The New River State Park and much of the area nearby would have been flooded but for the efforts of environmentalists 30 years ago. They say development is the new threat to the park.
NEW RIVER PARK -- A sunny summer day served as the backdrop for the recent dedication of $6.6 million at the 2,300-acre New River State Park.
The improvements include a campground expansion and a new visitors center.
"The greatest value of this building is that it will become a catalyst for learning," explained Park Superintendent Mike Lambert.
Exhibits outline the history of the New River, thought to be North America's oldest river. Native Americans used it for trade and travel, and the first Europeans arrived in the 1650s and settled there about 100 years later.
The river's heritage was threatened in the 1960s by a proposed hydroelectric project.
New River
Sandy Davison, chairwoman of the Park Advisory Committee, says the project was ready to go at the time.
"They had all their permits; they had bought a lot of the land," she said.
The project would have dammed the New River and flooded some 50,000 acres of land. The proposed reservoir would have flooded 900 homes, 600 farms and displaced nearly 3,000 people.
The protests eventually reached the national level, and the project was blocked when President Gerald Ford signed a bill in 1976 to protect the river.
"Everybody working together was too much," said Lee McMillan, another member of the Park Advisory Committee. "They were able to save it."
These days there is a new threat to the New River -- development.
"What I'd love to see happen is a little more thought going into how development happens, where development happens and the impact on the river," said George Santucci, head of the National Committee for the New River.
Santucci says preservation efforts are worth it.
"The life it supports, the recreation opportunities that it presents, the spectacular beauty. It's been here for millions of years. This river is the only one like it," he added.
State Rep. Cullie Tarleton agrees.
"Sometimes we have to do things for our soul. Our state parks and cultural facilities feed our soul. That's why we need places like this."
If you want to visit the park, it's in Ashe and Alleghany counties, just west of Wilkesboro.