Life depends on Rivers

According to the American Rivers organization, "life depends on rivers - and rivers depend on us."

Gauley River National Recreation Area draws outdoor whitewater enthusiasts from all over the world to this national park area in Central West Virginia. In the fall of each year, water is released through Summerville Dam to lower the lake level (behind the dam) in anticipation of winter/spring runoff. The massive surge creates a one-of-a-kind extravaganza called "Gauley Season."

This water release, along with the river's steep gradient and boulder piles, turns the Gauley into one of the world's prominent whitewater recreational rivers. The National Recreation Area portion of the Gauley River boasts the more one hundred rapids ranging from Class II to Class V.

The American Whitewater organization helped to establish the National Recreation Area in 1988 to conserve 25 miles of the Gauley's incredibly scenic gorges and valleys containing a wide variety of features beyond the whitewater. High-energy rivers like the Gauley are ecological driving force for specialized plant communities containing dense forest oak, beech, hemlock, and dogwood. Some plants are so rare, we might not even recognize their names: Virginia Spitaea, Appalachian Blue Violet, and Balsam Squaw-weed.

In turn, the plant communities support a variety of wildlife species including many other rare animals: the Allegheny woodcut, cerulean warbler, eastern hellbender, and finescale saddled darter.

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