The America's National Parks Podcast is brought to you by L. L. L. Bine is a proud partner of the National Park Foundation.

L. L. Bine and N. P.S. Shera believed that every community should have the opportunity and resources to experience the joy of the outdoors together.

Through this partnership, they're not only helping people find their parks. They're helping protect, restore,

and improve parks across the US. If it's outside, L.L. Bean is all in.

Be an outsider with L.L. Bean. New lava eruptions in Hawaii have people doing dangerous things to get a closer look.

A harrowing evacuation of the records of two national parks in danger of being lost to wildfire

and our 63rd National Park. It's time for the latest in National Park news.

I'm Jason Epperson and each month on the America's National Parks

podcast we set aside one episode for the latest in National Park News. We

begin this month with West Virginia's New River Gorge National River,

which is set to become New River Gorge National Park and Preserve,

making it the 63rd National Park in the country and 20th Preserve.

The new federal COVID stimulus relief package that ended up folding in several other end of

year business items includes the name change for the gorge.

Virginia's US Senator Shelley Capito,

along with Senator Joe Manchin and Representative Carol Miller

are responsible for the proposal which was originally brought forth in 2019.

It's very transparently aimed at increasing tourism.

Outdoor recreation is a $9 billion industry in West Virginia,

and capital expects the status change to increase the number of visits by 21%.

Still, the change is only in the name. Funding for national parks is no different than other

national parks Service units.

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