Blue Ridge Parkway officials solicit public ideas for an alternative management plan

Lynchburg News & Advance
Published: April 5, 2008

The Blue Ridge Parkway’s future, including the role of visitor centers in the Lynchburg region, could be changed under plans for management methods designed partly because of public comments.

The parkway’s general management plan has been under development since the scenic road was completed in 1987, when attention shifted to protecting its views from development and other changes in the environment.

The National Park Service wants to know what the public thinks of three alternatives it’s considering for future management strategy.

Park officials hope to hear from people by May 1 about whether they’d like the parkway to stay pretty much “as is,” or develop new and more aggressive strategies to enhance visitor experiences and shield the 469-mile parkway from encroaching growth.

People who use the parkway frequently and come in contact with rangers and other employees may have heard about pieces of the planning strategy, and may have been asked to participate in studies about developing walking and riding trails in populated areas.

Results of those studies are reflected in a 32-page publication from the National Park Service that describes “preliminary alternatives” for designing a new management strategy.

In the Lynchburg region, the plan mentions possible changes at the parkway’s visitor centers at the Peaks of Otter, the James River and Humpback Rocks, which is near Waynesboro and the parkway’s northern end adjoining Shenandoah National Park.

The plan proposes three alternatives: A, B and C.

Plan A is described in the publication as a “no-action, continue-the-current-management” concept of the parkway as a scenic, recreational driving venue.

The other plans could affect adjacent landowners and communities, particularly in populated areas.

“Some visitor areas could be managed for increased recreational use,” such as keeping the areas staffed for nine or 12 months of the year and having more contact among visitors and with parkway employees, the plan suggests.

It also mentions the possibility of “acquiring interests in lands for protection of natural, cultural and recreational resources.” Those measures could involve purchasing neighboring land as it becomes available, or working with counties and cities to seek agreements on protecting the parkway as a resource in those communities.

Other changes that might occur include returning some of the parkway’s managed features to a natural status, and limiting access to it from some local roads in rural areas. In some instances, intersections could be replaced with bridges to carry the parkway over or under the roads.

On the other hand, all three alternatives would continue to allow the parkway to be used by bicyclists. One of the alternatives suggests developing multiuse trails parallel to, but separate from the parkway in urban areas like Roanoke.

These are some changes under consideration in the Lynchburg region:

- Humpback Rocks at milepost 6: Allow for increased use of this recreation area, which includes a restored mountain farm with log cabin and outbuildings, where costumed interpreters demonstrate 19th-century lifestyles.

Use of existing walking trails would be increased.

- James River-Otter Creek recreation area: Camping, hiking, picnicking, dining and fishing in Otter Creek Lake already are available here. One alternative plan would seek to increase the number of people using those activities, and the lake would be dredged periodically to keep its appearance.

Another alternative would allow the lake to return to its natural wetland condition as part of a wildlife and plant habitat.

- Peaks of Otter: Two of the plans would seek to increase use of the Peaks restaurant and lodge, which are open year-round. Both plans also would upgrade the campground and restore two early home sites on the 4,100-acre recreation area.

Parkway officials will use public comments to refine the alternatives for the next step in the planning process. That step includes an environmental impact statement, which would describe the effects of the proposed changes on streams, historic sites, and the habitats of plants and animals.

Comments can be mailed by May 1 to: Park superintendent, 199 Hemphill Knob Road, Asheville, NC 28803.

Information about the parkway also can be found on the National Park Service Web site at http://www.nps.gov.