FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway eNewsletter
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Volume 3, Issue 3 This Month's Features Message from FRIENDS' President Watauga County Board of Education Right of Way The Great Southeastern Hiking Festival Blue Ridge Parkway Road Closures National Trails Day, June 2, 2007 Hiking 101 - The Trail Beneath Your Feet Adopt-A-Trail Groups' Trail Dates Donate or HELP Support FRIENDS Contact Your State or District Representative FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Inc. FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway is a non-profit, volunteer organization that is dedicated to preserving and protecting the Blue Ridge Parkway, a national treasure. FRIENDS programs focus on preservation, protection and education. FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Inc, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, organized and existing under the laws of the State of North Carolina and the Commonwealth of Virginia, whose current principal business address for identification purposes is P.O. Box 20986, Roanoke, Virginia 24018. 
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Blue Ridge Parkway Begins Spring OpeningsMessage from FRIENDS' PresidentDear Friend,
Federal Budget and Centennial Challenge. Two hot media topics you'll hear lots about in the coming months. The news out of Washington was promising. The proposed federal budget increases funding to national parks – a $100 million boost in support, plus $250 million toward general operations. Like me, you’re probably wondering – what's this mean for the Blue Ridge Parkway? Unfortunately, only a small part of that funding increase will reach the Blue Ridge Parkway -- and the trickle-down of federal money will surely take a long time. An 11% increase is just a drop in the bucket. The Parkway struggles to operate with a deficit of $3 million. The Blue Ridge Parkway still has 58 vacant permanent staff positions. As a result, one out of every five jobs is not being done. For every 2.8 million visitors to the Parkway there is one interpretive ranger. Overlooks are overgrown with vegetation. No night rangers patrolling in the dark hours of the season. The irony is that the Blue Ridge Parkway has more visitors than any park in the nation. You might be surprised to know that the Parkway has more than twice the combined total of visitors to Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon each year. And our beloved Parkway is the most under-funded. The Challenge President Bush challenged the nation with his Centennial Initiative, which would match private donations to Park projects and programs, dollar for dollar, up to $100 million each year. That's where you come in. In a letter to Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, members of the National Park Friends Alliance expressed support for the Centennial Initiative, and outlined the potential strength of the Friends groups in meeting the challenge. FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway executive director, Susan Mills, was one of the signatories on this letter. Take this call for membership to FRIENDS as YOUR call to action! The letter makes a number of major points, beginning with the confirmation that “the concept of a matching fund will be a powerful incentive to philanthropy.” Maybe you can also inspire a business to join FRIENDS or ask the company YOU work for to support the Blue Ridge Parkway. Business support can make a big difference when corporate members commit to FRIENDS! And, let your congressional representatives hear from you! Call your representative or click on the links at the end of the eNewsletter. To call your Member of Congress: US Capitol Switchboard 202-224-3121 To locate your Representative on-line: Scroll to the end of this eNewsletter for the link to your Senator's or Representative's website. Send a message that states: I urge you to support increased funding for the Blue Ridge Parkway as part of the National Park Service fiscal year operating budget. Tell them you are supporting FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway! Thank you, J. Richard Wells, President Saving Parkway Views
We will welcome our volunteers at 9:00, plant the viewshed seedlings and end around 1:30 P.M. Refreshments, activities and music will be provided. An environmental program will be presented by Anna Wills with Virginia's Explore Park. Come by and enjoy Express yourself through Art coordinated by Polly Branch. Bring a bag lunch or picnic to enjoy while listening to live blue grass music when the planting is finished. Wear your favorite work clothes, appropriate shoes, boots (if it rains), and work gloves. We need shovels, rakes, 1-gallon jugs, 5-gallon buckets and rubber mallets. The Parkway requires all participants to complete a form before participating in the planting. All volunteers under age 18 must also bring a signed Parental Approval form. The FRIENDS office can provide the forms if you call us at 800-228-7275. If you cannot attend this event BUT would like to Save Blue Ridge Parkway Views, donate here! Your contributions will be directed to this program. As members of FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, you can make the difference by supporting our efforts. Dig deep and DONATE If you’re not currently a member, JOIN TODAY. Second Annual Photo Contest!FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway received such an overwhelming number of photo entries in our 2006 Photo Contest that we've decided to make this an annual event. Nearly 100 photographers from 14 states, plus Canada and the United Kingdom, submitted images in 2006. Three adult and three student photographers were recognized. To view their full-color winning images, please visit the FRIENDS web site. For the Second Annual Photo Contest, FRIENDS is accepting online photo entries only from May 1, 2007 to September 30, 2007. The categories are flora (including landscapes), fauna, friends, and family. The competition is open to amateurs, including a youth category (ages 6-15). All photographs must be taken within the boundaries of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and each photographer may submit no more than three photos for consideration. All entries are subject to any use by the Blue Ridge Parkway and FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Photo credit will be given to each photographer without further compensation. Entries may be color or black and white digital images (JPG format). Please keep your file sizes down to no more than 1 MB per image. Digital images must not be altered. This would include combining pictures, removing or adding objects or drastically changing color, etc. Each image must be the work of the person submitting the image, original and unpublished. Each entry must be accompanyed with the photographer's name, category and description (where on the Parkway photo was shot, when, etc.).
The DayLily and Butterfly photo above (Sam Pickelsimer from Liberty, SD) won second place in the 2006 Photo Contest --- Adult Division. Winners will be notified by December 1, 2007, and judges' decisions are final. Please submit your Blue Ridge Parkway photos after May 1st. We look forward to enjoying the memories made from your photographic journey on the Parkway. Watauga County Board of Education Right of Way
If you would like to view a copy of the FONSI, please click here. Nominate an AHS Volunteer NowFrom American Hiking Society Newsletter American Hiking Society is conducting a national search to honor volunteers for their tireless efforts to preserve and maintain America's trails. We are looking for the top volunteer trail stewards and advocates who go the extra mile to make sure our trails are safe, enjoyable and will be around for future generations. Winners will be chosen in nine regions, with one national winner. Deadline for nominations is April 15, 2007. Nominate a Volunteer Now! The Great Southeastern Hiking FestivalFrom American Hiking Society Newsletter Registration for The Great Southeastern Hiking Festival, May 3-6, 2007 in Montreat, North Carolina, is now open! Join American Hiking Society for a fun-filled four day festival in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. More than 20 hikes are planned, along with a series of educational workshops and great entertainment. Registration for the full conference is $150 and includes 9 meals and access to all hikes, educational activities and entertainment. Lodging is available at the beautiful Montreat Conference Center. Learn more and register today! I would like to donate to help save Parkway views Blue Ridge Parkway Road ClosuresAs of March 27, 2007 the following road information was recorded and is subject to change by calling (828) 298-0398. Virginia The motor road is open and clear for travel. North Carolina The motor road is open and clear for travel with the exception of:
For more information about Blue Ridge Parkway Closures call (828) 298-0398 Virginia Explore Park
Get involved! Virginia's Explore Park has a number of part-time, seasonal positions available. If you are interested, please apply! See positions descriptions below for details. Park Attendants Park attendants assist visitors through Explore Park and help with set-up and tear-down for events. This position requires working outdoors in good and bad weather. Some physical labor is involved, such as lifting tables and chairs and walking trails and hilly terrain. Good communication skills and valid Virginia driver's license required. CDL certification a plus. Weekend and holiday work required. Completed state application* (available at Virginia Employment Commission or on line) is required and letter of interest and resume are requested. No faxes, please. All items should be submitted to:
*Please note: Explore Park's public partner is the Virginia Recreational Facilities Authority, a political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Explore Park employees are not employed by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia's Explore Park is located at milepost 115 on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Roanoke, Virginia, half way between the US Route 220 and State Route 24 entrances. For more information, visit www.explorepark.org or call 540.427.1800. From the American Hiking Society's Paperless TrailNational Trails Day, June 2, 2007
For more information about National Trails Day, contact Ivan Levin, Trail Programs Manager, at 301-565-6704 x 208 or ILevin@AmericanHiking.org. Hiking 101 - The Trail Beneath Your FeetFrom American Hiking Newsletter You've got your pack on, your boots laced up, and your heart rate is already elevated with the anticipation of having a great time. But before you start that hike, think HIKE-10:
Adopt-A-Trail Groups' Trail DatesFRIENDS' Fishers Peak Chapter Work on trails at Fisher's Peak will begin again this month. The schedule is: April 14 - 9:00 AM Meet at the trail head parking lot on Foothills Road. Tools are provided but be sure to bring work gloves. Mary Guynn will bring snacks or sandwiches for us at 1:00. She has volunteered to pick up burgers or pizzas for which we could each reimburse her. If you prefer to pack a lunch that would be okay, too. Volunteers must sign up in advance by contacting: Dottie Bramley, pdbramley@valink.com Telephone: (276) 236-7658 Carolina Mountain ClubNeeded: Members with smiles The Membership Committee is looking for some friendly members to help at our booth at the Black Mountain Street Fair on Saturday, May 5. The street fair will be a part of the Great Southeastern Festival which we are helping to sponsor that weekend. We will be scheduling folks for two-hour shifts, and you will wear your hiking duds and have some fun meeting folks and answering their questions about our wonderful club. Contact Ashok Kudva at Ashok.Kudva@mchsi.com or 828- 698-7119. Adopt an MST SectionThe following sections of the Mountains to Sea Trail are available for adoption:
These are all beautiful sections that provide great personal satisfaction in caring for them. Contact Don Walton at donwalton@bellsouth.net or 654-9904 Why Otter?Contributing Author: Blue Ridge Parkway Staff “Are there otters here?” “Where do we go to see the otters?” These are just two of the most commonly asked questions at the Peaks of Otter Visitor Center. Though they may be simple questions, the answer is quite complex. You can trace this peculiar name back into the era where the “Peaks of Otter” was a hunting ground for Native American tribes where we find the “otter” could be a mispronunciation of the “Atari” or “Ottari” which subsequently translates to “high mountain” or “high hunting ground.”
You can do some research to find that the first settlers in the area were from Scotland, where “Otter” is a popular name. You may even find that there is a mountain named “Being Dobhrain”, which is Gaelic for “Ben Otter” or “Mr. Otter” in Scotland, which bears a striking resemblance to Sharp Top. A quick trip through the “Peaks of Otter” area would allow you to find that the headwaters to the Big Otter and Little Otter Rivers are located in the vicinity. With so many choices, which one is correct? Well, to a degree, all of them are, but there were two otters in Abbott Lake during 2003! Western Virginia streams and rivers have remained nearly empty of the River Otter (Lutra canadensis) since the turn of the 19th century due to loss of habitat, stream pollution, and human pressure. Despite the population decline, the River Otter is on the comeback and the sighting at the Peaks of Otter was proof of that! “Otter” Know the Facts Otters have a torpedo shaped body with short, stubby, webbed feet, and a long cylindrical tail that accounts for more than a third of the otter's total body weight. The fur, or pelage, is short but thick. Colors range from dark chocolate brown to light chestnut, and some tend to be silvery gray. Fish, crayfish, and other aquatic invertebrates are the main food sources for Otters in Virginia, but they have been known to eat anything from birds and berries to insects. Typically, otters are solitary but they can be observed in groups consisting of an adult female and the young of the year. Otters begin reproducing at the age of two. Breeding takes place in March or April and after a process known as “delayed implantation” gestation only lasts 61 to 63 days (other Mustelids like muskrats, as well as Black Bears go through delayed implantation). Usually litters consist of two to four otters but as many as six young. I would like to donate to the Trails Forever Program. Hemlocks in Danger?FRIENDS SUPPORTS IMPORTANT RESEARCHThe innocent appearance of cottony white tufts at the base of fragrant hemlock needles masks an imminent threat to forests of our southern Appalachian mountains. At the core of these tufts is the hemlock woolly adelgid, a tiny creature who thrives on the tree's sap, which in turn deprives the foliage of nutrients resulting in its eventual death. All through the Great Smoky Mountains, the Biltmore Estate forest and surrounding woodlands, dead hemlock trunks bear testimony to the devastation this tiny being brings. To aid in important research, FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway has partnered funds with the United States Forest Service and the Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech to finance the building of a walk-in cooler which will be a vital addition to the Beneficial Insects Quarantine Laboratory at VT. "The cooler is an essential tool in studying the development of the Laricobius nigrinis beetle, a Japanese native which feeds on hemlock woolly adelgid nymphs and may prove to be a promising tool in their control and eventual eradication," reports Scott Salom, who directs the HWA research program at VT. "If, after testing, the beetle is deemed safe for release, federal and state agencies will be petitioned for permission to release them in infested hemlock stands." FRIENDS Board of Directors Vice President Dr. Greg Brown recently attended the 2006 Southern Appalachian Man and the Biosphere Conference held in Gatlinburg, Tenn. "There was considerable hallway and mealtime discussion of the woolly adelgid and the damage it is causing," Brown says. "The Smokies, national forests in this area, Biltmore Estate forest and private lands are all suffering." Although FRIENDS members and others have been excited at the recent news of the discovery of a record 172-foot hemlock in the Cataloochee area, it remains to be seen if these giants and their smaller cousins can be saved for future generations. Visit the website of SaveOurHemlocks.org for additional information. Donations may be mailed to Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway, P.O. Box 20986, Roanoke, Va. (specify that the funds are for "Save Our Hemlocks") or at BlueRidgeFriends.org. Learn more about how you can help! Visit our Online Store
FRIENDS Front License Plate Donate or HELP Support FRIENDSHelp Us Preserve the Legacy FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway offers young and old, together, the opportunity to connect with friends and family to save the Blue Ridge Parkway for their continuing enjoyment - and for future generations. The Blue Ridge Parkway connects the Shenandoah National Park with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is America's most scenic drive encompassing 469 miles traversing 29 counties in Virginia and North Carolina. Over 20 million people touch its borders annually - making it America's most frequented park treasure! By joining Preserving the Legacy you will be supporting projects that will protect this extraordinary Parkway and adjacent land and views for yourselves and for future generations. FRIENDS is an official National Park Service partner. Please join us by choosing one of our deserving Programs today! Contact Your State or District RepresentativeThe following information provides easy links to your State's Senator and your District's Representatives. Just click on the link and send a message to Congress! In support of FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, I urge you to support increased funding for the Blue Ridge Parkway as part of the National Park Service fiscal year operating budget. Please forward this e-newsletter to anyone you feel would be interested! If this message was forwarded to you by a friend, you can receive your own subscription by visiting our web site. If you have any questions, please contact us. |
FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway wants to help preserve
America’s Favorite Drive! On Saturday, April 14 adult and youth volunteers
will gather at Milepost 125.5 on the Parkway to plant 250 seedlings as part
of their premiere program, Saving Parkway Views. If you would like to join
us for the planting call the FRIENDS office at 800-228-7275 for directions
and forms required by the National Park Service.
The Southeast Regional Director has approved the Finding of No
Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Right-of-way Permit for Watauga
County Board of Education to Utilize a NCDOT Deed Reserved Roadside
Park on National Park Service Land (PIN 12703). The FONSI has determined
that there will be no significant environmental impacts that would occur
by issuing a right-of-way (ROW) permit to the Watauga County Board
of Education (school board). The ROW permit will allow the school
board to utilize a NCDOT deed reserved roadside park for the
construction, operation and maintenance of an access road at Milepost
281 on the Blue Ridge Parkway, in Watauga County, North Carolina, as
described under Alternative B in the Right-of-way Permit for Watauga
County Board of Education to Utilize a NCDOT Deed Reserved Roadside
Park on National Park Service Land Environmental Assessment.
It's never too early to start thinking about where you are going to
celebrate National Trails Day (NTD). Over 120 events have already
been registered with more registrations coming in every day.
2007 marks the 15th anniversary of NTD and this year promises to be
the best yet with more events across the country than ever before.
Starting in late February, be sure to check out American Hiking
Society's Hiker's Store to purchase the 2007 NTD collector's edition
t-shirt as well as other American Hiking/NTD promotional items.
Visit 
