LANSING, W.Va. — Governor Patrick Morrisey, state Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby and others celebrated the state’s two national parks staying open during a Friday press conference at the New River Gorge Canyon Rim Visitors Center.

On Thursday, Morrisey announced a donation agreement to keep the visitor services for NRG and Harpers Ferry open. The agreement includes the state paying $97,986.56 to keep everything functional.

“Not only is West Virginia open in terms of its national parks, we secured the first agreement in the country to open up our national parks. We’re the first state to say, ‘Our national parks are open, and the Schumer Shutdown will have no effect on our parks,” Morrisey said.

Without the agreement, visitors’ centers would have been closed, trash would not have been col

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