Page "New River (Kanawha River)" Paragraph 3

This low-level crossing of the Appalachians, many millions of years old, has long been a biogeograpical corridor allowing numerous species of plants and animals to spread between the lowlands of the American East Coast and those of the Midwest ; other unusual kinds of plants occur on the gorge's cliffs or rim-top ledges.

Portions of this corridor are now also used by various railroads and highways, and some segments of the river have been dammed for hydroelectric power production.