Trust to Preserve 665 Acres Along Gauley River

  More than 600 acres in the Gauley River National Recreation Area will be protected from development.

The West Virginia Land Trust said Monday that it has acquired 665 acres from Bright Forestland Properties, Larry Deitz, and the Anne E. Deitz Trust. The property is an area known as the Gauley Canyon downstream from the river’s confluence with the Meadow River.

The land trust says in a news release that the gorge provides rafting, kayaking, hiking, fishing and other recreational opportunities.

Adventures on the Gorge vice president Dave Arnold says rafting companies run the Gauley River year-round. He says the land trust’s acquisition of the property offers a potential public access point when the river is low.