Conservation Successes

NPS Presents Deed for Third Largest Regional Park in Tennessee

Paddlers protect access to the Cheat and Big Sandy Rivers

Albright, Preston County, WV (March 2005) - A land swap creating 14 acres of river-front public access for paddlers was achieved after over a year of negotiations. Allegheny Wood Products (AWP) exchanged lands with owners of Mountain Streams & Trails (MS&T) outfitters, which provided MS&T legal ownership to the take-out in the 10-mile Class V Cheat Canyon, from Albright to the Jenkinsburg Bridge and at the same site, a take-out for paddlers on the Big Sandy. For their part of the swap, AWP received ownership to the upstream end of their haul road.

From 2003-2004, the National Park Service Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) Program assisted with Cheat Canyon Coalition organizational and strategic planning efforts to identify land use and management needs, create public awareness activities, and work to acquire a 5,600 acres from Allegheny Power (AP) (subsequently, AP sold the 5,600 acres to AWP in 2003). For over 50 years, the property has not been actively managed, and it has become a community playground with detrimental environmental effects. The current partners hope to make this a case study in how commercial groups, private paddlers, and state agencies can work together to turn an eyesore into a source of pride for everyone. Friends of the Cheat will likely assume long-term responsibility for maintaining the site, with a $50K initial fundraising goal, the DEP is looking at erosion problems, and the DNR is considering fishing access for the site. American Whitewater is now working with MS&T to create an access agreement, and has created a Cheat River Fund to accept donations to improve the parking for paddlers. For more information, please contact Peggy Pings, Outdoor Recreation Planner, NPS RTCA, at mpings@wvu.edu or 304-293-2941 x2446.