FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — Despite the federal government shutdown, the Canyon Rim and Sandstone visitors centers within the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve are open today. Governor Patrick Morrisey and state Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby last week announced the state would cover the costs of keeping those facilities open as the government is halted in Washington D.C.
The announcement was a huge boost to the Friends of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Executive Director Boog Ferrell said West Virginia led the way.
“In the past I know the state and Department of Tourism have looked at opportunities to try and fund park operations during the shutdown, but it didn’t align well or maybe what was exempt at the time and what could be supported didn’t fit with the plan. But this time, thankfully, Governor Morrisey, the Department of Tourism, and the State of West Virginia were the first in the whole country to make that happen, so it was super helpful,” said Ferrell.
Since last week’s announcement there have been other parks which have received local help to keep facilities operating. But for West Virginia a shutdown of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve during October was a non-starter for a lot of people who depend on the fall crowds to make their year. Commercial whitewater outfitters are in the midst of Gauley rafting season. Bridge Day is coming up and is a huge event to a lot of local business owners. Ferrell said most of those activities aren’t impacted by the shutdown, but the perception might have been they were. He added a closed visitors center has a great negative impact on operations of tourist activities.
“Both Sandstone and Canyon Rim receive a lot of visitation, but Canyon Rim is the single busiest point in all 70,000 acres of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Keeping that area open and making it available for visitors was very important,” he said.
Ferrell also explained in talking to other Friends groups at other parks around the country, the supplemental funding during a shutdown is hit and miss. Sometimes it is allowed and sometimes it isn’t.
“Every shutdown is different. What is allowed and what is not allowed to be funded in each shutdown could look a little bit different, so I don’t know that there’s any particular template, ” he said.
The Gauley Season, the upcoming Bridge Day, and the recent weather in the months of September and October mean the area is looking at a huge influx of visitors as the leaves begin to change. State leaders believed that was too important to not step in and look for a way to open up as much of the park as possible. The funding opens the visitors centers which are a critical gateway to a lot of out-of-towners who come to the region.
The state also approved funding to keep the visitors center open at the Harper’s Ferry National Historic Park in Jefferson County. Harper’s Ferry, like New River Gorge, gets a high percentage of its annual visitors during the month of October. The funding from the state of just over $97,000 keeps those visitor center’s operations, other parts of the park and other employees are furloughed for the duration of the shutdown.