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In 1978 congress drew a line around the New River in West
Virginia and established the New River Gorge National River "to preserve
and protect 53 miles of the New River as a free-flowing waterway". This
congressional designation also placed 70,000 acres of land along the New River
between the towns of Hinton and Fayetteville under the National Park System. It
is an area rich in "whitewater", cultural and natural history, and
(used to) contain an abundance of scenic and recreational opportunities.
This same congressional designation made all private property owners in that
70,000 acres "inholders" with total assurance that private property
would only be taken from "willing sellers".
Less than 25 years later, the National Park Service now owns over 75% of the all
the land in the New River Gorge and the private property "inholders"
live under constant threat of the NPS eminent domain power and what this "inholder"
considers Gestapo like tactics to get all private property owners out of the NPS
view shed in the New River Gorge!
While the NPS brochures about the New River Gorge remind all visitors to
"respect private property", that same private property, scenic,
recreational opportunities, cultural and natural history of the area has been
totally disrespected and adversely affected by the very NPS ownership of land in
the gorge!
Private property owners are an abomination to the NPS "view shed".
Scenic value consists of NPS owned weed strangled deteriorating neglected
houses, trailers, chicken coops, buildings, garages, mosquito infested
campgrounds, and neglected forests.
Recreational opportunities have been restricted and decreasing daily by the ever
present and on-going regulations of the NPS.
Cultural values are mocked, belittled and even West Virginia homes have been
described by the NPS as "tin can with lids".
Natural history, original settler's graves, archeological areas, a 200 year old
wall built by slaves all lay under the threat of the NPS take-over without
respect to the same.
The following is the story of just one "in-holder" affected by the
collusive actions of the National Park Service in the New River Gorge, West
Virginia.
After years of being assured a proposed new "parkway" would bring a
better road that would lie gently on the land, have little impact to
private property, respect private property along it's route, assuring faster
ambulance service, safer school bus travel, a way to meet their activities of
daily living, more than 100 private property owners in the New River Gorge
were invited to a West Virginia Division of Highways walk through type
"public" meeting in September, 1999. There was an ARMED GUARD at
the door, inadequate seating, forcing those property owners to stand at tables
in a long lines, waiting to get answers to "WHY are you taking ALL my land
now and giving it to the National Park Service?"
Mabel Flanagan, an 84 year old widow, was one of those private property owners
waiting in line for answers.
On one large display board was a picture of Mabel's home, a home she had built
and raised her family in years before that road was much more than a mud rutted
weed strangled path along the New River. Through digital imagery in the next
picture, Mabel's home had been blipped into oblivion to display how
"nice" it would look once Mabel's home was gone! Mabel grabbed her
chest and had to be taken home, never to leave her home again except to go to a
doctor.
In a TV interview with Mabel a few days later, the camera scanned into her
little 84 year old wrinkled face, and with a teared twinkle in her eye, Mabel
said, "I want to die in my home on the New River".
Mabel Flanagan got her wish the next summer.
I doubt the rest of us, we remaining "inholders" in the New River
Gorge, will be afforded the right to die in our homes in the New River Gorge.
The National Park Service is after those homes, our land, our farms, our fishing
camps, our very presence in the "view shed".
One "inholder" told the National Park Service they'd get HIS land over
his dead body!
The National Park Service response, "We'll wait"
The National Park Service is NOT waiting and the take-over of private property
is happening all over America! They want the land, they want all the land
and the natural resources thereof! And, HOW they get the land and force
the "inholders" out of their "view shed" means nothing to
them.
We must all ask ourselves: Where has congress drawn more lines, Presidents
designated millions of monumental areas and what effect does such designations
do to American citizens/private property owners within those areas?
The answer is obvious and we, "inholders" of America had better wake
up and wake up fast! Private property, the very foundation of our freedom
and the fountainhead of our prosperity, is under serious, serious threat.
Article Provided by Ann Roach.
