Because of You‌
Parkway Programs are Alive! Page 1
Blue Ridge Parkway by the Numbers Page 2
We Have A Hero! Page 4
Summer 2015
High Vistas Journal The newsletter for members of FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway
You Are Keeping Parkway Programs Alive! Because of YOU - millions of visitors experience Parkway programs
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our donations fund Blue Ridge Mountain Music concerts, cultural demonstrations, historic reenactments, restoration of Blue Ridge Heritage Gardens and more for millions of Parkway visitors, thank you! Yes, we all know, budget cuts and staff shortages are affecting every aspect of our park, from general maintenance to upkeep of historic structures to summer programs that educate, entertain and delight visitors. Because of your membership and generous donations, many of these programs will
remain intact and have been expanded for the 2015 season. National Park Service (NPS) Blue Ridge Parkway funding request to FRIENDS increased 87.8% from 2014 to 2015. To date we have fulfilled most of the funding request and the programs are moving forward due to your generosity, thank you our loyal members! The Sunday Music Concert series at the
Roanoke Day Use Area began in May and will continue through October; that’s more than twenty free concerts featuring traditional music! In addition, you fund Blue Ridge Mountain Music up and down the Parkway. The park has increased the number of concerts at Humpback Rocks near Charlottesville, Virginia from 2 last year to 5 concerts this year! Hundreds of elementary school children will benefit from the Parks as Classrooms Continued on page 2
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program at the Blue Ridge Music Center near the North Carolina-Virginia border. Third and fourth grade students spend a day learning about traditional Appalachian songs and instruments with hands-on activities and a variety of workshops. They even get to make their own musical instrument to play and take home. Blue Ridge Heritage Gardens at Humpback Rocks, Mabry Mill and Brinegar Cabin will spring to life with historically accurate plants that tell the story of early farm life in the Blue Ridge region. Check out this video on FRIENDS YouTube channel www.youtube.com/ user/BlueRidgePkwyFriends about Brinegar Garden! The FRIENDS Northern Highland Chapter is responsible for bringing this garden back to life! On the Parkway near Asheville, North Carolina Family Nights are planned for every other Thursday with activities, games and crafts designed for children and families. Kids and their families learn about tracking and observation skills or find out why fireflies glow. Your generous donations to FRIENDS make it possible for families to
participate in these and many other free programs all along the Parkway. Visitors to Flat Laurel Gap, Richland Balsam or Bull Creek Valley Overlooks in North Carolina will be treated to a variety of Ranger talks on such topics as salamanders or high elevation ecosystems and how weather affects these “islands in the sky.� In September, nearly one thousand adults and children will attend the Overmountain Victory Celebration where costumed volunteers bring Revolutionary War history to life with battle reenactments and demonstrations of early Appalachian cooking, woodworking and candle making. These programs and events keep the history of the Blue Ridge region alive -- engaging and inspiring young and old alike. Thank you for the funding support you provided this year. As the National Park
Service Centennial approaches in 2016, we need to count on you more than ever.
Blue Ridge Parkway by Numbers*
Want To Enjoy A Day On The Parkway? Check out Blue Ridge Parkway events on our website https:// www.FriendsBRP.org/events/ * Blue Ridge Parkway Final Management Plan Summary
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FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway
Share Your Blue Ridge Parkway Story Tell us your stories, experiences or memories – Win a two-night stay at a Historic Parkway Inn As we approach 2016 and the centennial of our National Parks, renew your love for the Blue Ridge Parkway by sharing your Parkway stories and experiences. Please share by emailing them, with digital pictures, to Staff@FriendsBRP. org by September 1. STORIES SHOULD INCLUDE: ●● Why do you love the Blue Ridge Parkway? ●● What are your childhood memories of your Parkway experiences? (if applicable) ●● How do you experience your park today? ●● What is the one thing you love about the Parkway you would like to pass on to the next generation?
To win a two-night stay on the Parkway at Peaks of Otter Lodge or Pisgah Inn, share your experience, stories or memories with pictures in a digital format to accompany your submission. The two top entries will win prizes. RULES: ✔✔ Must be 18 to enter. ✔✔ Entries will be judged by a panel of FRIENDS staff. ✔✔ Selected entries may be published on FRIENDS’ website or print publications. ✔✔ FRIENDS reserves the right to edit submissions for length, grammar, style and clarity. ✔✔ Digital images must not be altered and must be original work.
Entries will be accepted until midnight, September 1, 2015. Winners will be notified by December 1, 2015. Both Peaks of Otter Lodge and Pisgah Inn are open April-November 2016. Pisgah Inn limits stay to the months of April, May, August or September 2016.
Meet Our Interns At FRIENDS Headquarters! As the Parkway heads into its busiest time of year, our interns have been a huge help in countless ways. They have wrangled databases, created spreadsheets, designed banners and helped FRIENDS engage with the public through social media and graphic design. And it’s only June – this could be a busy summer! + KOREY SHORTT of Floyd, Virginia, is a double major in business management and economics at Emory & Henry College. Korey was attracted to this internship to see how a nonprofit runs from the inside. www.FriendsBRP.org
He’s enjoyed his work on the numbers side of FRIENDS, especially applying financial data from source code reports into graphs and charts. “Being able to see data as the big picture rather than just numbers on a screen is insightful,” he says. We’re thrilled to have him! + ELIZABETH CAMILLETTI of Roanoke, Virginia, is a May graduate of University of Mary Washington with a bachelor’s degree in studio art. An aspiring artist, she likes the rewarding environment and “bigger picture” offered by FRIENDS.
She’s especially enjoyed traveling to Mabry Mill and the Blue Ridge Music Center interviewing volunteers and workers. “The Parkway is still a mystery to me, and more of it becoming clear through my experiences on my trip,” she says, adding “I am pleased to be with FRIENDS!” 3
We Have a Hero! Heidi Ketler -- Virginia’s Cox Conserves Hero
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fter a competitive nomination process and three weeks of voting, our very own Heidi Ketler – chair of the Roanoke Valley chapter of FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway -- has been selected Virginia’s Cox Conserves Hero! As the winner of the state competition, Heidi’s selected nonprofit -- FRIENDS -- will receive a $10,000 donation to assist with Parkway needs in the Roanoke Valley. Heidi’s video showcased her commitment to the Blue Ridge Parkway To get involved and the team of volunwith your local teers she leads. During chapter and make Heidi’s time as chapter chair, she has not a difference only led the chapter in go to… Parkway conservation projects -- she has built community partnerships that focus on conMilepost 275-315 serving the Blue Ridge’s natural and cultural environment. In two years, Heidi has organized volunteer days to clear trails, clean FRIENDS Board of Directors
KEN RANDOLPH, President – Rockydale Quarries Corp. DAVID POTEET, Vice President – Nomad Mobile Guides STEVE BEYER, Vice President Outreach – Leisure Media 360 J. RICHARD WELLS, Treasurer – Leisure Media 360 LYNN DAVIS, Secretary – Virginia Tech College of Natural Resources & Environment PERRY KEYS, Assistant Secretary and Treasurer – Enterprise Software KIM BLAIR – Ferrum College MARTHA BOGLE – National Park Service Superintendent, retired WILLIAM BRENTON, JR. – The Brenton Group KYLE EDGELL – Caricature Artist GEORGE HUMPHRIES – Photographer and author, Mars Hill University
overlooks and support specific Blue Ridge Parkway needs. Heidi has linked the Roanoke and Parkway, deepening connections between the park and its community, encouraging service back to our park. Thank you Heidi for your incredible example as a “Conservation Hero”! And to all of our volunteers we say, thank you – your service is priceless!
FRIENDS OF THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY OFFICE Roanoke, Virginia
Milepost 275-315 NATIONAL PARK SERVICE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY HEADQUARTERS Asheville, North Carolina
https://www.FriendsBRP.org/
who-we-are/chapters
FRIENDS Staff
SUSAN JACKSON MILLS, Ph.D, Executive Director FERNANDO GRACIA, Director of Programs & Community Outreach PAM McCALLISTER, Marketing and Communications Coordinator GAIL WEBB, Membership Services Coordinator MARY ELLEN BELCHER, Administrative Assistant ELIZABETH CAMILLETTI, Intern KOREY SHORTT, Intern
FRIENDS Volunteer Staff Jill Darlington-Smith Virginia Ehrich Richard Hoffman
Leslie Lindsay Pauline O’Dell Kathy Van Duzer
PO Box 20986 Roanoke, Virginia 24018 540.772.2992 | 800.228.PARK (7275) www.FriendsBRP.org | Staff@FriendsBRP.org