Saving Five Miles on the Gauley River
Now 50 acres larger!
1,386-acres in Nicholas County, WV
Project Cost: $3,746,968
Current balance yet to raise: $1,114,157
Percentage Completed: 70.2%
There is only one Gauley River. Never in our 31-year history have we pursued a project with this many river miles, or with this degree of extraordinary beauty!
Mountain Born Waterways. Five Miles on the Gauley, a river famous for its whitewater rafting adventures downstream, is located immediately upstream of Summersville Lake in a peaceful, rarely visited portion of the river. One and a half miles of a fast-current pristine tributary of the Gauley, Big Beaver Creek, runs through the property, as do two smaller tributaries, Crooked Run and Little Run, Each one of these waterways have carved out deep, rhododendron-filled ravines. Far to the east of Five Miles on the Gauley, the river claims its mountain origins in the immense 919,000-acre Monongahela National Forest.
Exceptional Wildlife. This section of the Gauley is within the expected range of the federally endangered candy darter and the nations’ largest salamander, the Hellbender. Swallows dip and glide over the Gauley’s waters, kingfisher course over the surface, and breeding Common Mergansers, missing from the state for a century, are once again ruling the Gauley with their handsome presence. And, of course, there are bears, LOTS of bears, otters, beaver, and bobcat. On the steep-sided slopes, the green salamander hides among rock crevices, classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List of Rare Species, while higher in the forest the cheerful call of the Swainson’s warbler, is commonly heard. The Swainson’s is the third rarest warbler in North America, with a total population size somewhere less than 140,000 individuals.
And Now this Project Just Got 50 Acres Bigger! The original 1,336 acre parcel making up the primary acquisition is a landlocked parcel, accessible only by an easement lane crossing private property. Just this summer, that 50-acre parcel came up for sale and we jumped to put it into contract. Being level terrain, if it ended up in another’s ownership it could be divided into multiple cabin tracts and fishing cabins. And if that happened, Five Miles on the Gauley would lose its remarkable, remote wilderness ambiance, along with much of its protection. This acquisition has outsized contributions. It brings us dedicated road access for the first time, and a place to build a parking lot just past the road entrance. This will enable us to hold educational events in the future. We are excited that we will now have a way to share this special place with people. Scroll below the photo gallery for deeper information.
West Virginia, with its nearly 80% forest cover, is the third most forested state in the nation. And, it is the only one of these top three states that is located in the Appalachian heartland. (BTW, Maine is #1 with 89% forest cover and New Hampshire is #2 with 83% forest cover.) Equally compelling is the fact that large tracts in West Virginia are often anywhere from half to a quarter of the value of rural land in more densely populated states. Conservation dollars stretch far in West Virginia. If we are to preserve the best of the best of our remaining Eastern forests, there is no better place to do our work.
Preservation in West Virginia has been underfunded nationally for far too long. We would like to see MUCH more private philanthropy flowing into West Virginia to save some of our country’s most spectacular landscapes. Five Miles on the Gauley, along with the Arc’s 2024 WV acquisition, 1,200-acre Wild Rock Canyon and our auction-won New River Wilderness next to New River Gorge National Park, are just the beginning of our long-term commitment to save premier wildlands in West Virginia.
A Haven for wildlife. As soon as we signed the purchase contract to buy Five Miles on the Gauley, the Arc’s staff and volunteers made arrangements to perform field studies to inventory the wildlife. Field biologists from both Ohio and West Virginia came together to mist-net for bats, set up moth lighting stations, seine for fish, turn over rocks for salamanders, and listen for birds. They found an unusual abundance of wildlife. Many salamander species were documented - always dependable indicators of healthy forests. Dozens of red efts, the immature terrestrial stage of the eastern newt, were seen lumbering fearlessly along the forest floor.
Rhododendron tangles resounded with the cheerful call of the Swainson’s warbler, a species of conservation concern. The Swainson’s warbler is typically a denizen of low-elevation humid forests in the Southeast, where it is was once associated with vast stands of rivercane, In West Virginia, it uncharacteristically adapts to rhododendron thickets. The signature hooded warbler’s vibrant “away, away withchu” song can be heard in nearly every glen and hollow, often against a backdrop of singing ovenbirds and Louisiana waterthrushes. The etheric songs of the wood thrush, the flutist of the forest symphony, are ever present.
Game cams have uncovered ample evidence of black bear, bobcat, coyote, wild turkey, mink, beaver, and white-tailed deer on the property. This section of the Gauley River is known to harbor hellbenders and mudpuppies, and it lies on the edge of the range for the federally endangered and incredibly gorgeous candy darter.
Once & Future Forest. The property’s medium-aged forest is in good health, providing a solid canopy cover and a wide range of tree ages. Oaks, beech, and hemlock—some quite large in size—dominate the forest. Four species of magnolias are present: Fraser, umbrella, cucumber, and tulip. Rhododendrons border the Gauley River and fill every hollow, nourished by the cool mists that frequently fill the deep river valley. In late May, a scattering of mountain laurels on the hillsides bursts into glorious bloom. The presence of invasive plants is minimal, found primarily near the old steam engine railway that bordered the river at the turn of the century to remove the Gauley’s primeval forest.
AWorld-Class Rafting River. The legendary Gauley River is one of the top ten whitewater rafting rivers in the world. Before Summersville Lake was constructed in 1965, the Gauley flowed entirely wild and free. Today, the dam releases water for six weeks each fall, providing thrilling adventures. Rafters drop 688 feet in elevation as they travel 24 miles through the Gauley River National Recreation Area, located just downstream of the dam, encountering rapids bearing evocative names such as Lost Paddle, Pillow Rock, and Pure Screaming Hell. Downstream of the recreation area, the river current slows as it approaches its confluence with the New River, just a few miles downstream of New River Gorge National Park. When the waters of the Gauley and the New River merge, they form the mighty Kanawha River, which flows north to the Ohio River. Protecting Five Miles on the Gauley will help protect the water quality downstream for over 60,000 boaters a year!
Riverscour. The most interesting habitat on the property is riverscour, a plant community that inhabits certain sections of the cobbly/sandy shoreline of the Gauley. This highly disturbed vegetation zone alternates between desiccation in the hot sun and submersion under high-velocity waters. Only a few plants and trees can adapt to these harsh extremes. Riverscour habitat has been destroyed across most of our eastern waterways because the niche requires untamed, high-energy rivers that flood several times each year - rivers without dams or development. It has been claimed that over 40% of West Virginia’s rarest plants are found in riverscour habitats. Species common to this zone include bluets, black gum trees, royal fern, ninebark, several highly specialized asters, and sweet azalea - scientifically known as Rhododendron arborescens. Just a few feet higher in elevation, the thorny and very peculiar Hercules club or Zanthoxylum clava-herculis, grows on the river’s sandy banks.
Please make a donation to save this wild and free waterway. There is only one Gauley River.
Frequently Asked Questions
What expenses are covered by the campaign? The campaign total includes the sale price, closing costs, and minimal costs to run this campaign - all of which is accomplished in-house with our Arc staff. Stewardship funds are not included in this campaign and will be raised separately. For more information on how the Arc stewards its preserves, follow this link, “Stewardship Forever.”
Can I visit the property? At this time, you can visit the property during one of our upcoming volunteer work days. We plan to begin offering programs on the Gauley in 2027. Be sure to subscribe to our news services to receive announcements of all of our educational events, guided hikes, and volunteer work days in your email inbox, and through Telegram, a phone app. Subscribe to both by clicking this Subscribe button.
Is the Arc a trustworthy nonprofit? Naturally, we are just a wee bit biased, but the answer is “Yes!” Our dynamic staff and committed board are all dedicated to integrity, honesty, efficiency, hard work, and transparency. We run on the fuel of passion.
Link Up! We invite you to read more about our mission here, and check out our recent annual news magazines - an annual celebration of the Arc’s energized land preservation achievements, combined with some truly splendid nature art. We hope you will also consider visiting us at our headquarters, the 3,000-acre Highlands Nature Sanctuary in southcentral Ohio, where we have 18 miles of trails and overnight rental cabins.
Would you like to contact us? Phone our office staff at (937) 365-1935, or write to arcpreserveinfo@gmail.com. Our headquarters at the Appalachian Forest Museum is hosted by REAL people (amazing, right?), 7 days a week from March 15 to November 15. During the winter, our phones and emails are staffed Monday through Friday. We delight in putting broken lands back together again and removing the fences between them. And you know what? We feel exactly the same way about people. Don’t hesitate to reach out.
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