Summer in the New River Gorge is magical. The mist clings in the air, clouds roll up the Gorge, a distant train rolls down tracks as I watch it from a rocky overlook, and the sun sets over the rolling mountains of southern West Virginia. There is a feeling in the air that is timeless and speaks to the age of the New River making its way north as it has, some estimate, for millions of years. As I stand and take this all in I am struck by not only by the Gorge but also by how its meaning has evolved over the many years I have visited this spot.

I began visiting the New River Gorge many years ago when I was introduced to its climbing and hiking by a close friend. A group of us drove for hours on weekends to and from the Gorge to escape classes, stress, and the city for the beauty and magic not only of the Gorge but also the surrounding communities. As a park visitor, I took for granted the beauty of the Gorge and the escape it provided. The New River Gorge would be there as it always had been. It was protected. Right?

Now, in my position with National Parks Conservation Association, I no longer take the protection of the New River Gorge for granted. When I recently topped out on a climb at Bridge Buttress the awe that the Gorge inspired was mixed with a tinge of anxiousness over its future and that of the surrounding communities. I have come to realize that the New River Gorge National River is not as protected as I once believed.

The New River Gorge is part of a larger system, and its future is intricately tied to the land and the communities along its boundaries, as their futures are tied to it. It is those communities that will have the largest impact on the future of Gorge and also have the most to gain from its protection. With every visit to the New River Gorge and the unique communities that surround it I understand more about the vital need for local, as well as national, support for the protection of this amazing living landscape.

I look forward to working with our members and advocates from across the country, local communities, local businesses, the National Park Service, other nonprofits, and park visitors to protect this national treasure so that it can give to others the same escape and sense of awe that it provides for me.