Brush Up On Your Water Safety Smarts at New River Gorge Water Safety Weekend

One of the best ways to combat the summer heat here in WV: water. Whether its swimming, boating, rafting, or just chilling out by one of our lakes or rivers, a good knowledge of water safety is very important to having a fun and safe summer.
The National Park Service knows the benefits of people being conscious of water safety. They perform rescues every year, helping people who weren’t exercising safety on the water. In order to help educate people about the benefits of water safety, the NPS is sponsoring the New River Gorge Water Safety Weekend, May 26-28.

The Program
In order to accommodate as many people as possible, the Park Service will host the Water Safety Program in two different locations each day. The locations and times are as follows:
Sandstone Visitor Center
This program will be conducted each day from 1:00 – 4:00 pm. It features exhibits and information about water safety and guests can visit for as long as they like.
Sandstone Falls
This program is offered on Saturday and Monday from 2:00 – 4:00 pm at the Boardwalk at Sandstone Falls. It will also feature exhibits and information about water safety.
Canyon Rim Visitor Center
This program is offered Sunday from 1:00 –  4:00 pm at the Canyon Rim Visitor Center in Lansing. It will feature exhibits and information about water safety.
National Park Service rangers will conduct all the programs. Water safety is a very important topic and presentations such as these are a wonderful tool for educating the public on safer ways to have summer fun.
Water Safety Festival
There will also be a water safety festival the same weekend. It will take place at the “The Pitts” boat launch area on Bluestone Lake on Sunday from 1:00 –  4:00 pm. Lessons on watercraft safety and boat rides will be available.
Park Rangers, in conjunction with the Army Corps of Engineers, will be conducting life jacket fittings and demonstrating many of the different styles of life jackets.  They will also have several different water safety devices on display and will conduct water rescue demonstrations. And you won’t want to miss the throw bag contest.
If you plan on spending a lot of time around the water this summer, try to make it out to one of the programs or the festival. It never hurts to gain a little more knowledge and it might even save a life.
Do you take to the water like a fish here in WV? Tell us about it in the comments.