Senate Bill No. 311

(By Senators Beach, Kessler, D. Hall and Prezioso)

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[Introduced; January 26, 2015; referred to the Committee on Natural Resources; and then to the Committee on the Judiciary.]

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A BILL to amend and reenact §20-1-19 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, relating to West Virginia state parks and state forests; and changing the name of Coopers Rock State Forest to Coopers Rock State Park.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

            That §20-1-19 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted to read as follows:

ARTICLE 1. ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION.

§20-1-19. West Virginia state parks and state forests.

            (a) The state parks of West Virginia are:

            (1) Audra; (2) Babcock; (3) Beartown; (4) Beech Fork; (5) Berkeley Springs; (6) Blackwater Falls; (7) Blennerhassett Island Historical; (8) Bluestone; (9) Cacapon Resort; (10) Camp Creek; (11) Canaan Valley Resort; (12) Carnifex Ferry Battlefield; (13) Cass Scenic Railroad; (14) Cathedral; (15) Cedar Creek; (16) Chief Logan; (17) Droop Mountain Battlefield; (18) Fairfax Stone Historical Monument; (19) Hawks Nest; (20) Holly River; (21) Little Beaver; (22) Lost River; (23) Moncove Lake; (24) North Bend; (25) Pinnacle Rock; (26) Pipestem Resort; (27) Prickett’s Fort; (28) Stonewall Resort; (29) Tomlinson Run; (30) Tu-Endie-Wei (Point Pleasant Battle Monument); (31) Twin Falls Resort; (32) Tygart Lake; (33) Valley Falls; (34) Watoga; and (35) Waiters Smith Memorial.

            (b) The state forests of West Virginia are:

            (1) Cabwaylingo; (2) Calvin Price; (3) Camp Creek; (4) Coopers Rock which shall be designated and known as Coopers Rock State Park but remain under the Division of Forestry; (5) Greenbrier; (6) Kanawha; (7) Kumbrabow; (8) Panther Forest/WMA, consisting of approximately twenty-six acres containing park facilities; and (9) Seneca.

            (c) Neither the director nor any officer, employee or agent of the Division of Natural Resources may close, change the name or the designated use of a state park or state forest without statutory authorization.

            NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to change the name of Coopers Rock State Forest to Coopers Rock State Park without removing it from the Division of Forestry.

            Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added.