Let’s Adventure in Parks!

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Date: July 20, 2015
Contact: Jodi French-Burr, 304-574-2115

Glen Jean, West Virginia, July 19, 2015— What is your favorite type of outdoor adventure? Discover ways to explore parks at Outdoor Adventure Fest this weekend, fun ways to strengthen the mind, body, and spirit. This special event is one of several programs in parks this week. All programs are FREE unless otherwise noted. Wear comfortable walking shoes for guided walks. Water, snacks, camera, and binoculars are other useful tools to bring along. Below is a list of this week’s featured ranger programs in area national parks.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015:

Ranger on the Rock

5:30 pm -7:00 pm. Meet at Grandview’s Main Overlook. Come and go as you please for this informal program with a ranger at one of the best views of the New River Gorge. Enjoy the scenery and discuss area natural and cultural history.

Thursday, July 23, 2015:

Ranger on the Rock

5:30 pm -7:00 pm. Meet at Grandview’s Main Overlook. Come and go as you please for this informal program with a ranger at one of the best views of the New River Gorge. Enjoy the scenery and discuss area natural and cultural history.

Friday, July 24, 2015:

Art in the Park Workshop

10:00 am –4:00 pm. Meet at Sandstone Visitor Center in Sandstone, then carpool to locations in the park to paint. Join park volunteer “Resident Artist” Cecil Glenn Runions for plein air (paintings created outside using natural light) experiences in the park, using watercolor and acrylic paints. Bring your own equipment. Come and enjoy a day listening, learning, and experiencing the park in a new way. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED: call Sandstone Visitor Center 304-466-0417 (limited to 10 participants per workshop, ages 12 and up).

Ranger on the Rock

5:30 pm - 7:00 pm. Meet at Grandview’s Main Overlook. Come and go as you please for this informal program with a ranger at one of the best views of the New River Gorge. Enjoy the scenery and discuss area natural and cultural history.

Saturday, July 25, 2015:

Grand Birding

9:00 am –10:00 am. Meet at the Grandview Visitor Center. 0.5 mile walk.Stroll through the park looking and listening for birds of the New River Gorge. Bring binoculars and a favorite field guide or some will be provided.

Art in the Park Workshop

10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Meet at Sandstone Visitor Center in Sandstone, then carpool to locations in the park to paint. Join park volunteer “Resident Artist” Cecil Glenn Runions for plein air (paintings created outside using natural light) experiences in the park, using watercolor and acrylic paints. Bring your own equipment. Come and enjoy a day listening, learning, and experiencing the park in a new way. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED: call Sandstone Visitor Center 304-466-0417 (limited to 10 participants per workshop, ages 12 and up).

Bluestone Walk

10:00 am - 11:30 am. Meet at the base of Pipestem Resort State Park tramway. 2 mile walk.Walk within Bluestone National Scenic River for a mile and return. Along the way, enjoy the flora and fauna of the area and discover regional history. Bring $2.25 for the return tram ride.

Outdoor Adventure Fest – Adventure Street Fair

10:00 am to 3:00 pm. Meet at Grandview.

Let’s adventure! Learn how to play, stay safe, and leave no trace on any outdoor adventure. Come and go as you please for this informal, yet active street fair. Today’s adventures include:

  • Early Birding –9:00 am
  • Guided Walks –10:00 am,12:30 pm, and2:30 pm
  • Digital Photography –10:30 am,12:00 pm, and2:00 pm
  • GPS Wayfinding –11:00 am
  • Enviroscape
  • Junior Ranger
  • Leave No Trace Outdoor Ethics
  • Mountain Bike Maintenance
  • Rafting Display
  • YMCA Healthy Lifestyles

Historic Thurmond Tour

11:00 am -12:00 pm. Meet at the Thurmond Depot Visitor. 0.5 mile walk. What was life like in one of the New River Gorge’s most renowned towns? Meet a ranger in Thurmond’s historic district for an informal tour of this once bustling railroad town, hearing stories of days gone by.

Ranger on the Rock

5:30 pm - 7:00 pm. Meet at Grandview’s Main Overlook. Come and go as you please for this informal program with a ranger at one of the best views of the New River Gorge. Enjoy the scenery and discuss area natural and cultural history.

Sunday, July 26, 2015:

Art in the Park Workshop

10:00 am –4:00 pm. Meet at Sandstone Visitor Center in Sandstone, then carpool to locations in the park to paint. Join park volunteer “Resident Artist” Cecil Glenn Runions for plein air (paintings created outside using natural light) experiences in the park, using watercolor and acrylic paints. Bring your own equipment. Come and enjoy a day listening, learning, and experiencing the park in a new way. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED: call Sandstone Visitor Center 304-466-0417 (limited to 10 participants per workshop, ages 12 and up).

Outdoor Adventure Fest – Subaru Leave No Trace Traveling Trainers

11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Meet at Canyon Rim Visitor Center in Lansing.

Meet this national trainer team and learn not outdoor ethics tips for any outdoor adventure.

Historic Thurmond Tour

11:00 am - 12:00 pm. Meet at the Thurmond Depot Visitor. 0.5 mile walk. What was life like in one of the New River Gorge’s most renowned towns? Meet a ranger in Thurmond’s historic district for an informal tour of this once bustling railroad town, hearing stories of days gone by.

Be a Junior Ranger!

5:30 pm – 7:00 pm. Meet at Theatre West Virginia amphitheater at Grandview (picnic tables near the snack bar). Children of all ages have the opportunity to become a Junior Ranger and earn the official Junior Ranger badge. Spend the early evening with a ranger to learn what it takes to be a ranger at New River Gorge.

Don’t forget that there is still time to enter the 2015 Hidden History Photo Contest.Contest entries are dueJuly 27, 2015.Contest rules and entry forms are available online at www.nps.gov/neri.

For more information about participating sites visit:

National Park Service: https://www.nps.gov/neri,https://www.facebook.com/newrivergorgenps,https://Twitter.com/NewRiverNPS, or stop by any New River Gorge National River visitor center.



Last updated: July 20, 2015

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Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 246, 104 Main Street
Glen Jean, WV 25846

Phone:

304-465-0508

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