marsh Run
Seneca Lake
Shavers Fork (Bemis)
Shavers Fork (C&R) Stuart Park Recreation Area
Shavers Fork (lower)
Shavers Fork (upper)
South Branch (Franklin)
South Branch (Smoke Hole)
South Fork Fishing Creek
Spruce Knob Lake
Spruce Laurel Fork
Summersville Tailwaters
Summit Lake
Thomas Park Lake
Tilhance Creek
Trout Run
Tuscarora Creek
Tygart Headwaters
Tygart Tailwaters
Waites Run
Watoga Lake
Wayne Dam
West Fork Greenbrier River
West Fork Greenbrier River (railroad grade)
West Fork of Twelvepole
Williams River (all sections stocked)
Wolf Creek
Guided Trout Fishing in West Virginia
Saturday, March 26, 2011
West Virginia Trout Stocking March 2011
March 25, 2011
Anthony Creek
Buffalo Creek (Logan)
Dillons Run
Edwards Run
Ft. Ashby Reservoir
Glady Fork
Knapps Creek
Mill Creek of South Branch
North Fork of South Branch
Shavers Fork (Bemis)
Shavers Fork (lower)
South Branch (Smoke Hole)
Williams River (Tea Creek upstream to Day Run)
March 24, 2011
Elk River
Horseshoe Run
Red Creek
Shavers Fork (upper)
South Branch (Franklin)
Summit Lake
Tygart Headwaters
Warden Lake
Watoga Lake
March 23, 2011
Blackwater River
Buffalo Creek (Brooke)
Cacapon Park Lake
Castleman Run Lake
Cranberry River
East Fork Greenbrier River
French Creek Pond
Glade Creek of New River
Laurel Fork of Holly River
Left Fork of Holly River
Little River East Fork Greenbrier River
Little River West Fork Greenbrier River
Marsh Fork
Middle Fork
Middle Wheeling Creek Lake
Opequon Creek
Rocky Marsh Run
Spruce Knob Lake
Tilhance Creek
West Fork Greenbrier River
March 22, 2011
Back Fork of Elk River
Big Sandy Creek
Bullskin Run
Chief Logan Pond
Coopers Rock Lake
Desert Fork
Evitts Run
Gandy Creek
Laurel Fork (Randolph)
Laurel Fork Lake
Middle Creek
Mill Creek of Opequon Creek
New Creek
North Fork of Patterson Creek
Sugar Creek
South Branch (C&R)
Tuscarora Creek
March 21, 2011
Anderson Lake
Boley Lake
Buffalo Fork Lake
Glade Creek of Mann
Greenbrier River
Little Kanawha Headwaters
Lost River
Miletree Lake
North Fork of Cherry River
North River
Potts Creek
Right Fork of Little Kanawha
South Fork of Cherry River
South Fork of Potts Creek
Trout Run
Waites Run
March 18, 2011
Back Fork of Elk (C&R)
Bullskin Run
Evitts Run
Gandy Creek
Kimsey Run Lake
Laurel Fork (Randolph)
Opequon Creek
Pennsboro Reservoir
Raleigh Co. Airport Pond (Children & Class Q)
Rocky Marsh Run
South Branch (Franklin)
Spruce Knob Lake
Tracy Lake
March 17, 2011
Anawalt Lake
Cedar Creek Lake
Dunkard Fork Lake
Jennings Randolph Tailwaters
Knapps Creek
Lost River
Lower Cove Run
Moores Run
Panther Creek
R.D. Bailey Tailwaters
Seneca Lake
Teter Creek Lake
Trout Run
Turkey Run Lake
Waites Run
Wallback Lake
Watoga Lake
March 16, 2011
Big Clear Creek
Burnsville Tailwaters
Clear Fork of Guyandotte River
Dry Fork (Randolph, Tucker)
Little Clear Creek
Middle Wheeling Creek (C&R)
Mountwood Park Lake
North Fork South Branch
Paw Paw Creek
Pinnacle Creek (lower section)
South Fork Cranberry River
Stonewall Jackson Tailwaters
Sutton Tailwaters
Whiteday Creek
Wolf Creek
March 15, 2011
Blackwater River
Cacapon Park Lake
Camp Creek
Cherry River
Cranberry River
East Fork Greenbrier River
East River
Elk River
Glady Fork
Krodel Lake
Little River East Fork Greenbrier River
Little River West Fork Greenbrier River
Middle Creek
Mill Creek of Opequon Creek
Mill Run of Back Creek
Paint Creek
Pond Fork
Shavers Fork (Bemis)
Shavers Fork (lower)
Shavers Frok (upper)
Summersville Tailwaters
West Fork Greenbrier River
March 14, 2011
Anthony Creek
Bear Rocks Lake
Beech Fork Tailwaters
Brandywine Lake
Brushy Fork Lake
Buckhannon River
East Lynn Tailwaters
Kings Creek
Left Fork of Right Fork of Buckhannon River
Lick Creek Pond
New Creek
North Fork of Anthony Creek
North Fork of Lunice Creek
North Fork of Patterson Creek
Right Fork of Buckhannon River
South Branch (Smoke Hole)
South Mill Creek Lake
Summit Lake
Tomlinson Run
Tomlinson Run Lake
Wayne Dam
West Fork Twelvepole
Wheeling Creek
Williams River (Tea Creek upstream to Day Run)
March 11, 2011
Big Sandy Creek
Coopers Rock Lake
Clover Run
Dog Run Lake
Horse Creek Lake
Horseshoe Run
Lost River
North Fork of Cherry River
Shavers Fork (upper)
South Fork of Cherry River
Summit Lake
Trout Run
Tygart Headwaters
Waites Run
Warden Lake
Williams River (Tea Creek upstream to Day Run)
March 10, 2011
Anthony Creek
Blackwater River
Buffalo Fork Lake
Cranberry River
Curtisville Lake
Deer Creek (Pocahontas)
Dillons Run
East Fork Greenbrier River
Edwards Run
Fort Ashby Reservoir
Greenbrier River
Huey Lake
Indian Creek
Little River East Fork Greenbrier River
Little River West Fork Greenbrier River
Meadow Creek of Anthony Creek
Mill Creek of South Branch
Newburg Lake
North Fork of South Branch
Rhine Creek
Rich Creek (Monroe)
West Fork Greenbrier River
March 9, 2011
Bullskin Run
Dunloup Creek
Evitts Run
Glade Creek of Mann
Glade Creek of New River
Glady Fork
Hills Creek
Hopkins Fork
Long Marsh Run
Middle Creek
Mill Creek of Opequon Creek
New Creek
North Fork of Patterson Creek
Rockhouse Lake
Shavers Fork (Bemis)
Shavers Fork (lower)
South Branch (Smoke Hole)
Spruce Laurel Fork
March 8, 2011
Berwind Lake
Buffalo Creek (Brooke)
Cacapon Park Lake
Castleman Run Lake
Dry Fork (McDowell)
Elk River
Hurricane Reservoir
Kimsey Run Lake
Knapps Creek
Middle Wheeling Creek Lake
Opequon Creek
Poorhouse Pond
Rocky Marsh Run
Spruce Knob Lake
Watoga Lake
March 7, 2011
Chief Cornstalk Lake
Fall Run
Fitzpatrick Lake
French Creek Pond
Gandy Creek
Jimmy Lewis Lake
Laurel Fork of Holly River
Laurel Fork (Randolph)
Left Fork of Holly River
Little Beaver Lake
Meadow Creek of New River
Milligan Creek
Pipestem Lake
Red Creek
Rollins Lake
South Branch (Franklin)
Thomas Park Lake
Tygart Tailwaters
March 4, 2011
Brandywine Lake
Brushy Fork Lake
Cacapon Park Lake
Clear Fork of Guyandotte River (C&R)
Clear Fork of Guyandotte River
Elk River
Mason Lake
Opequon Creek
Paw Paw Creek
Pinnacle Creek
Rocky Marsh Run
Shavers Fork (upper)
Tilhance Creek
Westover Park Lake (Children & Class Q)
Whiteday Creek
March 3, 2011
Bear Rocks Lake
Bullskin Run
Burnsville Tailwaters
Cherry River
Deer Creek (Nicholas)
Evitts Run
Glady Fork
Laurel Creek of Cherry River
Middle Creek
Mill Creek of Opequon Creek
Mill Creek Reservoir
Paint Creek
Paint Creek (C&R)
Pond Fork
Shavers Fork (Bemis)
Shavers Fork (C&R) Stuarts Park Recreation Area
Shavers Fork (lower)
South Branch (Smoke Hole)
Stonewall Jackson Tailwaters
Summersville Tailwaters
Sutton Tailwaters
Teter Creek Lake
Tuscarora Creek
Wheeling Creek
Wood Pond (Children & Class Q)
March 2, 2011
Anthony Creek
Buckhannon River
Camp Creek
Coonskin Park Lake (Children & Class Q)
Dry Fork (Randolph, Tucker)
East River
Gandy Creek
Kanawha State Forest Pond (Children & Class Q)
Larenim Park Lakes
Laurel Fork (Randolph)
Left Fork of Right Fork of Buckhannon River
Logan County Airport Pond (Children & Class Q)
Mash Fork of Camp Creek (Children & Class Q)
Miller Fork Lake (Children & Class Q)
North Fork of Anthony Creek
North Fork of South Branch
Right Fork of Middle Fork
Seneca Lake
South Branch (Franklin)
South Mill Creek Lake
Underwood Lake (Children & Class Q)
March 1, 2011
Barboursville Lake
Big Clear Creek
Conaway Run Lake
Handley Pond (Children & Class Q)
James P. Bailey Lake
Little Clear Creek
Lost River
Mountwood Park Lake
New Creek
North Fork Fishing Creek
North Fork Lunice Creek
North Fork Patterson Creek
North River
R.D. Bailey Tailwaters
Ridenour Lake
South Fork Fishing Creek
Trout Run
Tuckahoe Lake
Waites Run
Anthony Creek
Buffalo Creek (Logan)
Dillons Run
Edwards Run
Ft. Ashby Reservoir
Glady Fork
Knapps Creek
Mill Creek of South Branch
North Fork of South Branch
Shavers Fork (Bemis)
Shavers Fork (lower)
South Branch (Smoke Hole)
Williams River (Tea Creek upstream to Day Run)
March 24, 2011
Elk River
Horseshoe Run
Red Creek
Shavers Fork (upper)
South Branch (Franklin)
Summit Lake
Tygart Headwaters
Warden Lake
Watoga Lake
March 23, 2011
Blackwater River
Buffalo Creek (Brooke)
Cacapon Park Lake
Castleman Run Lake
Cranberry River
East Fork Greenbrier River
French Creek Pond
Glade Creek of New River
Laurel Fork of Holly River
Left Fork of Holly River
Little River East Fork Greenbrier River
Little River West Fork Greenbrier River
Marsh Fork
Middle Fork
Middle Wheeling Creek Lake
Opequon Creek
Rocky Marsh Run
Spruce Knob Lake
Tilhance Creek
West Fork Greenbrier River
March 22, 2011
Back Fork of Elk River
Big Sandy Creek
Bullskin Run
Chief Logan Pond
Coopers Rock Lake
Desert Fork
Evitts Run
Gandy Creek
Laurel Fork (Randolph)
Laurel Fork Lake
Middle Creek
Mill Creek of Opequon Creek
New Creek
North Fork of Patterson Creek
Sugar Creek
South Branch (C&R)
Tuscarora Creek
March 21, 2011
Anderson Lake
Boley Lake
Buffalo Fork Lake
Glade Creek of Mann
Greenbrier River
Little Kanawha Headwaters
Lost River
Miletree Lake
North Fork of Cherry River
North River
Potts Creek
Right Fork of Little Kanawha
South Fork of Cherry River
South Fork of Potts Creek
Trout Run
Waites Run
March 18, 2011
Back Fork of Elk (C&R)
Bullskin Run
Evitts Run
Gandy Creek
Kimsey Run Lake
Laurel Fork (Randolph)
Opequon Creek
Pennsboro Reservoir
Raleigh Co. Airport Pond (Children & Class Q)
Rocky Marsh Run
South Branch (Franklin)
Spruce Knob Lake
Tracy Lake
March 17, 2011
Anawalt Lake
Cedar Creek Lake
Dunkard Fork Lake
Jennings Randolph Tailwaters
Knapps Creek
Lost River
Lower Cove Run
Moores Run
Panther Creek
R.D. Bailey Tailwaters
Seneca Lake
Teter Creek Lake
Trout Run
Turkey Run Lake
Waites Run
Wallback Lake
Watoga Lake
March 16, 2011
Big Clear Creek
Burnsville Tailwaters
Clear Fork of Guyandotte River
Dry Fork (Randolph, Tucker)
Little Clear Creek
Middle Wheeling Creek (C&R)
Mountwood Park Lake
North Fork South Branch
Paw Paw Creek
Pinnacle Creek (lower section)
South Fork Cranberry River
Stonewall Jackson Tailwaters
Sutton Tailwaters
Whiteday Creek
Wolf Creek
March 15, 2011
Blackwater River
Cacapon Park Lake
Camp Creek
Cherry River
Cranberry River
East Fork Greenbrier River
East River
Elk River
Glady Fork
Krodel Lake
Little River East Fork Greenbrier River
Little River West Fork Greenbrier River
Middle Creek
Mill Creek of Opequon Creek
Mill Run of Back Creek
Paint Creek
Pond Fork
Shavers Fork (Bemis)
Shavers Fork (lower)
Shavers Frok (upper)
Summersville Tailwaters
West Fork Greenbrier River
March 14, 2011
Anthony Creek
Bear Rocks Lake
Beech Fork Tailwaters
Brandywine Lake
Brushy Fork Lake
Buckhannon River
East Lynn Tailwaters
Kings Creek
Left Fork of Right Fork of Buckhannon River
Lick Creek Pond
New Creek
North Fork of Anthony Creek
North Fork of Lunice Creek
North Fork of Patterson Creek
Right Fork of Buckhannon River
South Branch (Smoke Hole)
South Mill Creek Lake
Summit Lake
Tomlinson Run
Tomlinson Run Lake
Wayne Dam
West Fork Twelvepole
Wheeling Creek
Williams River (Tea Creek upstream to Day Run)
March 11, 2011
Big Sandy Creek
Coopers Rock Lake
Clover Run
Dog Run Lake
Horse Creek Lake
Horseshoe Run
Lost River
North Fork of Cherry River
Shavers Fork (upper)
South Fork of Cherry River
Summit Lake
Trout Run
Tygart Headwaters
Waites Run
Warden Lake
Williams River (Tea Creek upstream to Day Run)
March 10, 2011
Anthony Creek
Blackwater River
Buffalo Fork Lake
Cranberry River
Curtisville Lake
Deer Creek (Pocahontas)
Dillons Run
East Fork Greenbrier River
Edwards Run
Fort Ashby Reservoir
Greenbrier River
Huey Lake
Indian Creek
Little River East Fork Greenbrier River
Little River West Fork Greenbrier River
Meadow Creek of Anthony Creek
Mill Creek of South Branch
Newburg Lake
North Fork of South Branch
Rhine Creek
Rich Creek (Monroe)
West Fork Greenbrier River
March 9, 2011
Bullskin Run
Dunloup Creek
Evitts Run
Glade Creek of Mann
Glade Creek of New River
Glady Fork
Hills Creek
Hopkins Fork
Long Marsh Run
Middle Creek
Mill Creek of Opequon Creek
New Creek
North Fork of Patterson Creek
Rockhouse Lake
Shavers Fork (Bemis)
Shavers Fork (lower)
South Branch (Smoke Hole)
Spruce Laurel Fork
March 8, 2011
Berwind Lake
Buffalo Creek (Brooke)
Cacapon Park Lake
Castleman Run Lake
Dry Fork (McDowell)
Elk River
Hurricane Reservoir
Kimsey Run Lake
Knapps Creek
Middle Wheeling Creek Lake
Opequon Creek
Poorhouse Pond
Rocky Marsh Run
Spruce Knob Lake
Watoga Lake
March 7, 2011
Chief Cornstalk Lake
Fall Run
Fitzpatrick Lake
French Creek Pond
Gandy Creek
Jimmy Lewis Lake
Laurel Fork of Holly River
Laurel Fork (Randolph)
Left Fork of Holly River
Little Beaver Lake
Meadow Creek of New River
Milligan Creek
Pipestem Lake
Red Creek
Rollins Lake
South Branch (Franklin)
Thomas Park Lake
Tygart Tailwaters
March 4, 2011
Brandywine Lake
Brushy Fork Lake
Cacapon Park Lake
Clear Fork of Guyandotte River (C&R)
Clear Fork of Guyandotte River
Elk River
Mason Lake
Opequon Creek
Paw Paw Creek
Pinnacle Creek
Rocky Marsh Run
Shavers Fork (upper)
Tilhance Creek
Westover Park Lake (Children & Class Q)
Whiteday Creek
March 3, 2011
Bear Rocks Lake
Bullskin Run
Burnsville Tailwaters
Cherry River
Deer Creek (Nicholas)
Evitts Run
Glady Fork
Laurel Creek of Cherry River
Middle Creek
Mill Creek of Opequon Creek
Mill Creek Reservoir
Paint Creek
Paint Creek (C&R)
Pond Fork
Shavers Fork (Bemis)
Shavers Fork (C&R) Stuarts Park Recreation Area
Shavers Fork (lower)
South Branch (Smoke Hole)
Stonewall Jackson Tailwaters
Summersville Tailwaters
Sutton Tailwaters
Teter Creek Lake
Tuscarora Creek
Wheeling Creek
Wood Pond (Children & Class Q)
March 2, 2011
Anthony Creek
Buckhannon River
Camp Creek
Coonskin Park Lake (Children & Class Q)
Dry Fork (Randolph, Tucker)
East River
Gandy Creek
Kanawha State Forest Pond (Children & Class Q)
Larenim Park Lakes
Laurel Fork (Randolph)
Left Fork of Right Fork of Buckhannon River
Logan County Airport Pond (Children & Class Q)
Mash Fork of Camp Creek (Children & Class Q)
Miller Fork Lake (Children & Class Q)
North Fork of Anthony Creek
North Fork of South Branch
Right Fork of Middle Fork
Seneca Lake
South Branch (Franklin)
South Mill Creek Lake
Underwood Lake (Children & Class Q)
March 1, 2011
Barboursville Lake
Big Clear Creek
Conaway Run Lake
Handley Pond (Children & Class Q)
James P. Bailey Lake
Little Clear Creek
Lost River
Mountwood Park Lake
New Creek
North Fork Fishing Creek
North Fork Lunice Creek
North Fork Patterson Creek
North River
R.D. Bailey Tailwaters
Ridenour Lake
South Fork Fishing Creek
Trout Run
Tuckahoe Lake
Waites Run
New River Gorge Fun Info
The New River Gorge National River is a unit of the U.S. National Park Service established in 1978 to protect 53 miles (85 km) of the New River and its gorge in southern West Virginia. The area encompasses more than 70,000 acres along and near the New River between Hinton, WV, in the south, and Ansted, WV, in the north.
Designation as a "national river" is conferred by the NPS to rivers of significant national value, culturally and naturally, among which the New River is prominent. National rivers are managed by the National Park Service, in the same manner and with the same goals as national parks. Thirty-nine national river areas are preserved in the U.S., including the nearby Bluestone National Scenic River and Gauley River National Recreation Area, though these latter national river areas are somewhat differently defined. The National Park Service headquarters for the New River Gorge National River are located in Glen Jean, WV. All three national river areas are managed through the Glen Jean headquarters.
Cultural History
Though largely uninhabited today, the New River Gorge was once among the most active coal mining regions in West Virginia. Thousands of miners lived with their families in small towns throughout the gorge. As the process of mining coal became more mechanized, and as accessible coal seams near the gorge were mined out, employment in the industry gradually dwindled. Most mining communities in the gorge were abandoned by the mid-1900s and exist today only as ghost towns. The National Park Service has preserved and interpreted relics of the region's industrial heritage at several sites within the gorge. Park visitors are invited to tour interpreted sites at Thurmond, one of the major shipping points in the gorge along the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad.
Recreation
A large part of the popularity of the national parkland of the New River Gorge is due to the fame of the New River as a whitewater stream. Thousands of vacationers secure commercial whitewater rafting trips on the river annually while thousands more kayak or explore its rapids in other whitewater-worthy craft. Only the lower third of the river within the park is a whitewater stream: it's upper thirds are generally far more gentle, ideal for leisurely float trips and canoe expeditions. The gorge is also well known as a destination for rock climbing. Thousands of climbers tour the cliffs of the northern gorge each year. Hiking and biking trails also attract thousands of visitors annually, and new hiking trails. Fishing is popular on the river and in many of its tributary streams, and the New River has been cited as being among the best warm-water fisheries in the eastern U.S. Hunting is also popular within the park, though it is disallowed in areas near developed park service facilities such as camping areas and visitor centers.
Visitor Centers
The National Park Service operates four visitor centers in the territory of the New River Gorge National River. The Sandstone Visitor Center and Canyon Rim Visitor Center are open daily from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., except on Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and Thanksgiving Day. The Thurmond Depot and Grandview Visitor Center operate seasonally from June until August: the depot is open seasonally from 10 a.m. until to 5 p.m.; Grandview, from noon to 5 p.m.
Camping
The National Park Service operates six primitive campgrounds and two special-use group campgrounds within the territory of the New River Gorge National River. Back-country camping is also available.
Fees, Permits & Reservations
No entrance fees are charged at the New River Gorge National River or for the use of its facilities. Reservations, however, must be made for the use of some facilities, including picnic shelters, such as those at Grandview, Burnwood, or Dun Glen. Permits may be required for commercial and non-commercial group activities within the park, including weddings, film making, and guided tours of 10 or more participants.
Earlier efforts to establish the New River Gorge National Park
Local efforts to establish the New River Gorge National Park began as early as 1959, when a proposal was advanced during hearings before the Senate Special Committee on Unemployment, chaired by Sen. Jennings Randolph. A formal study, conducted the following year, concluded the New River Gorge was unsuitable for such a national park due to the man-made development that had occurred within the gorge, which first began during the 1870s. Circa 1960, coal was still being mined in the gorge, a few of the coal mining towns of the New River Gorge were still occupied, and the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway's line through the gorge was active, hauling freight and transporting passengers. Again, in 1961, the Fayette County Court, acting in regards to the Federal Area Redevelopment Act, officially recommended the establishment of a New River Gorge National Park, calling it "by far the greatest recreational opportunity in southern West Virginia."
The construction of the New River Gorge Bridge acted as catalyst for renewed efforts to establish the New River Gorge National Park during the period of 1973-1977, and the concept enjoyed wide support among state and local elected and civil leaders as well as popular support among the general populace. A five-month study of the New River Gorge by the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation (BOR) in 1975 concluded that "the cumulative effects of the man-made developments in the gorage are sufficient justification for not establishing the New River Gorge as a... National Park." The study was the result an amendment sponsored by Sen. Robert Byrd in 1974. That same year, Sen. Randolph introduced a bill to create the New River Gorge National Park, but the bill did not reach the Senate floor.
The original vision of the ill-fated efforts of the 1970s for the park was to include the 66 mile long stretch of the New River Gorge between Bluestone Dam, near Hinton, in Summers County, to Gauley Bridge, in Fayette County. One proposal would have included Hawks Nest State Park, Babcock State Park, Grandview State Park, Canyon Rim State Park and Sandstone Falls State Park in the proposed park.
Designation as a "national river" is conferred by the NPS to rivers of significant national value, culturally and naturally, among which the New River is prominent. National rivers are managed by the National Park Service, in the same manner and with the same goals as national parks. Thirty-nine national river areas are preserved in the U.S., including the nearby Bluestone National Scenic River and Gauley River National Recreation Area, though these latter national river areas are somewhat differently defined. The National Park Service headquarters for the New River Gorge National River are located in Glen Jean, WV. All three national river areas are managed through the Glen Jean headquarters.
Cultural History
Though largely uninhabited today, the New River Gorge was once among the most active coal mining regions in West Virginia. Thousands of miners lived with their families in small towns throughout the gorge. As the process of mining coal became more mechanized, and as accessible coal seams near the gorge were mined out, employment in the industry gradually dwindled. Most mining communities in the gorge were abandoned by the mid-1900s and exist today only as ghost towns. The National Park Service has preserved and interpreted relics of the region's industrial heritage at several sites within the gorge. Park visitors are invited to tour interpreted sites at Thurmond, one of the major shipping points in the gorge along the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad.
Recreation
A large part of the popularity of the national parkland of the New River Gorge is due to the fame of the New River as a whitewater stream. Thousands of vacationers secure commercial whitewater rafting trips on the river annually while thousands more kayak or explore its rapids in other whitewater-worthy craft. Only the lower third of the river within the park is a whitewater stream: it's upper thirds are generally far more gentle, ideal for leisurely float trips and canoe expeditions. The gorge is also well known as a destination for rock climbing. Thousands of climbers tour the cliffs of the northern gorge each year. Hiking and biking trails also attract thousands of visitors annually, and new hiking trails. Fishing is popular on the river and in many of its tributary streams, and the New River has been cited as being among the best warm-water fisheries in the eastern U.S. Hunting is also popular within the park, though it is disallowed in areas near developed park service facilities such as camping areas and visitor centers.
Visitor Centers
The National Park Service operates four visitor centers in the territory of the New River Gorge National River. The Sandstone Visitor Center and Canyon Rim Visitor Center are open daily from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., except on Christmas Day, New Year's Day, and Thanksgiving Day. The Thurmond Depot and Grandview Visitor Center operate seasonally from June until August: the depot is open seasonally from 10 a.m. until to 5 p.m.; Grandview, from noon to 5 p.m.
Camping
The National Park Service operates six primitive campgrounds and two special-use group campgrounds within the territory of the New River Gorge National River. Back-country camping is also available.
Fees, Permits & Reservations
No entrance fees are charged at the New River Gorge National River or for the use of its facilities. Reservations, however, must be made for the use of some facilities, including picnic shelters, such as those at Grandview, Burnwood, or Dun Glen. Permits may be required for commercial and non-commercial group activities within the park, including weddings, film making, and guided tours of 10 or more participants.
Earlier efforts to establish the New River Gorge National Park
Local efforts to establish the New River Gorge National Park began as early as 1959, when a proposal was advanced during hearings before the Senate Special Committee on Unemployment, chaired by Sen. Jennings Randolph. A formal study, conducted the following year, concluded the New River Gorge was unsuitable for such a national park due to the man-made development that had occurred within the gorge, which first began during the 1870s. Circa 1960, coal was still being mined in the gorge, a few of the coal mining towns of the New River Gorge were still occupied, and the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway's line through the gorge was active, hauling freight and transporting passengers. Again, in 1961, the Fayette County Court, acting in regards to the Federal Area Redevelopment Act, officially recommended the establishment of a New River Gorge National Park, calling it "by far the greatest recreational opportunity in southern West Virginia."
The construction of the New River Gorge Bridge acted as catalyst for renewed efforts to establish the New River Gorge National Park during the period of 1973-1977, and the concept enjoyed wide support among state and local elected and civil leaders as well as popular support among the general populace. A five-month study of the New River Gorge by the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation (BOR) in 1975 concluded that "the cumulative effects of the man-made developments in the gorage are sufficient justification for not establishing the New River Gorge as a... National Park." The study was the result an amendment sponsored by Sen. Robert Byrd in 1974. That same year, Sen. Randolph introduced a bill to create the New River Gorge National Park, but the bill did not reach the Senate floor.
The original vision of the ill-fated efforts of the 1970s for the park was to include the 66 mile long stretch of the New River Gorge between Bluestone Dam, near Hinton, in Summers County, to Gauley Bridge, in Fayette County. One proposal would have included Hawks Nest State Park, Babcock State Park, Grandview State Park, Canyon Rim State Park and Sandstone Falls State Park in the proposed park.
Sandstone Falls
In Summers County, 10 miles north of Hinton, WV, Sandstone Falls is among the most visited natural landmarks within the territory of the New River Gorge National River, according to the National Park Service. Also known as "The Great Falls of the New River," the waterfall thunders over the thick shelf of the Stony Gap Sandstone in photographic spectacle.
NPS Sandstone Falls Natural Area
Downstream of Sandstone Falls, the National Park Service has established observation areas with wayside exhibits throughout the Sandstone Falls Natural Area connected by an elaborate boardwalk with rest stations. The wheelchair-access Sandstone Falls boardwalk leads visitors across a series of forested islands to the highest part of the falls on the eastern half of the river. The walk passes several smaller falls, pools, and rivulets, more-typical of the gentle western half of the river's descent. Picnic tables and public toilets are located near the Sandstone Falls parking area at the boardwalk entrance. Formerly a West Virginia state park, the park service acquired the falls area and began to develop the site in the late 1980s.
Sandstone Falls Ecology
The ecology of the Sandstone Falls Natural Area is classed as that of an Appalachian Flatrock Ecosystem, defined by continuous flats of sandstone. The edge of this sandstone layer creates the falls and is exposed among the islands and shoals above and below. This sandstone, the Stony Gap Sandstone, extends upstream for more than 12 miles. Its smooth rock top lies just below the surface during low water. Brooks Falls, six miles upstream, is created by a pitch in the sandstone. Waders enjoy plodding through the shoals along the western side of the river: the water above the falls is warmed to bath temperature by early summer as it flows languidly over the broad rock surface.
Flatrock ecosystems share similar characteristics, namely a lack of soil. At Sandstone Falls, frequent spring floods rage over the falls, shoals, and islands, tearing at roots and carrying off what little soil is available in deep narrow fissures. Only the hardiest plants survive here -- including Virginia pine and Red Cedar.
Use Caution Wading at Sandstone Falls: Fishing and wading are popular pastimes in the warm water of the shoals and shallows above the western side of the falls, but both waders and anglers should use extreme caution and understand the nature of currents, which may follow deeper crevasses above the falls. Several people have drowned at the falls.
Directions: From Interstate 64 exit 138 (Sandstone-Hinton exit), follow WV Route 20 (WV-20) south eleven miles through Hinton to River Road. Follow River Road (WV-26) 8.5 miles. Brooks Falls is located about six-miles upstream of Sandstone Falls. The falls may also be observed at a distance from the Sandstone Falls Overlook along W.Va. Route 20.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
West Virginia Walleye
The walleye is the largest member of the perch family, which also includes sauger, yellow perch and darters. This species can be recognized by its torpedo-shaped body, forked tail, white spot on its lower tail fin, sharp canine teeth, and reflective eyes. The luminous appearance of the eyes is due to the tapetum lucidum, a layer of pigment that helps the Walleye to see at night or in murky water. Body coloration ranges from dark olive brown to yellowish gold, with brassy flecks on its sides.
Walleyes are native to central North America and Canada, including the Ohio River and Great Lakes watersheds. These popular sport fish have been extensively stocked throughout much of North America including West Virginias New River. Walleye typically weigh one or two pounds, although trophy catches may exceeds 15 pounds or more and reach lengths around 36 inches.
Walleyes are native to central North America and Canada, including the Ohio River and Great Lakes watersheds. These popular sport fish have been extensively stocked throughout much of North America including West Virginias New River. Walleye typically weigh one or two pounds, although trophy catches may exceeds 15 pounds or more and reach lengths around 36 inches.
Smallmouth Bass
The smallmouth bass is one of North America’s most popular fish and the hardest fighting fresh water sport fish pound for pound. As their name implies, this fish’s mouth is somewhat smaller than its cousin, the largemouth bass. Otherwise these fish are similar, although typically browner and smaller in size. Smallmouth bass are also known as red eye bass, black bass,smallies or bronzebacks.
Smallmouth bass are found in rivers and clear lakes, usually over rocky or gravel bottoms, where they prey on crayfish and other invertibrates. Smallmouths often orient to pools and ledges during the cooler months, but may be found in grass beds or other environments during summer.
In lakes, smallmouth bass often visit shallow areas during the early morning and move to deeper water as water temperatures increase. They are known for orienting to structure and shade. Smallmouths often lurk near sand bars, submerged islands, points, drop offs and weed beds.
Smallmouth bass are found in rivers and clear lakes, usually over rocky or gravel bottoms, where they prey on crayfish and other invertibrates. Smallmouths often orient to pools and ledges during the cooler months, but may be found in grass beds or other environments during summer.
In lakes, smallmouth bass often visit shallow areas during the early morning and move to deeper water as water temperatures increase. They are known for orienting to structure and shade. Smallmouths often lurk near sand bars, submerged islands, points, drop offs and weed beds.
West Virginia Announces New Fishing Regulations for 2011
New West Virginia fishing regulations have been established for 2011, according the State’s Division of Natural Resources.
The new regulations include:
Shavers Fork Stuart Recreation Area Trout Catch-and-Release
A new catch-and-release area for trout took effect January 1, 2011. The new area is approximately a 1-mile section of Shavers Fork River encompassing much of the Stuart Park Recreation Area, just east of Elkins. “The area is a popular family destination and is a great addition to the existing catch-and-release areas. We expect it to be popular with trout anglers who like to practice catch-and-release,” noted Director Jezioro. Shavers Fork is a popular trout fishery and attracts many anglers and tourists. The new catch-and-release area can be accessed by foot from county Route 6 on the River Loop Trail, or by driving into the Stuart Recreation Area to the river. A locked gate is located at the road entrance, and a U.S. Forest Service day-use fee is charged from mid-April through September.
New River Walleye
A new regulation on walleye in the New River provides a two-fold approach to walleye management. First, a 20-inch to 30-inch slot regulation with a two walleye limit, one of which may be over 30 inches, is in effect on the New River from the Hawks Nest Dam extending upstream to the West Virginia/Virginia state line. Second, within this section is a catch-and-release regulation for all walleye from the Meadow Creek public access site extending upstream five miles to the base of Sandstone Falls. “These regulations are intended to protect walleye during our efforts to restore the fishery in the New River,” said Jezioro.
Hybrid Striped Bass, Striped Bass and White Bass
There is a statewide daily limit of 30 fish in aggregate with no more than four fish greater than 15 inches in length, except in the designated special regulation waters: East Lynn, Mt. Storm and Rollins lakes. “This regulation is intended to reduce confusion among anglers in the identification of these similar species and will lead to consistent regulations on the Ohio River for these popular sport fish”, noted Jezioro.
Mash Fork of Camp Creek
A Children and Class Q fishing area is established on Mash Fork within Camp Creek State Park and State Forest in Mercer County. This area is approximately 100 yards long and provides trout fishing opportunities for children under 10 years of age and physically challenged persons from March through May.
The 2011 Fishing Regulations Summary is available at all West Virginia hunting and fishing license agents, DNR District Offices, Elkins Operation Center and South Charleston Headquarters.
The 2011 Fishing Regulations Summary Regulations is also available online at www.wvdnr.gov.
source: West Virginia Division of Natural Resources
The new regulations include:
Shavers Fork Stuart Recreation Area Trout Catch-and-Release
A new catch-and-release area for trout took effect January 1, 2011. The new area is approximately a 1-mile section of Shavers Fork River encompassing much of the Stuart Park Recreation Area, just east of Elkins. “The area is a popular family destination and is a great addition to the existing catch-and-release areas. We expect it to be popular with trout anglers who like to practice catch-and-release,” noted Director Jezioro. Shavers Fork is a popular trout fishery and attracts many anglers and tourists. The new catch-and-release area can be accessed by foot from county Route 6 on the River Loop Trail, or by driving into the Stuart Recreation Area to the river. A locked gate is located at the road entrance, and a U.S. Forest Service day-use fee is charged from mid-April through September.
New River Walleye
A new regulation on walleye in the New River provides a two-fold approach to walleye management. First, a 20-inch to 30-inch slot regulation with a two walleye limit, one of which may be over 30 inches, is in effect on the New River from the Hawks Nest Dam extending upstream to the West Virginia/Virginia state line. Second, within this section is a catch-and-release regulation for all walleye from the Meadow Creek public access site extending upstream five miles to the base of Sandstone Falls. “These regulations are intended to protect walleye during our efforts to restore the fishery in the New River,” said Jezioro.
Hybrid Striped Bass, Striped Bass and White Bass
There is a statewide daily limit of 30 fish in aggregate with no more than four fish greater than 15 inches in length, except in the designated special regulation waters: East Lynn, Mt. Storm and Rollins lakes. “This regulation is intended to reduce confusion among anglers in the identification of these similar species and will lead to consistent regulations on the Ohio River for these popular sport fish”, noted Jezioro.
Mash Fork of Camp Creek
A Children and Class Q fishing area is established on Mash Fork within Camp Creek State Park and State Forest in Mercer County. This area is approximately 100 yards long and provides trout fishing opportunities for children under 10 years of age and physically challenged persons from March through May.
The 2011 Fishing Regulations Summary is available at all West Virginia hunting and fishing license agents, DNR District Offices, Elkins Operation Center and South Charleston Headquarters.
The 2011 Fishing Regulations Summary Regulations is also available online at www.wvdnr.gov.
source: West Virginia Division of Natural Resources
ESCAPE TO GLORIOUS GLADE SPRINGS
If you think you know all about the Resort at Glade Springs, think again.
by: Carter Seaton
What's that old saying? "The more things change, the more they remain the same." That's certainly true at The Resort at Glade Springs. If your last visit to the 4,100-acre mountain resort near Beckley, West Virginia was just a year ago, you need to return to see what's new. And if it's been two or more years, you are in for a big, big surprise. The overall serenity and relaxed ambience are exactly as you remembered from your last trip, however. That much remains the same.
But... In the late 1960s, the Glade Springs Land Company bought an old farm tract in Daniels, WV and its president, Austin Caperton, Jr., retained George Cobb, a renowned golf course designer, to plan a course around which residential lots could be sold. The coal boom of the 1970s brought property buyers in droves; a second golf course was cleared and the road system installed. But just as new acreage was being added, the boom ended, tax laws changed and interest rates skyrocketed. By 1980 Glade Springs had been sold – one of several ownership changes over the next decade.
Today the property is owned by two separate companies: EMCO Hospitality Inc. controls the Resort at Glade Springs and all resort amenities, while Arkansas-based Cooper Land Development owns hundreds of wooded acres used for home sites as well as two new golf courses. The two companies work together "to make it one big community," according to Cathy Smith, one of Cooper's on-property sales representatives.
So, if you think you know all about the Resort at Glade Springs, think again. Completed in 2006, the Glade Springs Inn & Conference Center still has that new-car smell and now engulfs the original Welcome Center. The Inn's new registration lobby, 52 guest rooms, 12,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, Rotunda Restaurant and Lobby Bar all have a stylish European flair.
From the intimate Governor's Room to the spacious Bright Ballroom, the Conference Center offers a wide range of event options: from mini-seminars to banquets for 250, from coffee-breaks to weddings. Each large room can be sub-divided and features state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment and nearby ADA-compliant restrooms. The Governor's Conference on Tourism – the largest gathering so far – was held at the resort in 2007. Free wireless Internet is available across the resort.
"It took someone with Elmer Coppoolse's vision to pull off what we have now," says Rebecca Blaine, Director of Retail, Memberships and Promotions for the resort.
Mr. Coppoolse is the Chairman and CEO of EMCO Hospitality Inc. Coppoolse is European and his touch is evident in the center's architecture and décor. All the guest rooms are spacious and beautifully appointed. Gas fireplaces, wet bars, DVD players, balconies and jacuzzis are included in the suites.
Although most of the stand-alone lodging options are older than the Inn, nearly all have been recently renovated under Coppoolse's watchful eye. The décor is often Greenbrier-esque – think large floral patterns and plaid wallpapers. These Executive Suites, Lodges, Manor Houses and Villas can accommodate groups from four to 40. Flexible floor plans make them ideal for family vacations, church groups, corporate retreats, wedding parties, conference VIPs or reunions. Most have fully equipped kitchens, living rooms with a gas fireplace, and a central meeting room. Some are equipped with a washer and dryer; one has a pool table, outdoor jacuzzi and BBQ, a surround sound entertainment system and a stone terrace.
On most winter days, even at full capacity, the Glade is quiet. The skiers and dedicated snow-bunnies have hopped the free shuttle to Glade Springs' sister property, Winterplace, only 20 minutes away. But after the slopes close, the Glade comes alive. It's then that the newly-renovated Leisure Center is the place to be. The 10-lane bowling alley pulses with neon lights and the rumble of friendly competition while a big screen TV and snack bar occupy those waiting their turn on the lanes.
Although the actual building was completed decades ago, Mr. Coppoolse has touched it, too. Blaine says over half of it was redesigned in 2006. In the lobby, huge windows overlook the bowling alley, indoor swimming pools and exercise rooms below. The unique pool offers a sloped-beach entrance on one side and a narrow lap pool on the other. Beyond the bowling alley are basketball and tennis courts, a video game arcade, and a toddlers' corner. The locker area includes steam rooms, a sauna and a whirlpool. New to this level is the exercise room. Before the renovations, several stationary machines occupied the U-shaped corridor that now houses the video arcade. Today, in one brightly lighted room, the full gamut of aerobic equipment stands alongside Nautilus strength-training equipment. Several flat panel television sets offer your choice of programming. And, if free weights are your thing, the room behind the mirrored dividing wall houses more Nautilus machines, benches and a full rack of weights.
Above the weight room is Spa Orange, a luxurious spa offering every pampering treatment you can imagine: massages, body polishes, wraps, hand and foot treatments, facials, complimentary teas and snacks. It even smells soothing. Use of the new spa has doubled since it reopened in 2007, and it's no wonder. You can be relaxed, rejuvenated, and refinished, all in one visit. Plus, you can take home the spa's special products to prolong its decadent pleasures.
In the spring, summer and autumn the center of activity shifts outdoors. By day the horseshoe pits, volleyball and tennis courts come alive and bonfires blaze on the Town Square each night. Hikers head to the hills and the young-at-heart embark on organized scavenger hunts. The outdoor pool behind Small Talk Café is filled, as is the children's playground. And, the really adventuresome head to the barn – one of the most popular spots on the grounds.
Here, Gary Critchley manages the resort's Equestrian Center, home to 65 horses – all personally raised by Gary. His "babies" are mostly sure-footed quarter horses, "better suited for trail riding," he says. "In a day's time we can easily do 75-125 people. That's not uncommon. On a good day, I can handle 200-300 people. The horses are constantly rolling," he beams.
But, rotating the horses on and off the 60 acres of pastureland gives them a much-needed rest and ensures a better mount for his customers. Each trail ride is guided by Gary, his wife, or a member of his dedicated staff. The 16-25 miles of mostly flat trails wind through many undeveloped areas of the resort offering breathtaking vistas of its hills, valleys and streams. Rides vary from 45 minutes to three hours. An adventure to the New River includes a catered lunch. This summer, the Center will offer something new – six hour fishing trips on horseback.
"These will allow riders to stop at the stocked creek, fish a while, ride to the next big hole and fish some more," Critchley says. "Bobby Bower (the resort's outdoor adventure specialist) and I will get together. He knows the holes and I know the horses."
Elegant carriage rides, Percheron pulled wagon rides and pony rides for the kids are also available.
Bobby Bower is the go-to-guy for off-site adventures, too. You dream it up; he'll plan it: whitewater rafting, guided mountain bike tours, a trip to the Hatfield-McCoy Recreational area, rock climbing, fly fishing or sporting clay shooting. Tamer trips to Tamarack or Pipestem State Park also can be arranged.
The Resort at Glade Springs is also a golfer's dream. The Cobb Course, designed by the creator of the par 3-course at Augusta National, is an award winning 18-hole course. A million dollar upgrade in 2003 enhanced the traditional course while retaining its original flat terrain, gradually rolling tree-lined fairways and large greens. The course boasts eight lakes, a 200-foot elevation change, and unsurpassed beauty. And there's a driving range just outside the clubhouse. Named by Washington Golf Monthly as one of the 100 Must Play Courses of the Mid-Atlantic, awarded 4 1/2 stars by Golf Digest and acclaimed by Golf Magazine in 2007 as the #1 course in West Virginia, the Cobb Course has been home to the West Virginia Open, the U.S. Open qualifier and the NCAA National Championships. Resort professional Jim Jamieson offers 15 summer courses for golfers of all ages and abilities. Jamieson is the former director of golf at The Greenbrier and a lead instructor at the John Jacobs Golf School in Arizona.
Although the core of the Cobb Course Clubhouse was built in 1973, it has also seen extensive renovations. In 2006 Coppoolse added Bunkers Sport Bar to the existing structure, which also provided space for a new ladies locker room, golf cart pick-up area and Cobb's Corner for golfers' food-on-the-go. Richly paneled and welcoming, Bunkers has 13 televisions sets, including those at tableside, two pool tables, a casual menu and a Sunday brunch to die for. One wall features caricatures of familiar sports figures, most of them from WVU; but according to Ms. Blaine, "There will be a Marshall person on this wall by the end of the year," she says. "You can quote me on that."
On the second floor, Glade's Bar offers a cozy spot for drinks before or after dinner. Next door the Grill Restaurant overlooks the golf course and the woods beyond. Here again, the décor in the semi-circular space has Coppoolse's touch. Sleek dark furniture with oriental styling is complemented by black napkins, table coverings and draperies. Each table is set with a gleaming white place cloth and dinnerware, a subtle amber candle and a feather centerpiece.
Chef Jim Anderson's mark is obvious too. At the resort since last October, he's made bringing the standard of service, food quality and consistency to four or five star level his stated goal. Judging by the presentation of his specials, the friendliness of his staff and the creativity of the menu items, he's well on his way. One dessert, the Chocolate Hemisphere, is so good "you can't eat for yelling about it," as they say. Even the stand on which the chocolate orb – formed over a balloon and frozen – rests is edible.
You say it sounds like you won't want to leave? Actually, you don't have to. Cooper Land Development offers a number of ways to make this your vacation home or new permanent residence. In 2006, Phase I of the Village was completed around Chatham Lake and includes Stonehaven Golf Course, which had opened three years earlier. An 18-hole course as well, Stonehaven offers a rugged terrain and smaller greens. Many of the one-third acre lots front the quiet lake, which is available for fishing or boating to all the Glade's residents. While building is progressing, many sold lots remain undeveloped, waiting for the owner to retire and make his move. The Glade Springs Golf & Country Club offers property owners and non-residents the opportunity to purchase a membership to enjoy the amenities at the resort.
Currently Phase II of the Village is underway, with a third golf course, Woodhaven, scheduled to open across Glade Creek Gorge in 2009. Planned with spectacular gorge views and huge rock formations, this course will have its own clubhouse, driving range, swimming pool, tennis courts and a small restaurant. Lots in this residential area come with views of the gorge or the golf course.
The Village at Glade Springs is not just for retirees, either; it's a bustling family-friendly community. With Camp Glade, organized activities, the family-friendly Leisure Center, a stocked lake and woods full of wildlife, what child wouldn't want to grow up here? And what parent could resist, either?
According to history, the first spa in the United States was in West Virginia – at Berkeley Springs. But for years the best-kept spa-secret in the state may have been the Resort at Glade Springs. However, if Elmer Coppoolse keeps reinventing the place, the secret won't stay secret much longer.
by: Carter Seaton
What's that old saying? "The more things change, the more they remain the same." That's certainly true at The Resort at Glade Springs. If your last visit to the 4,100-acre mountain resort near Beckley, West Virginia was just a year ago, you need to return to see what's new. And if it's been two or more years, you are in for a big, big surprise. The overall serenity and relaxed ambience are exactly as you remembered from your last trip, however. That much remains the same.
But... In the late 1960s, the Glade Springs Land Company bought an old farm tract in Daniels, WV and its president, Austin Caperton, Jr., retained George Cobb, a renowned golf course designer, to plan a course around which residential lots could be sold. The coal boom of the 1970s brought property buyers in droves; a second golf course was cleared and the road system installed. But just as new acreage was being added, the boom ended, tax laws changed and interest rates skyrocketed. By 1980 Glade Springs had been sold – one of several ownership changes over the next decade.
Today the property is owned by two separate companies: EMCO Hospitality Inc. controls the Resort at Glade Springs and all resort amenities, while Arkansas-based Cooper Land Development owns hundreds of wooded acres used for home sites as well as two new golf courses. The two companies work together "to make it one big community," according to Cathy Smith, one of Cooper's on-property sales representatives.
So, if you think you know all about the Resort at Glade Springs, think again. Completed in 2006, the Glade Springs Inn & Conference Center still has that new-car smell and now engulfs the original Welcome Center. The Inn's new registration lobby, 52 guest rooms, 12,000 sq. ft. of meeting space, Rotunda Restaurant and Lobby Bar all have a stylish European flair.
From the intimate Governor's Room to the spacious Bright Ballroom, the Conference Center offers a wide range of event options: from mini-seminars to banquets for 250, from coffee-breaks to weddings. Each large room can be sub-divided and features state-of-the-art audio-visual equipment and nearby ADA-compliant restrooms. The Governor's Conference on Tourism – the largest gathering so far – was held at the resort in 2007. Free wireless Internet is available across the resort.
"It took someone with Elmer Coppoolse's vision to pull off what we have now," says Rebecca Blaine, Director of Retail, Memberships and Promotions for the resort.
Mr. Coppoolse is the Chairman and CEO of EMCO Hospitality Inc. Coppoolse is European and his touch is evident in the center's architecture and décor. All the guest rooms are spacious and beautifully appointed. Gas fireplaces, wet bars, DVD players, balconies and jacuzzis are included in the suites.
Although most of the stand-alone lodging options are older than the Inn, nearly all have been recently renovated under Coppoolse's watchful eye. The décor is often Greenbrier-esque – think large floral patterns and plaid wallpapers. These Executive Suites, Lodges, Manor Houses and Villas can accommodate groups from four to 40. Flexible floor plans make them ideal for family vacations, church groups, corporate retreats, wedding parties, conference VIPs or reunions. Most have fully equipped kitchens, living rooms with a gas fireplace, and a central meeting room. Some are equipped with a washer and dryer; one has a pool table, outdoor jacuzzi and BBQ, a surround sound entertainment system and a stone terrace.
On most winter days, even at full capacity, the Glade is quiet. The skiers and dedicated snow-bunnies have hopped the free shuttle to Glade Springs' sister property, Winterplace, only 20 minutes away. But after the slopes close, the Glade comes alive. It's then that the newly-renovated Leisure Center is the place to be. The 10-lane bowling alley pulses with neon lights and the rumble of friendly competition while a big screen TV and snack bar occupy those waiting their turn on the lanes.
Although the actual building was completed decades ago, Mr. Coppoolse has touched it, too. Blaine says over half of it was redesigned in 2006. In the lobby, huge windows overlook the bowling alley, indoor swimming pools and exercise rooms below. The unique pool offers a sloped-beach entrance on one side and a narrow lap pool on the other. Beyond the bowling alley are basketball and tennis courts, a video game arcade, and a toddlers' corner. The locker area includes steam rooms, a sauna and a whirlpool. New to this level is the exercise room. Before the renovations, several stationary machines occupied the U-shaped corridor that now houses the video arcade. Today, in one brightly lighted room, the full gamut of aerobic equipment stands alongside Nautilus strength-training equipment. Several flat panel television sets offer your choice of programming. And, if free weights are your thing, the room behind the mirrored dividing wall houses more Nautilus machines, benches and a full rack of weights.
Above the weight room is Spa Orange, a luxurious spa offering every pampering treatment you can imagine: massages, body polishes, wraps, hand and foot treatments, facials, complimentary teas and snacks. It even smells soothing. Use of the new spa has doubled since it reopened in 2007, and it's no wonder. You can be relaxed, rejuvenated, and refinished, all in one visit. Plus, you can take home the spa's special products to prolong its decadent pleasures.
In the spring, summer and autumn the center of activity shifts outdoors. By day the horseshoe pits, volleyball and tennis courts come alive and bonfires blaze on the Town Square each night. Hikers head to the hills and the young-at-heart embark on organized scavenger hunts. The outdoor pool behind Small Talk Café is filled, as is the children's playground. And, the really adventuresome head to the barn – one of the most popular spots on the grounds.
Here, Gary Critchley manages the resort's Equestrian Center, home to 65 horses – all personally raised by Gary. His "babies" are mostly sure-footed quarter horses, "better suited for trail riding," he says. "In a day's time we can easily do 75-125 people. That's not uncommon. On a good day, I can handle 200-300 people. The horses are constantly rolling," he beams.
But, rotating the horses on and off the 60 acres of pastureland gives them a much-needed rest and ensures a better mount for his customers. Each trail ride is guided by Gary, his wife, or a member of his dedicated staff. The 16-25 miles of mostly flat trails wind through many undeveloped areas of the resort offering breathtaking vistas of its hills, valleys and streams. Rides vary from 45 minutes to three hours. An adventure to the New River includes a catered lunch. This summer, the Center will offer something new – six hour fishing trips on horseback.
"These will allow riders to stop at the stocked creek, fish a while, ride to the next big hole and fish some more," Critchley says. "Bobby Bower (the resort's outdoor adventure specialist) and I will get together. He knows the holes and I know the horses."
Elegant carriage rides, Percheron pulled wagon rides and pony rides for the kids are also available.
Bobby Bower is the go-to-guy for off-site adventures, too. You dream it up; he'll plan it: whitewater rafting, guided mountain bike tours, a trip to the Hatfield-McCoy Recreational area, rock climbing, fly fishing or sporting clay shooting. Tamer trips to Tamarack or Pipestem State Park also can be arranged.
The Resort at Glade Springs is also a golfer's dream. The Cobb Course, designed by the creator of the par 3-course at Augusta National, is an award winning 18-hole course. A million dollar upgrade in 2003 enhanced the traditional course while retaining its original flat terrain, gradually rolling tree-lined fairways and large greens. The course boasts eight lakes, a 200-foot elevation change, and unsurpassed beauty. And there's a driving range just outside the clubhouse. Named by Washington Golf Monthly as one of the 100 Must Play Courses of the Mid-Atlantic, awarded 4 1/2 stars by Golf Digest and acclaimed by Golf Magazine in 2007 as the #1 course in West Virginia, the Cobb Course has been home to the West Virginia Open, the U.S. Open qualifier and the NCAA National Championships. Resort professional Jim Jamieson offers 15 summer courses for golfers of all ages and abilities. Jamieson is the former director of golf at The Greenbrier and a lead instructor at the John Jacobs Golf School in Arizona.
Although the core of the Cobb Course Clubhouse was built in 1973, it has also seen extensive renovations. In 2006 Coppoolse added Bunkers Sport Bar to the existing structure, which also provided space for a new ladies locker room, golf cart pick-up area and Cobb's Corner for golfers' food-on-the-go. Richly paneled and welcoming, Bunkers has 13 televisions sets, including those at tableside, two pool tables, a casual menu and a Sunday brunch to die for. One wall features caricatures of familiar sports figures, most of them from WVU; but according to Ms. Blaine, "There will be a Marshall person on this wall by the end of the year," she says. "You can quote me on that."
On the second floor, Glade's Bar offers a cozy spot for drinks before or after dinner. Next door the Grill Restaurant overlooks the golf course and the woods beyond. Here again, the décor in the semi-circular space has Coppoolse's touch. Sleek dark furniture with oriental styling is complemented by black napkins, table coverings and draperies. Each table is set with a gleaming white place cloth and dinnerware, a subtle amber candle and a feather centerpiece.
Chef Jim Anderson's mark is obvious too. At the resort since last October, he's made bringing the standard of service, food quality and consistency to four or five star level his stated goal. Judging by the presentation of his specials, the friendliness of his staff and the creativity of the menu items, he's well on his way. One dessert, the Chocolate Hemisphere, is so good "you can't eat for yelling about it," as they say. Even the stand on which the chocolate orb – formed over a balloon and frozen – rests is edible.
You say it sounds like you won't want to leave? Actually, you don't have to. Cooper Land Development offers a number of ways to make this your vacation home or new permanent residence. In 2006, Phase I of the Village was completed around Chatham Lake and includes Stonehaven Golf Course, which had opened three years earlier. An 18-hole course as well, Stonehaven offers a rugged terrain and smaller greens. Many of the one-third acre lots front the quiet lake, which is available for fishing or boating to all the Glade's residents. While building is progressing, many sold lots remain undeveloped, waiting for the owner to retire and make his move. The Glade Springs Golf & Country Club offers property owners and non-residents the opportunity to purchase a membership to enjoy the amenities at the resort.
Currently Phase II of the Village is underway, with a third golf course, Woodhaven, scheduled to open across Glade Creek Gorge in 2009. Planned with spectacular gorge views and huge rock formations, this course will have its own clubhouse, driving range, swimming pool, tennis courts and a small restaurant. Lots in this residential area come with views of the gorge or the golf course.
The Village at Glade Springs is not just for retirees, either; it's a bustling family-friendly community. With Camp Glade, organized activities, the family-friendly Leisure Center, a stocked lake and woods full of wildlife, what child wouldn't want to grow up here? And what parent could resist, either?
According to history, the first spa in the United States was in West Virginia – at Berkeley Springs. But for years the best-kept spa-secret in the state may have been the Resort at Glade Springs. However, if Elmer Coppoolse keeps reinventing the place, the secret won't stay secret much longer.
Friday, March 4, 2011
West Virginia Trout Stocking Feb. 2011
February 28, 2011
Blackwater River
East Fork Greenbrier River
Knapps Creek
Little River East Fork Greenbrier River
Spruce Knob Lake
Summit Lake
Watoga Lake
February 25, 2011
Lost River
Mill Creek Reservoir
Trout Run
Waites Run
February 24, 2011
Brandywine Lake
Brushy Fork Lake
Buffalo Creek (Brooke)
Bullskin Run
Cacapon Park Lake
Castleman Run Lake
Evitts Run
Middle Creek
Middle Wheeling Creek Lake
Mill Creek of Opequon Creek
Opequon Creek
Rocky Marsh Run
Thomas Park Lake
February 23, 2011
Blackwater River
Buffalo Fork Lake
Clear Fork of Tug
East Fork Greenbrier River
Glade Creek of New River
Greenbrier River
Laurel Creek (Clay)
Little River East Fork Greenbrier River
Marsh Fork
South Branch (Smoke Hole)
February 22, 2011
Boley Lake
Glade Creek of Mann
Laurel Creek (Fayette)
Mill Creek (Fayette)
Rhine Creek
Wolf Creek
February 18, 2011
Anawalt Lake
Glady Fork
North Fork of Anthony Creek
North Fork of South Branch
Rockhouse Lake
Spruce Laurel Fork
February 17, 2011
Dillons Run
Edwards Run
Fort Ashby Reservoir
Gandy Creek
Laurel Fork (Randolph) at bridge on Rt. 33 only
Mill Creek of South Branch
New Creek
North Fork of Cherry River
North Fork of Patterson Creek
Right Fork of Buckhannon River
Rollins Lake
South Branch (Franklin)
South Fork of Cherry River
Wallback Lake
February 16, 2011
Back Fork of Elk River
Desert Fork
Elk River
Jennings Randolph Tailwaters
Knapps Creek
Lower Cove Run
Moores Run
Potts Creek
South Fork of Potts Creek
Spruce Knob Lake
Sugar Creek
Summit Lake
Warden Lake
Watoga Lake
February 15, 2011
Fitzpatrick Lake
Little Beaver Lake
Meadow Creek of New River
Milligan Creek
Shavers Fork (Bemis)
Shavers Fork (lower)
February 14, 2011
Anthony Creek
Buffalo Creek (Logan)
Long Marsh Run
Mill Run (Berkeley)
Poorhouse Pond
Tilhance Creek
Tuscarora Creek
February 11, 2011
Dry Fork (Tucker, Randolph)
Little Kanawha River
Middle Fork River
Right Fork of Little Kanawha River
February 10, 2011
Fall Run
French Creek Pond
Horseshoe Run
Laurel Fork of Holly River
Left Fork of Holly River
Red Creek
Tygart Tailwaters
February 9, 2011
Big Clear Creek
Big Sandy Creek
Coopers Rock Lake
Hills Creek
Indian Creek
Kings Creek
Little Clear Creek
New Creek
North Fork of Lunice Creek
North Fork of Patterson Creek
Rich Creek (Monroe)
Right Fork of Middle Fork
Tomlinson Run
Tomlinson Run Lake
Tygart Headwaters
February 8, 2011
Clover Run
Conaway Run Lake
Curtisville Lake
Dunkard Fork Lake
Lost River
North Fork of Fishing Creek
North Fork of South Branch (C&R)
North River
South Fork of Fishing Creek
Trout Run
Waites Run
February 7, 2011
Beech Fork Tailwaters
Bullskin Run
Burnsville Tailwaters
Cacapon Park Lake
Chief Logan Pond
East Lynn Tailwaters
Evitts Run
Gandy Creek
Laurel Fork (Randolph) at bridge on Rt. 33 only
Laurel Fork Lake
Lick Creek Pond
Middle Creek
Mill Creek of Opequon
Opequon Creek
Rocky Marsh Run
Stonewall Jackson Tailwaters
Sutton Tailwaters
Wayne Dam
West Fork Twelvepole
February 4, 2011
Cherry River
Deer Creek (Pocahontas)
Dog Run Lake
East Fork Greenbrier River
Horse Creek Lake
Jimmy Lewis Lake
Little River East Fork Greenbrier River
Pipestem Lake
Seneca Lake
Shavers Fork (Bemis)
Shavers Fork (C&R) Stuarts Park Recreation Area
Shavers Fork (lower)
Spruce Knob Lake
Summersville Tailwaters
Teter Creek Lake
February 3, 2011
Anthony Creek
Berwind Lake
Buckhannon River
Dry Fork (McDowell)
Elk River
Kimsey Run Lake
Left Fork of Right Fork of Buckhannon River
Meadow Creek of Anthony Creek
Panther Creek
R.D. Bailey Tailwaters
February 2, 1011
Bear Rocks Lake
Clear Fork of Guyandotte River
Deer Creek (Nicholas)
Dunloup Creek
Laurel Creek of Cherry River
Newburg Lake
Paint Creek
Paw Paw Creek
Pinnacle Creek (lower section)
South Branch (Smoke Hole)
Summit Lake
Wheeling Creek
Whiteday Creek
February 1, 2011
Camp Creek
East River
Hopkins Fork
Knapps Creek
Mash Fork
Mason Lake
North Fork of South Branch
Pond Fork
South Branch (Franklin)
South Mill Creek Lake
Tuckahoe Lake
Watoga Lake
Blackwater River
East Fork Greenbrier River
Knapps Creek
Little River East Fork Greenbrier River
Spruce Knob Lake
Summit Lake
Watoga Lake
February 25, 2011
Lost River
Mill Creek Reservoir
Trout Run
Waites Run
February 24, 2011
Brandywine Lake
Brushy Fork Lake
Buffalo Creek (Brooke)
Bullskin Run
Cacapon Park Lake
Castleman Run Lake
Evitts Run
Middle Creek
Middle Wheeling Creek Lake
Mill Creek of Opequon Creek
Opequon Creek
Rocky Marsh Run
Thomas Park Lake
February 23, 2011
Blackwater River
Buffalo Fork Lake
Clear Fork of Tug
East Fork Greenbrier River
Glade Creek of New River
Greenbrier River
Laurel Creek (Clay)
Little River East Fork Greenbrier River
Marsh Fork
South Branch (Smoke Hole)
February 22, 2011
Boley Lake
Glade Creek of Mann
Laurel Creek (Fayette)
Mill Creek (Fayette)
Rhine Creek
Wolf Creek
February 18, 2011
Anawalt Lake
Glady Fork
North Fork of Anthony Creek
North Fork of South Branch
Rockhouse Lake
Spruce Laurel Fork
February 17, 2011
Dillons Run
Edwards Run
Fort Ashby Reservoir
Gandy Creek
Laurel Fork (Randolph) at bridge on Rt. 33 only
Mill Creek of South Branch
New Creek
North Fork of Cherry River
North Fork of Patterson Creek
Right Fork of Buckhannon River
Rollins Lake
South Branch (Franklin)
South Fork of Cherry River
Wallback Lake
February 16, 2011
Back Fork of Elk River
Desert Fork
Elk River
Jennings Randolph Tailwaters
Knapps Creek
Lower Cove Run
Moores Run
Potts Creek
South Fork of Potts Creek
Spruce Knob Lake
Sugar Creek
Summit Lake
Warden Lake
Watoga Lake
February 15, 2011
Fitzpatrick Lake
Little Beaver Lake
Meadow Creek of New River
Milligan Creek
Shavers Fork (Bemis)
Shavers Fork (lower)
February 14, 2011
Anthony Creek
Buffalo Creek (Logan)
Long Marsh Run
Mill Run (Berkeley)
Poorhouse Pond
Tilhance Creek
Tuscarora Creek
February 11, 2011
Dry Fork (Tucker, Randolph)
Little Kanawha River
Middle Fork River
Right Fork of Little Kanawha River
February 10, 2011
Fall Run
French Creek Pond
Horseshoe Run
Laurel Fork of Holly River
Left Fork of Holly River
Red Creek
Tygart Tailwaters
February 9, 2011
Big Clear Creek
Big Sandy Creek
Coopers Rock Lake
Hills Creek
Indian Creek
Kings Creek
Little Clear Creek
New Creek
North Fork of Lunice Creek
North Fork of Patterson Creek
Rich Creek (Monroe)
Right Fork of Middle Fork
Tomlinson Run
Tomlinson Run Lake
Tygart Headwaters
February 8, 2011
Clover Run
Conaway Run Lake
Curtisville Lake
Dunkard Fork Lake
Lost River
North Fork of Fishing Creek
North Fork of South Branch (C&R)
North River
South Fork of Fishing Creek
Trout Run
Waites Run
February 7, 2011
Beech Fork Tailwaters
Bullskin Run
Burnsville Tailwaters
Cacapon Park Lake
Chief Logan Pond
East Lynn Tailwaters
Evitts Run
Gandy Creek
Laurel Fork (Randolph) at bridge on Rt. 33 only
Laurel Fork Lake
Lick Creek Pond
Middle Creek
Mill Creek of Opequon
Opequon Creek
Rocky Marsh Run
Stonewall Jackson Tailwaters
Sutton Tailwaters
Wayne Dam
West Fork Twelvepole
February 4, 2011
Cherry River
Deer Creek (Pocahontas)
Dog Run Lake
East Fork Greenbrier River
Horse Creek Lake
Jimmy Lewis Lake
Little River East Fork Greenbrier River
Pipestem Lake
Seneca Lake
Shavers Fork (Bemis)
Shavers Fork (C&R) Stuarts Park Recreation Area
Shavers Fork (lower)
Spruce Knob Lake
Summersville Tailwaters
Teter Creek Lake
February 3, 2011
Anthony Creek
Berwind Lake
Buckhannon River
Dry Fork (McDowell)
Elk River
Kimsey Run Lake
Left Fork of Right Fork of Buckhannon River
Meadow Creek of Anthony Creek
Panther Creek
R.D. Bailey Tailwaters
February 2, 1011
Bear Rocks Lake
Clear Fork of Guyandotte River
Deer Creek (Nicholas)
Dunloup Creek
Laurel Creek of Cherry River
Newburg Lake
Paint Creek
Paw Paw Creek
Pinnacle Creek (lower section)
South Branch (Smoke Hole)
Summit Lake
Wheeling Creek
Whiteday Creek
February 1, 2011
Camp Creek
East River
Hopkins Fork
Knapps Creek
Mash Fork
Mason Lake
North Fork of South Branch
Pond Fork
South Branch (Franklin)
South Mill Creek Lake
Tuckahoe Lake
Watoga Lake
March 4, 2011
Lower New River Watershed pollution discussed
By Taylor Kuykendall
Register-Herald Reporter The Register-Herald
Several people met Thursday to learn about the quality of water flowing through the Lower New River Watershed and what they can do to help clean it up.
The meeting was held to gather input on the draft report of the “Lower New River — State of the Watershed” publication by the New River Clean Water Alliance and Downstream Strategies. According to the report, high levels of fecal coliform in the tributaries of the New River contribute to high levels of the pollutant in the Lower New River during high-flow events.
Fecal coliform is one indicator of human-disease-causing pathogens in fecal matter.
Erin St. John, program manager of the National Parks Conservation Association’s West Virginia field office, said the final report would be out this spring.
“After the New River was listed as impaired ... it was kind of a call to action,” St. John said. “It got us thinking about how we can take advantage of all the people who really care about this place and this river. We all want to see it clean.”
According to the report, nearly 270 miles of Lower New River streams are impaired by fecal coliform.
Don Striker, superintendent of the New River Gorge, told the audience that clean water is an integral element of future environmental health.
“In the National Park Systems, our mission is to protect our most special places for our grandchildren’s grandchildren,” Striker said. “It’s really a long-term mission, a long-term view of the world.”
Clean water, and its isolation from sewage systems, Striker said, is a fundamental skill humans developed for survival.
“The first thing, when civilizations are setting themselves up, is to figure out what’s clean water,” Striker said. “What’s the separation of water and sewer. We, as Americans, tend to take that for granted all the time, especially those of us that are at the top of the watershed.”
Fritz Boettner, of Downstream Strategies, an environmental consulting company based in Morgantown, said the problem is large but manageable. One proposed solution, he said, is to establish a network of citizens who can monitor the water quality and gather more data.
“A lot of these problems do typically exist at high-flow events,” he said. During low-flow events, “There were no exceedances at all. Nothing above water-quality criteria.”
When the water starts to rise, however, fecal coliform levels begins to rise as well, sometimes up to a hundred to five hundred times standard levels, he said. The problems, Boettner pointed out, are largely localized.
“We have leaking sewer pipes, basically, aged infrastructures that are leaking instead of going to the treatment facility. We have stormwater runoff,” Boettner said. “As places get more urban, more ‘paved over,’ so to speak, it picks up a lot of pollutants, shoves it into the stormwater drains, and off into the rivers and creeks it goes. There’s also failing septic systems. One thing in West Virginia is that due to its geology and soils, it’s never a great place for traditional septic systems.”
Piney Creek in Beckley, Wolf Creek in Oak Hill and Arbuckle Creek in Oak Hill are currently the primary sub-watersheds the group is targeting.
Jeremiah Johnson, of the Beckley Sanitary Board and the Piney Creek Watershed Association, said funding for cleaning up the Lower New River Watershed and its constituent watersheds may be the greatest challenge.
“There are a lot of problems ... and we can solve them,” Johnson said. “We do have solutions as professionals, but a lot of times it’s a funding issue.”
He said many of the problems stem from an antiquated way of dealing with sewage and stormwater. The problems from infrastructure built decades ago persist today.
“They were solving a 1920s problem. A problem with sanitation — basically getting their wastewater off their property and into the creek,” Johnson said. “That was okay at that point. Stormwater runoff wasn’t much different. Some days, I think 1920s thinking is still the same today.”
He added that another challenge is dealing with the sheer volume of water to be treated after significant rainfall events. Beckley already treats about 6 million gallons, on average, per day, he said.
“An inch of rainfall will put 28 to 30 million gallons of runoff through the system,” Johnson said. “I don’t care what you have, it becomes pretty hard to manage that amount of water and to treat it and not create downstream problems. So we’ve got our work cut out for us as a region.”
Community action, Johnson reiterated, is the key to cleaning up the area watersheds and getting attention brought to the issue.
“The wheel that squeaks gets the attention,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to squeak collectively.”
— E-mail: tkuykendall@register-herald.com
Lower New River Watershed pollution discussed
By Taylor Kuykendall
Register-Herald Reporter The Register-Herald
Several people met Thursday to learn about the quality of water flowing through the Lower New River Watershed and what they can do to help clean it up.
The meeting was held to gather input on the draft report of the “Lower New River — State of the Watershed” publication by the New River Clean Water Alliance and Downstream Strategies. According to the report, high levels of fecal coliform in the tributaries of the New River contribute to high levels of the pollutant in the Lower New River during high-flow events.
Fecal coliform is one indicator of human-disease-causing pathogens in fecal matter.
Erin St. John, program manager of the National Parks Conservation Association’s West Virginia field office, said the final report would be out this spring.
“After the New River was listed as impaired ... it was kind of a call to action,” St. John said. “It got us thinking about how we can take advantage of all the people who really care about this place and this river. We all want to see it clean.”
According to the report, nearly 270 miles of Lower New River streams are impaired by fecal coliform.
Don Striker, superintendent of the New River Gorge, told the audience that clean water is an integral element of future environmental health.
“In the National Park Systems, our mission is to protect our most special places for our grandchildren’s grandchildren,” Striker said. “It’s really a long-term mission, a long-term view of the world.”
Clean water, and its isolation from sewage systems, Striker said, is a fundamental skill humans developed for survival.
“The first thing, when civilizations are setting themselves up, is to figure out what’s clean water,” Striker said. “What’s the separation of water and sewer. We, as Americans, tend to take that for granted all the time, especially those of us that are at the top of the watershed.”
Fritz Boettner, of Downstream Strategies, an environmental consulting company based in Morgantown, said the problem is large but manageable. One proposed solution, he said, is to establish a network of citizens who can monitor the water quality and gather more data.
“A lot of these problems do typically exist at high-flow events,” he said. During low-flow events, “There were no exceedances at all. Nothing above water-quality criteria.”
When the water starts to rise, however, fecal coliform levels begins to rise as well, sometimes up to a hundred to five hundred times standard levels, he said. The problems, Boettner pointed out, are largely localized.
“We have leaking sewer pipes, basically, aged infrastructures that are leaking instead of going to the treatment facility. We have stormwater runoff,” Boettner said. “As places get more urban, more ‘paved over,’ so to speak, it picks up a lot of pollutants, shoves it into the stormwater drains, and off into the rivers and creeks it goes. There’s also failing septic systems. One thing in West Virginia is that due to its geology and soils, it’s never a great place for traditional septic systems.”
Piney Creek in Beckley, Wolf Creek in Oak Hill and Arbuckle Creek in Oak Hill are currently the primary sub-watersheds the group is targeting.
Jeremiah Johnson, of the Beckley Sanitary Board and the Piney Creek Watershed Association, said funding for cleaning up the Lower New River Watershed and its constituent watersheds may be the greatest challenge.
“There are a lot of problems ... and we can solve them,” Johnson said. “We do have solutions as professionals, but a lot of times it’s a funding issue.”
He said many of the problems stem from an antiquated way of dealing with sewage and stormwater. The problems from infrastructure built decades ago persist today.
“They were solving a 1920s problem. A problem with sanitation — basically getting their wastewater off their property and into the creek,” Johnson said. “That was okay at that point. Stormwater runoff wasn’t much different. Some days, I think 1920s thinking is still the same today.”
He added that another challenge is dealing with the sheer volume of water to be treated after significant rainfall events. Beckley already treats about 6 million gallons, on average, per day, he said.
“An inch of rainfall will put 28 to 30 million gallons of runoff through the system,” Johnson said. “I don’t care what you have, it becomes pretty hard to manage that amount of water and to treat it and not create downstream problems. So we’ve got our work cut out for us as a region.”
Community action, Johnson reiterated, is the key to cleaning up the area watersheds and getting attention brought to the issue.
“The wheel that squeaks gets the attention,” Johnson said. “We’ve got to squeak collectively.”
— E-mail: tkuykendall@register-herald.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
