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
Showing posts with label waterfalls. Show all posts
Showing posts with label waterfalls. Show all posts
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
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.
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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.
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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
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.
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