With across-the-board cuts in federal spending expected to begin Friday with the sequester, those with the New River Gorge National River
Acting superintendent at the park Debbie Darden said the first thing they will be doing is cutting back on anything that is not considered essential.
“Travel, training, printing, those kinds of things stop immediately,” said Darden.
Along with that, Darden expects less summer and seasonal workers to be hired. In an average year, the park will hire anywhere from 25 to 30 seasonals.
“This would mean that nine of those, about a third of those seasonals, we would not be able to hire,” said Darden.
This would be a big hit to the 70,000 acre park which relies heavily on providing a high level of service for visitors.
Less seasonal workers means less Visitor Use Assistants. Fewer Visitor Use Assistants, Darden said, means Park Rangers would have to pick up the extra workload of performing the assistant’s duties.
“They come around to the campgrounds, they register you, they pick up the trash, they provide information, they drop the river people off where they get in the river and pick them up when they come off,” said Darden.
In addition to hiring fewer workers, Darden adds that portions of the park could remain closed for the summer.
Darden said Thurmond would remain closed and certain parts of Grandview
“People could still go to Grandview
The theater inside Grandview
In addition to the New River Gorge National River , the Gauley River National Recreation Area and the Bluestone National Scenic River
Darden said many facets of the operation will be impacted by the changes because everyone will take a portion of the cut.
Darden adds that the only way the impact could be lessened at the park is if they were able to find enough people to volunteer.
