New River Gorge Park Ranger Eve West talks about viral Good Morning America Interview

FAYETTEVILLE, WV (WOAY) – ABC reporter Stephanie Ramos and the Good Morning America crew got a taste of West Virginia last week as part of their “Rise and Shine’ series touring all 50 states.

One of the stops they made was the Bridge Walk and a one-on-one talk with Park Ranger Eve West right in the heart of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

“It was nice, we’ve had a lot of media attention on the park this year, this was probably one of the bigger stories that we’ve had. Between them and between CBS Saturday Morning and all of the other media exposure we’ve had, we’ve had quite a bit of interest in the park so that’s all good,” West says.

From the new designation to visitation, Ramos and West were covering many different topics centering around the national park, including what visitors can see and do when coming to the park and why it’s important that people clean up after themselves when they get there, topics which West feels most passionate to talk to newcomers in the park about.

“One of the things that always strikes me about the New River and this area, in general, is just all of the things there is to see and do,” she says. “We talked a lot about visitation to the park since the pandemic and how that may have affected the area and emphasizing the idea of planning ahead when coming to the park and leaving no trace.”

Ramos’ mountain biking experience in the Gorge and walking over the catwalk underneath the bridge was only part of her time in the Mountain State. She also made a stop in Morgantown to talk to the WVU Marching Band and getting to try the state’s famous pepperoni rolls.

West believes that Good Morning America’s coverage on West Virginia, specifically the southern part of the state, helps to highlight just how special it truly is.

“Southern West Virginia has been fairly undiscovered and those of us who live in the area have always recognized that this place is special, but I think that when other people come in and echo that thought it really reinforces what we already know,” adds West.

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