About

About Rivers to Ridges Heritage Trail

The Rivers to Ridges Heritage Trail, formerly known as the Kanawha Gateway Heritage Area, is a 501C-3 non-profit organization founded in July 2006 through a cooperative agreement between the Mason and Putnam County Commissions and the Greater Kanawha Resource Conservation and Development Area, Inc. The coalition was created to support projects that encourage heritage education and tourism throughout the communities of the lower Kanawha River Valley. The mission of the Rivers to Ridges Heritage Trail is to enhance and promote economic activities, through technical and financial assistance, for the development of a tourism corridor which follows the Kanawha River from Nitro, WV, to Point Pleasant, WV. The intention is to preserve the physical and cultural remains of our unique heritage for the purpose of increasing and developing heritage tourism in Putnam and Mason County, and the promotion of the lower Kanawha River Valley as a destination site to foster economic development in the area. As part of its evolution, Rivers to Ridges Heritage Trail has added community improvement to its mission.

The ambitions of our organization:

To raise regional awareness of the appeal of the lower Kanawha River Valley.
To preserve and interpret the lower Kanawha River Valley’s unique historical assets, placing emphasis on the role the area played in the settlement of the west.
To further develop recreational activities in Mason and Putnam County, specifically through the development of biking and hiking trail infrastructure and amenities, such as rest stops and campground facilities.
To develop the economy of the lower Kanawha River Valley through the enhancement and promotion of cultural heritage tourism.
To establish a fundraising program and endowment for Rivers to Ridges Heritage Trail to further our activities.
To facilitate community improvement projects.

Our Board:

Denny Bellamy, Chairman
Representing the Mason County Convention and Visitors Bureau

Linda Bush, Vice Chair
At-Large Member

Kelli Dailey, Secretary / Treasurer
Representing the Putnam County Convention and Visitors Bureau

Linda Quinn Keeling
Representing the Nitro Convention and Visitors Bureau

Josh Higginbotham
At-Large Member

Our Staff

Lowell Wilks
Project Coordinator

Project Coordinator, Lowell Wilks

Lowell Wilks has been the project coordinator of Rivers to Ridges Heritage Trail (formerly Kanawha Gateway Heritage Trail) since its inception in 2006. He graduated with a degree in Forestry from West Virginia University and worked for the United States Department of Agriculture for 29 years before "retiring" to Rivers to Ridges Heritage Trail. A veteran of the United States Navy and retired from the West Virginia Air National Gaurd, Lowell also has experience in home construction.

AmeriCorps VISTA, Jim Flook

Jim Flook joined Rivers to Ridges in November 2014 as a historian and interpretive planner. He assisted Putnam County Parks and Recreation with the 2015 Civil War Days be organizing a lecture series with a grant from the West Virginia Humanities Council. Jim is in the process of creating and designing 12 interpretative panels to be placed on the heritage trail. He will also be working on a digital history project and assisting the Putnam County Convention and Visitors Bureau. Jim holds a B.A. in History from Penn State, an M.A. in History from the University of Florida, and a graduate certificate in Historic Preservation from the University or Florida. He worked as a park ranger for 11 summers at Gettysburg National Military Park and as a historian for the Alaska Regional Office of the National Park Service for two years before joining AmeriCorps.

AmeriCorps NCCC, Delta 7

Delta 7 is a National Civilian Community Corps team headquartered in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Team members hail from Kansas, Texas, New Hampshire, New York, Washington, and Massachusetts. They are joining Rivers to Ridges in June and July 2015 to help complete the Virgil Lewis Memorial Reading Park, restore the Hoge House, re-paint the stage at the Mason County Fairgrounds, open the Walter Nature Trail, and preform additional maintenance at Putnam County Parks. With a "shared vision of selflessly serving," Delta 7 has already been making a great contribution to our community.

Past AmeriCorps VISTA, Mark Simonin

Serving as an AmeriCorps VISTA, Mark Simonin joined Rivers to Ridges Heritage Trail in February 2012. After two and a half years, Mark has now completed his time with the organization. Working as Rivers to Ridges Infrastructure Planner, the SUNY-ESF landscape architecture graduate has been involved in a wide variety of projects, which have included designing parks, mapping road and mountain bike trails, restoring historic sites and improving a number of sites for recreation along the byway.
He has also assisted as a liaison with two AmeriCorps NCCC teams.

Mark is now looking for opportunities with landscape architecture and planning firms and non profit organizations.

Past AmeriCorps VISTA, Joseph Phillips

Joseph Phillips (second from right) served with Rivers to Ridges Heritage Trail from 2012-2013. During his year of service, Joe completed eight interpretative panels along the by-way and produced a local history, Along the Kanawha. He holds an M.A. in American History and a Cultural Resource Management certification from West Virginia University. Prior to Rivers to Ridges, Joe worked at Gettysburg National Military Park and Manassas National Battlefield Park. He now works for the U.S. Forest Service as an interpretive supervisor.

Contact Us:

Rivers to Ridges Heritage Trail
P.O. Box 874
Scott Depot, WV 25560
contact@riverstoridges.com

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