WV National Parks will reopen amid government shutdown, Morrisey says

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WBOY) — While many parts of the federal government are frozen or discontinued amid the most recent shutdown, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey announced that he’s struck a deal to keep the Mountain State’s National Parks up and running.

In a release put out Thursday, Morrisey said that he has signed a “donation agreement” to restore services at the New River Gorge and Harpers Ferry that were lost when the government shut down on Wednesday. The release did not specify who the other party in the agreement was, but it did say that the governor worked with the Trump administration to get the parks reopened.

The governor said that the visitor centers at both parks closed at the start of the shutdown on Wednesday and Harpers Ferry ceased operating its public transit services. Morrisey said he has authorized resources to restore these services, pending final approval from the National Park Service. Both visitor centers are expected to open in “the coming days.”

“Our national parks are some of West Virginia’s greatest treasures and I’m proud to ensure they remain open during this time,” Gov. Morrisey said. “I invite folks from near and far to take advantage of West Virginia’s natural beauty and plan a trip to visit one of our national parks or nearby state parks.”

Morrisey said that after learning about the effects of the shutdown on West Virginia’s national parks, his office worked with the state Department of Tourism to develop a plan to keep them fully operational. The current plan guarantees two weeks of operation without the federal government, but “can be reevaluated if needed,” the release said.