NPT Applauds Senator Byrd's Call for West Virginia National Park

National Park Trust
Tuesday, 15 February 2000

Washington, D.C. - The National Park Trust, the only private land conservancy dedicated exclusively to saving America's parklands, today applauded Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia for his call for a study to assess the potential of a national park in West Virginia's famous Blackwater Canyon. In the past, Blackwater Canyon has been called the Grand Canyon of the East and provides visitors with hiking, whitewater kayaking, biking, fishing, cross country skiing, and bird watching opportunities. Blackwater Canyon is also home to several endangered species such as the Northern Virginia Flying squirrel and Indiana bat. It also houses unique geophysical features, caves, and old-growth forests.

These biologically diverse natural, recreational, and historical resources are currently under threat from logging and proposed exclusive residential development.

"Senator Byrd has long been a man of vision, especially in the conservation realm," said Paul C. Pritchard, president of the National Park Trust. This study is the first step required for the creation of a national park. Blackwater Canyon is one of the few areas where there have been significant studies already done where conclusions merit it being part of the national park system. The proposed area that the National Park Trust feels would qualify includes a range of 100,000 to a quarter of a million acres. A national park, as outlined in law and federal guidelines, encompasses large land or water areas which provide adequate protection for a variety of resources. "To create anything less than this would not merit inclusion in the national park system as a national park," continued Pritchard. "We hope that the broadest possible area will be studied. This is the time to take into consideration the true and great vision of what a national park can be. There are few areas that would still meet these standards, Blackwater Canyon is clearly one of them. If we include some of the areas now under federal management by other agencies, the total cost for this area would be surprisingly low. This should be assessed in the study. We have in the past carved out of public lands areas that are not part of the mandate of other public agencies to preserve as national parks."

The citizens of West Virginia, the coalition to Save Blackwater Canyon, and particularly the dedicated people of the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy are to be applauded and commended for their outstanding leadership in calling for a Blackwater Canyon national park. In addition to protecting these vital ecological resources for the enjoyment of future generations, a national park will also provide for the future sustainability of the economies of this region now in desperate shape due to the decline of the West Virginian coal industry.

The National Park Trust has worked very closely with the West Virginia Highlands Conservancy (WVHC) to bring the threats faced by Blackwater Canyon to the public's attention. In addition to providing guidance and support for meetings and symposiums, the Trust provided WVHC with an educational grant to alert the public about the development pressures faced by Blackwater Canyon.

Founded in 1983, the National Park Trust is the only private land conservancy dedicated exclusively to saving America's parklands. The Trust works closely with the National Park Service and state park directors to purchase lands from willing sellers in order to protect the integrity of our nation's natural, historical, and cultural resources. The Trust has been involved in more than 100 park projects in states ranging from Hawaii to Florida. The Trust has completed four national park units and is the only private land conservancy recognized and entrusted by the U.S. Congress with a national park unit, the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas.

For more information, or to contact National Park Trust, see their website at: www.parktrust.org