National Park hosts fishing events for grandparents, children

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is hosting a series of Grandfamilies Fishing Days in May and June designed for grandparents who are raising their grandchildren.

Grandfamilies are invited to participate free of charge and enjoy time in the great outdoors fishing or learning to fish for the big one, according to Eve West, Chief of Interpretation for the national park.

The fishing events are scheduled for May 16, June 5, and June 26 from noon until 5 p.m. and will be held at the park’s Camp Brookside Environmental Education Center near Hinton, West Virginia.

Participants are welcome to sign up for one or more of the days, West said, and grandfamilies can attend whether they know how to fish or not.

The event will focus on knot-tying, casting techniques, fish identification, and Leave-No-Trace principles followed by the opportunity to cast into the New River. Each event starts at noon with lunch provided.

As a part of the event, grandchildren will receive one of the National Park Service’s “Let’s Go Fishing” Junior Ranger activity booklets to work on before coming to the event. When children attend the fishing day, they will be sworn in and awarded the “Junior Angler Fishing” badge.

For the safety of staff and participants, COVID-19 guidelines will be followed throughout the event. Each grandfamily will be provided with equipment and positioned at a safe distance along the New River to fish.

For more details and to register for the event, contact Ranger Mark at mark_bollinger@nps.gov or call 304-860-7713.