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Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation Celebrates 20 Years

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Published Date

March 21, 2017

Thanks to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, repairs and restoration along the Parkway have ranged from projects at Flat Top Manor at the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park to Graveyards Fields/Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation

Twenty years ago, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation started as a simple idea: Give the people who care deeply for the Blue Ridge Parkway the power to protect and guide its future. Whether they cherished the trails, overlooks, ties to mountain history and culture, wildlife, or just the drive itself, they were invited to support the historic scenic route.

The response was overwhelming. Since 1997, the Foundation has raised more than $12 million to support cultural and historical preservation, education and outreach, natural resources protection, and enhanced amenities for the millions of visitors who travel the Parkway each year.

From the Foundation’s first project on the Blue Ridge Parkway, the construction the Visitor Center at Waterrock Knob, to the recently completed repairs of historic structures at the Peaks of Otter recreation area, the projects span the 469-mile road from Shenandoah National Park to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

During the last 20 years, the Foundation has worked to:

  • Protect natural resources through wildlife surveys, trail repairs, environmental studies, forensic training for law enforcement rangers, and more.
  • Expand education and outreach by introducing young park stewards to the outdoors through the Kids in Parks program, rehabbing museum and visitor center exhibits, funding youth conservation crews, engaging in citizen science projects, and more
  • Preserve history and culture by placing Moses H. Cone Memorial Park on the National Register of Historic Places, supporting musical programming at the Blue Ridge Music Center, rehabbing Mabry Mill, Ramsey Cabin, and more
  • Enhance visitor amenities and experiences at stops up and down the Parkway, including Waterrock Knob, Graveyard Fields, Julian Price Memorial Park, Linville Falls, Doughton Park, Abbott Lake, and many more locations.

During this anniversary year, the Foundation is looking to the future with big goals in mind, including reopening the Bluffs buildings at Doughton Park, restoring Flat Top Manor and the grounds at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, and the creation of a new Volunteer Corps to help maintain trails and more. The Blue Ridge Parkway is certainly winding toward a bright future.

The Foundation will host a 20th anniversary celebration on November 9 at Biltmore in Asheville, North Carolina. Visit the Foundation’s website for details.

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