The National Parks Conservation Association will host a reception on Friday honoring Rep. Nick J. Rahall, D-W.Va., for his efforts to protect and create national parks.

The association gave Rahall its annual William Penn Mott Jr. Park Leadership Award in April in recognition of his work nationally and in Southern West Virginia.

Rahall, chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, has been a member of that committee during his entire 31 years of service in Congress.

During his first year in Congress, in 1977, Rahall introduced a bill to designate the New River Gorge as a national river. His bill was enacted into law the following year.

A decade later, Rahall began his successful effort to designate the Gauley River and part of the Bluestone River as units in the National Park system.

Those efforts are credited with increasing the number of tourists visiting the area to go whitewater rafting and to explore the area's scenic beauty.

The reception on Friday, free and open to the public, will be held between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. at the Sandstone Visitors Center.

The center is located east of Beckley near Sandstone Falls off Exit 139 of Interstate 64. The center is on W.Va. 20. The center's telephone number is (304) 250-7833.

The association gave Rahall its annual William Penn Mott Jr. Park Leadership Award in April in recognition of his work nationally and in Southern West Virginia.

Rahall, chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, has been a member of that committee during his entire 31 years of service in Congress.

During his first year in Congress, in 1977, Rahall introduced a bill to designate the New River Gorge as a national river. His bill was enacted into law the following year.

A decade later, Rahall began his successful effort to designate the Gauley River and part of the Bluestone River as units in the National Park system.

Those efforts are credited with increasing the number of tourists visiting the area to go whitewater rafting and to explore the area's scenic beauty.

The reception on Friday, free and open to the public, will be held between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. at the Sandstone Visitors Center.

The center is located east of Beckley near Sandstone Falls off Exit 139 of Interstate 64. The center is on W.Va. 20. The center's telephone number is (304) 250-7833.