Archive for the ‘Gorge Happenings’ Category

Brush Up On Your Water Safety Smarts at New River Gorge Water Safety Weekend

Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

One of the best ways to combat the summer heat here in WV: water. Whether its swimming, boating, rafting, or just chilling out by one of our lakes or rivers, a good knowledge of water safety is very important to having a fun and safe summer.

The National Park Service knows the benefits of people being conscious of water safety. They perform rescues every year, helping people who weren’t exercising safety on the water. In order to help educate people about the benefits of water safety, the NPS is sponsoring the New River Gorge Water Safety Weekend, May 26-28.

Rafting in the New River Gorge

The Program

In order to accommodate as many people as possible, the Park Service will host the Water Safety Program in two different locations each day. The locations and times are as follows:

Sandstone Visitor Center

This program will be conducted each day from 1:00 – 4:00 pm. It features exhibits and information about water safety and guests can visit for as long as they like.

Sandstone Falls

This program is offered on Saturday and Monday from 2:00 – 4:00 pm at the Boardwalk at Sandstone Falls. It will also feature exhibits and information about water safety.

Canyon Rim Visitor Center

This program is offered Sunday from 1:00 -  4:00 pm at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center in Lansing. It will feature exhibits and information about water safety.

National Park Service rangers will conduct all the programs. Water safety is a very important topic and presentations such as these are a wonderful tool for educating the public on safer ways to have summer fun.

Water Safety Festival

There will also be a water safety festival the same weekend. It will take place at the “The Pitts” boat launch area on Bluestone Lake on Sunday from 1:00 -  4:00 pm. Lessons on watercraft safety and boat rides will be available.

Park Rangers, in conjunction with the Army Corps of Engineers, will be conducting life jacket fittings and demonstrating many of the different styles of life jackets.  They will also have several different water safety devices on display and will conduct water rescue demonstrations. And you won’t want to miss the throw bag contest.

If you plan on spending a lot of time around the water this summer, try to make it out to one of the programs or the festival. It never hurts to gain a little more knowledge and it might even save a life.

Do you take to the water like a fish here in WV? Tell us about it in the comments.

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A West Virginia Springtime Favorite: Ramps

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012

As the weather warms up and the woods turn green here in WV, there’s a unique sprout that starts to dot the hillsides. Scientific types refer to these sprouts as “allium tricoccum”, but locals call them ramps.  Ramps are a spring onion/wild leek that cause quite a little frenzy around these parts.

Ramps grow everywhere from South Carolina to Canada, and are very thick in and around the New River Gorge. They are considered a delicacy here and many communities have festivals to celebrate their arrival. Spring means folks all over the state are combing the hillsides to pick ramps and use them to flavor everything from potatoes to scrambled eggs.

Ramps in West Virginia

Why All The Fuss?

Economics has taught us when something has a limited supply you will always have great demand. This wild onion only grows for a limited number of weeks a year in the spring. And if you talk to most connoisseurs of the ramp, they will tell you that once they grow too large, the strength of their flavor is almost too potent to enjoy.

The ramp plant has a bright green, smooth leaf with a purple stalk and small bulb. Mountain folk have long celebrated their arrival, believing they have great powers to ward off ailments from winter. Whether or not that’s true, if you eat them they will definitely ward off folks who don’t enjoy their “bounty” (i.e., smell).

How To Eat Ramps

Folks who like ramps are always coming up with new and interesting ways to use them in their cooking. Here are just a few of the places we’ve seen ramps pop up:

  • Scrambled Eggs
  • Fried Potatoes
  • Spaghetti sauce
  • Mixed with Greens in a Salad
  • Blended in Marinades
  • Topping for Pizza
  • Cooked in Beans
  • Soups
  • Pickled

The cities of Richwood and Elkins both host annual festivals to celebrate their arrival and feature dishes that highlight the flavor of ramps. Folks come from all over to partake in these celebrations of the ramp.

Try Your Hand At Cooking Ramps

Here’s a great recipe for ramps that you can try:

Potato and Ramp Soup

Ingredients:

  • 4 to 6 slices bacon
  • 4 cups chopped ramps (including green)
  • 4 to 5 cups diced red potatoes
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation:

In a large skillet or Dutch oven, fry bacon until crispy; set bacon aside. Add ramps and potatoes to the skillet; fry on medium-low heat until ramps are tender. Sprinkle with flour; stir until flour is absorbed. Stir in chicken broth; simmer until potatoes are tender. Stir in the cream and heat thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4 to 6.

Do you have a favorite ramp recipe?  Share it in the comments below.

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Boy Scouts of America in WV: The Summit Bechtel Reserve

Thursday, February 2nd, 2012

Since November of 2009 when the site selection was made, 10,600 acres of wilderness and old mine lands in Fayette and Raleigh Counties have been slowly transformed into what will be the Boy Scouts of America’s newest High Adventure Camp.

The Summit Bechtel Reserve is going to carry the Boy Scouts into the next century by focusing on state of the art equipment and embracing change to better engage the youth of today.

Boy Scouts of America

The What

The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve is going to be the Boy Scouts of America’s greatest facility. Not only will it be the newest and most state of the art High Adventure Base Camp, but it will also become a future home of the National Scout Jamboree, starting in 2013. It will also be the home of the National Center for Scouting Excellence.

It will be the seventh High Adventure Base Camp in the history of the BSA; it will be the fourth currently operational camp. The programs offered at the Summit will be specifically tailored to take advantage of the New River Gorge and its resources. It will offer rafting, kayaking, hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, rappelling orienteering, and geocaching. There are many other activities being proposed as well.

The Where

With close to 13 miles of its property bordering the New River Gorge National Park, this camp is situated in the heart of southern WV.  8,000 acres are in Fayette County and the remaining 2600 are in Raleigh County.  This 10,600 acre reserve allows the scouts to access more than 70,000 acres of park property just outside its boundaries.

Located between Fayetteville and Beckley, and only about 25 miles from the Gauley River National Recreation Area, its not hard to see why this site was chosen ahead of 80 others in 28 states.  This site also has a close proximity to a large percentage of the U.S. population, with nearly 2/3 of people in the United States living within a 10 hour drive of the Summit.

The How

After it was selected as the site, the next step to making it a reality was to get funding. Stephen Bechtel, a past eagle scout himself, donated $50 million  to the project and the Summit was named in his honor.  Millions more have been donated from a wide pool of sources, making this one of the largest BSA projects ever. In fact, when all is said and done, the Scouts will most likely have close to $250 million in the project.

The Why

The Summit was developed out of necessity. There is typically a wait list to attend the other High Adventure Camps. Also, the permanent home of the National Jamboree, Fort A.P Hill in Virginia, is part of the Fort A.P. Hill Army instillation.  At the Summit, BSA now has it’s very own, dedicated spot for the Jamboree.

It’s estimated that 50,000 scouts and 300,000 visitors will visit the Gorge during the Jamboree.  The local area is busy getting ready for these new visitors.

Are you coming to the Jamboree in 2013?

 

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