Nearly half of the 1.2 million annual visitors who spend time in the New River Gorge National River, the Gauley River National Recreation Area and the Bluestone National Scenic River don't realize they are visiting units of the National Park Service, according to a West Virginia University study released last year.
A survey by the NPS several years earlier produced similar results.
"I was surprised that so many people still weren't aware of the National Park Service status," said Trish Kicklighter, superintendent of the New River Gorge National River, which also administers the other two Southern West Virginia NPS units. "It wasn't just visitors from afar who were unaware, it was people in neighboring communities as well."
According to the WVU study, 45 percent of those visiting the parks, which take up 138 square miles of rugged, scenic Southern West Virginia terrain, were unaware the parks were components of the national parks system.
"Had they known, they said it would have influenced a decision to come here earlier," Kicklighter said. "National Park status increases the public's expectations that the resources are pristine, high-caliber places that offer great opportunities for family vacations."
The WVU study, she said, "started a conversation on how to get the word out that the National Park Service has a presence in Southern West Virginia."
That conversation, which involved state and regional tourism and economic development personnel, business operators and elected officials, has culminated in a marketing campaign called the National Parks of Southern West Virginia. The campaign, announced last week, gets underway next year during the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, will involve television spots, newspaper and magazine ads, and a 27-page magazine-like brochure that will be placed in interstate highway welcome centers.
"It will be the largest tourism marketing campaign that Southern West Virginia has taken on to date," said Kicklighter.
When shown data from the WVU study, "We knew we had to step up to bring awareness to our guests" about the National Park Service's presence, said Doug Maddy, president of Visit Southern West Virginia.
"So much of our area's identity is centered around these wonderful parks," Maddy said. "Each rafter, mountain biker, climber, fisherman, hunter and hiker should not only know about our outdoor adventures, they also should be educated on the role the National Park Service plays in securing, protecting and conserving the land and river that are available for their enjoyment every day."
While the New River Gorge National River, the Gauley River National Recreation Area and the Bluestone National Scenic River are not technically national parks, their trail and signage standards are the same as those found in national parks, and their administrative, interpretive, maintenance and law enforcement personnel perform the same roles, wear the same uniforms, and work for the same entity - the National Park Service.
"We can't officially change their names, because their names are tied to the legislation that created them," said Kicklighter.
However, highway signage could be added and enhanced to let people know that New River Gorge National River access sites and points of interest are components of the National Park Service.
"The signs do carry the National Park Service arrowhead, but I'd like to see them capped with signs that have 'the National Parks of Southern West Virginia' or 'National Park Service' spelled out," said Kicklighter. "We're working with the [Division] of Highways to re-do the signs to get out the message, and we've got a grant to help make that happen."
Making the public more aware of the region's National Park Service land will not only enhance regional tourism, but should also increase park stewardship, according to Kicklighter.
"More people will become interested in protecting these resources," she said. "Once people visit here, they will fall in love with this beautiful place as much as I have.
"It will create advocacy for the parks, and hopefully, get gateway communities to rally around them."
The New River Gorge National River, established in 1978, now has 72,808 acres and encompasses a 53-mile stretch of the New River from Bluestone Dam to Hawks Nest State Park.
The Gauley River National Recreation Area, created 10 years later in 1988, includes 11,495 acres surrounding a 25-mile stretch of the Gauley River below Summersville Dam and the lower six miles of the Meadow River.
The Bluestone National Scenic River, officially designated in 1988, includes a 10.5-mile section of Bluestone Canyon between Pipestem and Bluestone Lake state parks.
Reach Rick Steelhammer at rsteelhammer@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5169, or follow @rsteelhammer on Twitter.