By MATT COMBS
The Register-Herald
(Register-Herald photo by Rick Barbero)
BECKLEY, W.Va. — An effort led by the West Virginia Professional River Outfitters Association (WVPRO), and being approved by regional economic entities and political leaders, aims at redesignating the New River Gorge National River as the New River National Park.
Brian Campbell, the president of WVPRO and part founder of Adventures on the Gorge, said while an effort to rename the area’s national lands as a national park initially began in 2004, a recently renewed effort has increased the probability of a name change.
The new effort aims to upgrade only the New River portion of local federal lands to national park status, while early efforts were aimed at lumping all three local federal rivers into one national park.
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