Mon River Summit Draws 30 People
Morgantown Dominion Post
19 May 2011
By Alex Lang
Events held on the Monongahela River bring more than $1 million is nto
the local economy from, one presenter said during the sixth annual Mon
River Summit.
Roughly 30 people gathered to discuss the Monongahela River and its
impact on the community during the summit on Wednesday.
“I realize the value and importance of the river,” said Dave Plevich,
of the Greater Morgantown Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB).
Plevich talked about the economic impact the river has on the
community. He said the events on the river help bring the Morgantown
economy $1.2 million.
Past events have included the annual triathlon, Cabela’s King Kat
fishing tournament and West Virginia Bass Federation fishing
competitions.
Plevich said the CVB tries to use the river as much as possible. He
added that he is talking to a few water enthusiast groups about
bringing their events to the area.
The Mon River wasn’t the only waterway discussed during the summit.
West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR) District 1 Fisheries
Biologist Frank Jernejcic gave a presentation on Dunkard Creek. In
2009, most of the creek’s marine life was wiped out when a toxin was
released from an algae bloom.
Before his presentation, Jernejcic said the DNR was finalizing its
restoration plan, but he thought it wouldn’t be finished for a couple
of months.
The DNR is planning to stock some bass in the stream sometime over the
next year. They want to see how that goes before moving ahead with more
stocking, Jernejcic said.
The summit is a chance for the different interest groups to get face
time with one another, said Wallace Venable, the technical coordinator
for the Upper Monongahela River Association, which organizes the summit.
It is also a chance for different groups to look back at the past year
and to speculate on the future of the waterway.