Headline News
National Park Service Land Purchase Opens Critical Public Access to Gauley River
The National Park Service is purchasing property from two West Virginia landowners to improve public access to the Gauley River. The sites, at Woods Ferry and Mason Branch, are established put-in and take-out sites for boaters, kayakers, canoeists and rafters along the river between the public put-in at the Summersville Dam and the take-out at Swiss, almost 26 miles downstream.
The National Park Service purchase from Lost Paddle Inc. and Janet and Imre Szilagyi will place the property under the management team of the New River Gorge National River, Gauley River National Recreation Area and the Bluestone National Scenic River.
“This acquisition is critical for the park service to perpetuate public access to important put-in and take-out sites on the Gauley River National Recreation Area,” said Park Superintendent Don Striker. “While much of the public has been ably served by the commercial raft companies with river access, the National Park Service can now ensure access for a variety of recreational users, including commercial rafting companies and private boaters who own their rafts, kayaks and canoes as well as fishermen, hikers and others who want to experience this fabulous natural resource.”
For 15 years, the West Virginia Rivers Coalition, a nonprofit conservation group, has partnered with the property owners to provide shuttle service for thousands of private boater who use the Mason Branch take-out. The landowners allowed the West Virginia Rivers Coalition to operate the shuttle on the land at no cost. The shuttle service is a fundraiser for the nonprofit organization that asks for a donation of $5 per boat.
“We are very supportive of the transfer of this property to NPS and applaud the commitment of the landowners to ensuring river access in the future,” said Shanda Minney, executive director of West Virginia Rivers Coalition. “We have been happy to work with the landowners for the past 15 years and have offered to continue to support use of the property during the transition from private to public ownership and beyond.”
Park Superintendent Don Striker complimented the many partners who have helped to provide Gauley access in the past and indicated that such partnerships will be necessary in the future.
“I have asked our Chief Ranger Gary Hartley and my assistant Lorrie Sprague to immediately form a team to determine our interim use strategies for Mason Branch and Woods Ferry,” Striker said. “Because we do not own enough property to provide adequate and safe public parking, I anticipate that we will continue to need the critical shuttle services coordinated by the West Virginia Rivers Coalition and the help of American Whitewater to most efficiently provide public service at these sites.”
The appraisal and sale were coordinated through The Nature Conservancy, a leading conservation organization that works to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Nature Conservancy considers the Gauley River and its gorge to be one of the natural jewels of the Central Appalachians. The forests, streams and river shores support a diverse wealth of plants and animals, including a federally endangered shrub called Virginia spiraea.
“Our role in conserving this beautiful land was to commission a critical independent appraisal to help bridge negotiations in a reasonable manner,” said Rodney Bartgis, the group’s West Virginia state director. “The landowners and Park Service were willingly talking to one another, but both needed more information to assure their interests were met.”
Property locations: The properties are located in Nicholas County on the right-hand, or north, descending shoreline of the Gauley River and are accessible from Panther Mountain Road (County Road 22). Woods Ferry is a 177-acre tract that includes gravel access to the put-in site at the river and is about 11.5 miles downstream from the Summersville Dam. Mason Branch is a 3-acre tract that includes a paved roadway and take-out site at the river about 9.5 miles from the dam.
Owners: Lost Paddle Inc. and Imre and Janet Szilagyi have owned these parcels of land for more than 20 years and purchased them from Mower Lumber Company. The landowners have invested more than $400,000 in the last 15 years to build and maintain the road access and manage the rest of the property as well.
Property sale: The appraisal and sale of the property was facilitated by an independent appraiser through The Nature Conservancy. The appraisal and subsequent sale were based on the value of the property and its commercial potential as a river access site.
American Whitewater will be working closely with the Park Service to develop a private boater access plan that includes the Mason Branch parking field at the top of the hill that was not part of this land transfer. Since the mid 1990s American Whitewater has leased this field from the local land owner to provide parking for those using the Mason Branch area.
For more information about the purchase and public access, visit American Whitewater at www.americanwhitewater.org; West Virginia Rivers Coalition at www.wvrivers.org; the National Park Services' site for Gauley River National Recreation Area at www.nps.gov; and the West Virginia Chapter of The Nature Conservancy at www.nature.org.
About the Gauley River
Thousands of whitewater enthusiasts come to the Gauley every fall season to paddle what is considered by many to be the one of the best whitewater rivers in the country. Gauley Season begins the first weekend after Labor Day, and continues for six weekends (five four-day weekends and one two-day weekend).
Dropping more than 668 feet through 28 miles of rugged terrain, the Gauley River's complex stretch of whitewater features more than 100 rapids with a steep gradient, technical runs, an incredible volume of water and huge waves. Its vigorous rapids, scenic quality and inaccessibility combine to make Gauley River one of the premier whitewater runs in the world.
Whitewater rafting attracts over 60,000 adventurers to the Gauley River each year. The upper Gauley offers tremendous class III to V+ drops in steep, turbulent chutes such as Pillow Rock, Iron Ring and Sweet's Falls, and rocky routes that demand constant maneuvering such as Lost Paddle and Shipwreck. This section of the river requires experience and minimum age of 16. The lower Gauley is a 12-mile stretch, rated class III to V that feels like a watery roller coaster (minimum age 12–14).
For more information on the Gauley River National Recreation Area, visit the National Park Service site at www.nps.gov.