West Virginia enters agreement to keep its national parks open during government shutdown

By Autumn Shelton | RealWV

This article was originally published by Real WV. Donate Here.

On Friday, October 3, Gov. Patrick Morrisey and Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby announced that the state’s two national parks will remain open for at least two weeks despite the government shutdown.

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and Harpers Ferry National Historical Park will be open to visitors following a signed donor agreement with the National Park Service, making West Virginia the first state in the nation to have this agreement. 

“The agreement that we have, I think, is a great deal for West Virginia,” Morrisey said. “It allows us to keep these parks open, and we’re doing that from state resources. But, it’s a good trade off because tourism really is so critical for West Virginia’s success.”

He explained that October is a busy tourism month for the state. 

“We know that last year alone more than 200,000 visitors came to New River Gorge in October – think about that,” Morrisey continued. “And, over 78,000 visited Harpers Ferry in October.” 

Ruby added that with Gauley season, and Bridge Day “just around the corner,” October is the fourth busiest month for tourism in the area.

“There’s no better place in the fall to be than right here in Fayetteville, and all those people visiting the Mountain State know that,” Ruby said. 

According to Morrisey, the donor agreement will be in place for two weeks, depending on the duration of the government shutdown, before it is reevaluated. 

The cost to keep the parks open, using funding from the Governor’s Civil Contingent Fund, is estimated to be about $7,000 per day.