Annual Bridge Day Celebration Draws Huge Crowd

Some pretty amazing stats from this mornings' NPS Digest on the most recent Bridge Day at New River Gorge:

Bridge Day was held in the park on the Saturday before last and drew almost 100,000 visitors.

The bridge over New River Gorge National River is a prominent icon in West Virginia. Dedicated and officially opened on October 22, 1977, the New River Gorge Bridge spans 1,700 feet with an overall length of 3,030 feet; it is the longest single arch bridge in the Western Hemisphere and the second longest in the world. At 876 feet high, it is the second highest bridge in the United States. It is owned by the West Virginia Department of Highways, and the Bridge Day celebration is a cooperative effort between the National Park Service and numerous state and county agencies.

The first New River Gorge Bridge Day was held on November 8, 1980. The celebration is held annually on the third Saturday in October and is West Virginia�s largest single-day event.

The event is keynoted by the largest BASE jumping event in the world. For six hours during the festival, the New River Gorge Bridge is the launching point for BASE jumps, rappelling teams and high line rides done under permit. This year there were 868 rappels, and 750 BASE jumps completed by 421 jumpers. This included 11 tandem jumps, a first for the event. Boat rescue teams made 180 water pick-ups; there were eight ambulance transports for back injuries, broken limbs, and other injuries. One BASE jumper failed to open his parachute in time and hit the river at about 60mph and was hospitalized with spinal injuries, lung injuries, and a fractured pelvis.

The event is managed under the incident command system, with fourteen agencies participated in the operation.


Jeff
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Boy Scouts Work To Improve Park Trails

Three cheers for the Boy Scouts of America!

SummitCorps 2011 is in full swing at New River Gorge National River. Throughout the month of July, 1400 Boy Scouts between the ages of 14 and 21 will be volunteering their time and energy to construct and improve trails within the park.

Members of The Order of the Arrow, the Boy Scout�s National Honor Society, will be constructing 16 miles of completely new trails, rehabilitating another 12 miles of existing trails, and removing invasive plants. Each week, a new group of 250 to 350 Scouts will arrive from all across the country to participate in one of the largest youth service projects in national park history. Each boy raised $250 to participate in the event, plus travel costs, and will spend 32 hours working in the park.

�The National Park Service is extremely proud to be working with our longstanding partners at the Boy Scouts of America,� said Don Striker, the park�s superintendent. �This project will save taxpayers over $1 million, as the Boy Scouts clearly demonstrate their leadership in developing youth who understand the importance of community service and the shared stewardship of our national parks. It's remarkable that these boys are paying money to come and provide 32 hours of cheerful service to the park."

The Order of the Arrow was formed in 1915, one year before the National Park Service, and by 1925 was sponsoring trail building projects in Yellowstone NP. Glacier, Yosemite, Mount Rainier and Crater Lakes NPs all hosted Arrow Corps trail builders in the 1920s and 30s.

New River Gorge National River is delighted that the Order of the Arrow selected this park to renew their commitment to trail building in national parks. This project is the culmination of more than a year of planning, and is being managed by a joint OA/NPS incident command team that includes youth members in key ICT roles.

This is the first of many future partnership projects. The Boy Scouts of America are committed to future service projects in the park and the surrounding community, as they establish the new home of the Jamboree and a High Adventure Camp adjacent to park lands.


Jeff
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Two Men Busted for Meth Lab at New River Gorge National River

Are our parks becoming safe zones for drug runners?

Earlier this month the U.S. Forest Service published a guide titled: What to do if you encounter a marijuana cultivation site in a National Forest. Then earlier this week Mammoth Cave National Park announced that they will be offering rewards to stop crime within park boundaries. The press release included a quote from Ranger David Alexander, one of the park's law enforcement officers: "Drug activity is a major concern. Every year we find marijuana plots in the park."

Now comes this report from NPS Digest that two men were pulled over for speeding while driving on US 19 by a Summersville PD officer. The officer observed a one-bottle meth cook going on inside and called the Central West Virginia Drug Task Force. Officers learned that the men were staying at the Tailwaters Campground in Gauley River NRA and went there to continue the drug investigation. A search of the tents and campsite revealed precursors of meth production. Both men were arrested and arraigned last Friday in state court. A third man supposedly involved has not been identified yet. The investigation continues, as rangers gather case information from drug task force officers. Both suspects had just gotten out of prison and have meth charges in their criminal histories.

This isn't an isolated incidence of meth production in a national park. Just last year rangers in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area arrested four people in possession of a meth lab.

Bears, mountain lions, snakes and poisen ivy aren't the only things you need to keep your eye on while out on the trail anymore....


Jeff
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