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America’s newest national park is wild and wonderful — and nearby
New River Gorge National Park preserves paddling and climbing paradise
When you think of national parks within a day’s drive of East Tennessee, what comes to mind? Great Smoky Mountains National Park, of course. Or perhaps Mammoth Cave in Kentucky, or Virginia’s Shenandoah. You have a new option.
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, created by Congress Dec. 27, 2020, by way of a pandemic relief bill, is America’s 63rd and newest national park. Located in southern West Virginia, the 72,186-acre park and preserve protects land along both sides of a 53-mile stretch of the New River, which is famous for its world-class whitewater. It’s walls rise up to 1,400 feet, attracting rock climbers from across the country.
The New River Gorge, known locally as “The New,” currently welcomes about 1.4 million visitors a year. It’s within a day’s drive of 40 percent of the U.S. population, and is expecting an initial 20 percent increase in visitation this year because it is now a national park with national attention.
Local merchants and business owners are already touting the economic benefits, including new jobs in in-store retail and dining, two industries decimated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We’re super excited about it,” Cathedral Cafe manager Cassidy Bays said. She said the cafe, just minutes from the park, plans to increase staff and extend hours. “We’re even building an outdoor patio to increase dining space,” Bays said.
And this is not your grandfather’s West Virginia: Locavores can find locally sourced food and lean into a vegan juice bar. Several community-supported agriculture (CSA) and co-op farms are a main source of the cafe menu. “We actually cater to locavores. We are a farm-to-table restaurant” Bays said.
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Save the environment using your phone
Feb 9 7 p.m.
Community science: how you can save the environment using your phone
Mac Post, Ecosystem Ecologist Emeritus (ORNL)
Harvey Broome Group, Sierra Club
Zoom Meeting - Free and open to the public - RSVP
More details and required RSVP signup
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Oak Ridge reacetrack at Horizon Center
Feb 4 7–8:30 p.m.
Why We Oppose the Proposed Oak Ridge Motorsports Complex
Virginia Dale and Ellen Smith
Advocates for the Oak Ridge Reservation (AFORR)
Zoom Meeting - Free and open to the public - RSVP
The proposed racetrack would destroy natural assets that DOE committed to protect and adversely affect recreational users and nearby residents.
Sponsored by Oak Ridgers for Responsible Development (OR4RD), Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning (TCWP), and AFORR.
More details and required registration
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.