Published: January 30, 2008 10:30 pm         

Lawmaker moves to keep ‘God-given right’ to hunt in gorge

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Hunters in southern West Virginia needn’t fear getting the boot in the majestic New River Gorge after all.

Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., says he looks at hunting as a divine right and has taken a step toward making sure no future superintendent can impose a ban on one of West Virginia’s more popular outdoor pursuits.

“I view it as a God-given right for West Virginians to hunt in the New River Gorge, by golly,” the 3rd District Congressional representative declared Wednesday.

Rahall has offered a bill in the House that would amend the original enabling legislation that created the New River Gorge National River so that it would read hunting “shall” be allowed, and not “may” be permitted.

“That’s the key change I made,” Rahall said in a telephone interview.

A dustup occurred in interims last year when the current superintendent, Don Striker, informed a legislative panel the National Park Service was considering a ban on hunting in the 30,000 acres now open to hunters.

Sen. Shirley Love, D-Fayette, immediately launched a campaign to make sure no such ban came, and drew instant support from the National Rifle Association and state Natural Resources Director Frank Jezioro.

In his letter to the NPS superintendent, Jezioro said his agency, the Natural Resources Commission, and state residents “strongly oppose” any change in the hunting policy in the gorge.

Hunting is allowed almost without exception in the 62 units of the NPS system, Rahall pointed out.

Rahall said he decided to make sure the language is clear for future superintendents when it comes to hunting .

“What I’m doing is putting in sync the New River Gorge National River legislation with the Gauley River so there is no ambiguity, no doubt,” he said.

His bill doesn’t allude to the current superintendent, but Rahall said he harbored no doubts that Striker will “do the right thing and allow hunting,”

“As a matter of fact, we have discussed it,” he said. “It’s too important an issue to remain at the discretion of future managers of the park unit.”

Love applauded Rahall’s quick attention to the controversy and suggested the access problem generally has been a major reason why the DNR has experienced a 17 percent decrease in the sale of hunting-fishing licenses between 1996 and 2006.

“That one word, ‘may,’ instead of ‘shall,’ when the legislation was written is what has caused this controversy in the beginning,” the senator said.

Love suggested the superintendents assigned to oversee parks need to get a handle on the traditions of the regions before taking the job.

“When people come into the NPS, they’re really like immigrants, aliens to this area,” he said. “They come from Montana, Utah, Colorado, and our heritage and structure are not what it’s like in Montana or Utah or one of the other western states. So they just don’t understand.”



Mannix Porterfield writes for The Register-Herald in Beckley, W.V. E-mail: mannix@register-herald.com