47-562: The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is a United States national park and preserve designed to protect and maintain the New River Gorge in southern West Virginia in the Appalachian Mountains . Established in 1978 as a national river and redesignated in 2020, the park and preserve stretches for 53 miles (85 km) from just downstream of Hinton to Hawks Nest State Park near Ansted . The park
94-519: A drug to be distributed through bait that raccoons could eat. The drug would disrupt the growth and shedding of the roundworm parasite for about three weeks, curtailing deposition of roundworm eggs by raccoons near woodrat nesting sites. The anticipated result would be a reduction in the threat of the parasite to woodrats. Pennsylvania is conducting a three-year study partially funded by a Game Commission State Wildlife Grant and being led by Indiana University of Pennsylvania in an attempt to shed light on
141-504: A few hundred feet from their home ranges. They also collect and store various non-food items such as bottle caps, snail shells, coins, gun cartridges, feathers, and bones. This trait is responsible for the nickname "trade rat" or " pack rat ". These rats form small colonies with nesting areas, a network of underground runways and many conspicuous latrines. Latrines are large fecal piles the rats deposit on protected flat rocks. In some cases, researchers have found dried leaves placed around
188-515: A mixture of stiff black hairs and softer white ones. Allegheny woodrats prefer rocky outcrops associated with mountain ridges such as cliffs, caves, talus slopes, and even mines. This is mostly true for Pennsylvania and Maryland. In Virginia and West Virginia, woodrats are found on ridges, but also on side slopes in caves and talus (boulders and breakdown) fields. The surrounding forest is usually deciduous. Throughout their range, they are found in mixed pine - oak forest, but they are also found in
235-458: A range of other forest types, most commonly with a mix of hardwood trees. Their diets primarily consist of plant materials including buds, leaves, stems, fruits, seeds, acorns, and other nuts. They store their food in caches and eat about 5% of their body weight a day. Predators include owls, skunks, weasels, foxes, raccoons, bobcats, large snakes, and humans. At one point, the Allegheny rat
282-537: A refuge for rare species, including bats, amphibians, and the Allegheny woodrat , a species of special concern in West Virginia and in decline throughout the eastern United States). New River Gorge offers shelter to at least 63 species of mammals including the endangered Virginia big-eared and Indiana bats . The river, stream tributaries, and forest provide habitat for 48 known species of amphibians, including
329-410: A tail measuring 15 to 21 cm (5.9 to 8.3 in). Males weigh 357 g (12.6 oz) on average, while females are slightly smaller, weighing an average of 337 g (11.9 oz). It is the second-largest member of the native North American rats, and can weigh up to a pound, roughly the size of an eastern gray squirrel . The fur is long, soft, and brownish-gray or cinnamon in color, while
376-540: Is Gateway Arch National Park , Missouri , at 192.83 acres (0.7804 km ). The total area protected by national parks is approximately 52.4 million acres (212,000 km ), for an average of 833 thousand acres (3,370 km ) but a median of only 220 thousand acres (890 km ). The national parks set a visitation record in 2021, with more than 92 million visitors. Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee has been
423-475: Is a species of " pack rat " in the genus Neotoma . Once believed to be a subspecies of the eastern woodrat ( Neotoma floridana ), extensive DNA analysis has proven it to be a distinct species. The Allegheny woodrat is a medium-sized rodent almost indistinguishable from the closely related eastern woodrat, although slightly larger on average, and often with longer whiskers. Adults typically range from 31 to 45 cm (12 to 18 in) in total length, including
470-441: Is a parasite, the raccoon roundworm, Baylisascaris procyonis , which is almost always fatal to woodrats. Raccoons easily adapt to environmental change and have thrived in traditional woodrat habitat, causing infection of woodrats when they eat plant and seed material in raccoon feces that contain the parasite. Other frequently cited causes of decline include the near total loss of American chestnuts caused by chestnut blight and
517-492: Is a premier whitewater rafting location. The rapids, ranging in difficulty from class III to class V, are imposing and forceful, many of them obstructed by large boulders, which necessitate maneuvering in very powerful currents, crosscurrents, and hydraulics. Commercial outfitters conduct trips down the river from April through October. The upper part of the river offers somewhat less challenging class I to III rapids for whitewater canoeing. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve
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#1732773015671564-442: Is one of the most popular rock-climbing areas in the country. Within the park are over 1,400 established rock climbs. The cliffs at "The New" located just below the rim of the gorge are made up of a very hard Nuttall sandstone. The rock is very featured, with an abundance of crack and face routes, and occasional large roofs. Almost all climbs are one pitch long and range from 30 to 120 feet (9.1 to 36.6 m) in height. The majority of
611-605: Is rich in cultural and natural history and offers an abundance of scenic and recreational opportunities. New River Gorge has some of the country's best whitewater rafting , mainly from the Cunard put-in to the Fayette Station take-out, and is also one of the most popular climbing areas on the East Coast. The New River itself originates in North Carolina, flowing north through Virginia into the West Virginia mountains to
658-420: Is state listed: In the northern parts of their range (New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania), the Allegheny woodrat population has been in declined over the past 30 years. They have been extirpated from Connecticut and New York, as well as parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland. The reasons for the decline are not yet entirely understood, but are believed to involve a combination of factors. The first
705-692: Is the most biologically diverse part of the park, and contains globally rare communities and essential habitat for several rare species. The New River is a dynamic aquatic ecosystem that supports smallmouth bass and other game fish, invertebrates, and aquatic plants. New River Gorge National Park and Preserve lies at the core of a globally significant forest containing the most diverse flora of any river gorge in central and southern Appalachia; it provides essential habitat for endangered mammals and rare birds and amphibians. The park contains habitats of continuous forest, cliff and rimrock, forest seeps and wetlands, mature bottomland forests, abandoned mine portals (providing
752-627: Is variable across their range, but is broadly between March and October, and they average two or three litters per year. Gestation lasts 30 to 36 days, and results in the birth of a litter of one to four young (typically two) The young are born hairless and blind, weighing 15 to 17 g (0.53 to 0.60 oz). They become fully furred at two weeks, and open their eyes at three weeks. They live with their mothers in nests composed of grass, bark, and similar materials, often located in relatively inaccessible crevices or ledges. Allegheny woodrats become sexually mature at three to four months of age, and, in
799-534: The Kanawha River which continues to the Ohio River . President Jimmy Carter signed legislation establishing New River Gorge National River on November 10, 1978 ( Pub. L. 95–625 ). As stated in the legislation, the park was established as a unit of the national park system "for the purpose of conserving and interpreting outstanding natural, scenic, and historic values and objects in and around
846-602: The territories of American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands . The state with the most national parks is California with nine, followed by Alaska with eight, Utah with five, and Colorado with four. The largest national park is Wrangell–St. Elias in Alaska: at over 8 million acres (32,375 km ), it is larger than each of the nine smallest states . The next three largest parks are also in Alaska. The smallest park
893-416: The 12 had died from roundworm complications. Indiana's Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program currently monitors woodrat population status and distribution. They are also conducting field searches for new localities and research to identify the factors for decline. New Jersey's Division of Fish and Wildlife's Endangered and Nongame Species Program supported research by Kathleen LoGiudice . She developed
940-674: The Canyon Rim Visitor Center and the Long Point trail. The bridge is a highway and closed to pedestrians, though the company Bridge Walk is allowed to lead guided tours on the maintenance catwalk below the bridge. Bridge Day , held on the third Saturday in October, is the only day of the year when the New River Gorge Bridge is closed to traffic and allows rappelling , ascending, and BASE jumping at
987-475: The Eastern United States, including pools, backwaters, glides, runs, shoals, riffles, torrents, cascades, chutes, rapids and waterfalls. The river is a highly productive aquatic ecosystem that includes distinct populations of native fish (many found nowhere else), mussels, crayfish, and a broad array of other aquatic life, including rare amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. The riparian zone
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#17327730156711034-608: The National Park Service "to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife therein, and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations." Many current national parks had been previously protected as national monuments by the president under the Antiquities Act or as other designations created by Congress before being redesignated by Congress;
1081-665: The National Park System are considered equal with the same mission, national parks are generally larger and more of a destination, and hunting and extractive activities are prohibited. National monuments , on the other hand, are also frequently protected for their historical or archaeological significance. Eight national parks (including six in Alaska ) are paired with a national preserve , areas with different levels of protection that are administered together but considered separate units and whose areas are not included in
1128-679: The New River Gorge, and preserving as a free-flowing stream an important segment of the New River in West Virginia for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations." The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve Designation Act was incorporated into the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 , and signed into law by President Donald Trump on December 27, 2020, changing the designation to New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Less than 10% of
1175-534: The Ohio River in southern Ohio (extirpated) and southern Indiana (reintroduced). The Tennessee River is generally accepted as the southern range limit. There are no recognised subspecies. Fossils belonging to the species are known from mid Pleistocene deposits in Maryland and West Virginia . Although the Allegheny woodrat is not a federally listed threatened or endangered species, it is in major decline and
1222-516: The boilers of the nation's trains, factories, fleets, and power plants, and its coke fueled the nation's iron furnaces. The waters of the New River system contain a mosaic of hydrologic features and aquatic habitats that support a unique aquatic ecosystem and nourish a riparian zone that supports rare plants, animals, and communities. The waters provide a surprising variety and density of riverine hydrologic features and processes unparalleled in
1269-780: The bridge. List of national parks of the United States The United States has 63 national parks , which are congressionally designated protected areas operated by the National Park Service , an agency of the Department of the Interior . National parks are designated for their natural beauty, unique geological features, diverse ecosystems, and recreational opportunities, typically "because of some outstanding scenic feature or natural phenomena." While legislatively all units of
1316-642: The daily and seasonal movements of woodrats, identify high-quality woodrat habitat and learn whether providing food caches can boost a population. Their work will include radiotelemetry, DNA profiling and mark-recapture trapping. Maryland's Department of Natural Resources has conducted trappings and surveys to study the woodrat's habitat. Researchers at the University of Georgia have studied Allegheny woodrats in Virginia since 1990. Currently, they are investigating DNA relationships of Allegheny woodrats under
1363-423: The defoliation of oak trees by an invasion of spongy moths (lowering available supplies of acorns for woodrats). Increased competition for acorns with overabundant white-tailed deer and growing populations of black bears and turkeys may also have a negative impact on woodrat survival. Predation by great horned owls has also been cited. Finally, increased human encroachment causes fragmentation and destruction of
1410-413: The endangered eastern hellbender , black-bellied salamander , and cave salamander . Diverse populations of birds such as wood warblers , vireos , and thrushes spend part of their lives in the tropics, but depend upon the unfragmented forests of the New River Gorge for breeding. The region is a vital link in the north-south migratory flyway . Each year, thousands of hawks fly across the region during
1457-493: The fall migratory season. The National Park Service and West Virginia Department of Natural Resources have initiated a multiyear program to restore peregrine falcons to New River Gorge. They soar and dive near the cliffs. Forty different plant communities containing at least 1,342 species and 54 rare plants have been identified in the gorge. There are historically significant abandoned places, some in ruins and some stabilized and rehabilitated, where people worked and lived during
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1504-552: The figures below. The 431 units of the National Park System can be broadly referred to as national parks, but most have other formal designations. A bill creating the first national park, Yellowstone , was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872, followed by Mackinac National Park in 1875 (decommissioned in 1895), and then Rock Creek Park (later merged into National Capital Parks ), Sequoia and Yosemite in 1890. The Organic Act of 1916 created
1551-511: The gorge, a variety of unique geologic features and processes exemplify the geology of the Appalachian Plateau , including the exposure of over 1,000 feet (300 m) of sandstone and shale, house-sized boulders scattered from rim to river, plant and invertebrate fossils, and steep channel drop-offs. The river has exposed four seams of coal, considered among the best bituminous coal in the world. The smokeless New River coal once fed
1598-401: The historic structures and ruins associated with more than 50 company-owned towns. The New River Gorge region was opened up to the outside world in 1873 with the coming of the railroad. In the park, there are old railroad depots, rail yards, rail grades, steel and timber trestle bridges, railroad equipment, archeological sites and associated towns, like Thurmond , that were developed to support
1645-511: The late 18th and 19th centuries, supplying the coal from the New River Coalfield , and lumber that helped fuel American industry. Remnants of the park's past, hidden in the forest, tell the stories of earlier life in the Appalachian Mountains . On display are the tangible remains of historic coal mining structures and coke ovens — such as at Nuttallburg Coal Mining Complex and Town Historic District and Kay Moor — and
1692-518: The late fall and winter, when little fresh food is available, and they rely instead on their caches to survive. At such times, home ranges may shrink to as little as 0.65 ha (1.6 acres). Individuals are generally aggressive towards each other, especially when competing for nest sites, and, while home ranges may overlap, each actively defends its own den. They are generally quiet animals, but have been reported to make "squeaking" and "whimpering" noises in captivity. They very rarely travel more than
1739-663: The most-visited park since 1944, and had almost 13 million visitors in 2022. In contrast, only about 9,500 people visited the remote Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve in Alaska in 2022. Download coordinates as: The following table includes the 30 states and two territories that have national parks. Exclusive parks refer to parks entirely within one state or territory. Shared parks refer to parks in multiple states. Territories are set in italics . Allegheny woodrat Neotoma floridana magister The Allegheny woodrat ( Neotoma magister ),
1786-457: The nesting area which appear to act as alarms to warn the rats of approaching danger. In addition to the latrines, Allegheny woodrats of both sexes also scent mark various objects around their home ranges, using a scent gland on their undersides. The gland becomes particularly prominent around the breeding season, and is said to produce a strong odor. Unlike most other rodents, Allegheny woodrats are not prolific breeders. The breeding season
1833-472: The newest national park is New River Gorge , previously a National River, and the most recent entirely new park is National Park of American Samoa . A few former national parks are no longer designated as such , or have been disbanded. Fourteen national parks are designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites (WHS), and 21 national parks are named UNESCO Biosphere Reserves (BR), with eight national parks in both programs. Thirty states have national parks, as do
1880-509: The original national river ( 7,021 acres (28.4 km)) was redesignated as a national park , where hunting is no longer permitted, while the remainder (65,165 acres (263.71 km)) is a national preserve with little change. Flowing water is the creative force shaping the geologic features of the New River Gorge, as the river continues to sculpt the longest and deepest river gorge in the Appalachian Mountains. On display in
1927-404: The park range from easy walks to more challenging hikes. Several trails following old railroad grades are open to bikes. There are eight primitive camping areas within the park. Two year-round visitor centers are located at Sandstone and Canyon Rim. The visitor centers at Grandview and Thurmond Depot operate seasonally. The New River Gorge Bridge can be viewed throughout the park, including at
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1974-409: The railroad. The history and archeology associated with the lumbering industry can be seen in the ruins of old towns like Hamlet. Also contributing to the area's cultural history are surviving examples of subsistence farms, former community sites, homesteads, and other places in the park where the ancestors of families long associated with the New River lived and worked. The Lower Gorge of the New River
2021-530: The routes in the gorge are for advanced climbers in 5.10-5.12 range of the Yosemite decimal system with about an equal number of traditional and sport climbs . Fishing is one of the most popular activities on the New River. The diversity of fish in its waters makes the New River an excellent warm-water fishery. All visitors fishing must have a West Virginia fishing license and follow state laws and regulations. The over 50 miles (80 km) of hiking trails in
2068-477: The undersides and feet are white. They have large eyes, and naked ears. Their most distinguishing feature is their tails: while the tails of European rats are naked with only slightly visible hairs, the tails of woodrats are completely furred with hairs about one-third of an inch long, and predominantly black above and white beneath. The whiskers are unusually long, typically over 5 cm (2 in) in length. About 50 whiskers are found on each side, consisting of
2115-505: The wild, have been known to live up to 58 months. Allegheny woodrats are mainly distributed along the Appalachian Mountains . They have historically been found as far north as Connecticut (where they are now extirpated), southeastern New York (extirpated), northern New Jersey, and northern Pennsylvania southwestward through western Maryland, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia, northern and western Virginia to northeastern Alabama and northwestern North Carolina with isolated populations north of
2162-489: The woodrats' habitat. Though present for at least 20,000 years in New York State, the Allegheny woodrat was extirpated from New York by 1987, perhaps due to an increase in the state's raccoon population from the 1960s onward. A reintroduction of 30 woodrats from West Virginia near Mohonk was a complete failure; the population was wiped out within a year, and of 52 animals, only 12 had inspectionable carcasses; 11 of
2209-520: Was hunted for food and sometimes killed due to false identification based on its resemblance to more problematic European rats. Nocturnal, Allegheny woodrats spend their nights foraging, collecting food and nesting materials. They are most active during the earlier part of the night, from about a half hour after sunset, and again shortly before dawn. During the summer, males have home ranges of about 6.5 ha (16 acres), and females of about 2.5 ha (6.2 acres). However, these contract dramatically in
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