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By Richard Lykes
Special to the Rappahannock News
The Shenandoah National Park recently invited a small group of community leaders and others to a one-day seminar to discuss renewed efforts to “reconnect with their neighbors” in a rekindled partnership that will benefit both the park and its neighbors.
“We feel that the people who live next to our park deserve special consideration,” Chas Cartwright, superintendent of the Park announced.” Continuing, he added, “Although this has always been our goal, there is a special need today to communicate our desire to connect with our neighbors. We have many shared concerns: a long common boundary, roads, fire management responsibilities, air and water quality, and natural resources. We also have an obligation to our neighbors to share our information—like when we will have controlled bums.”
There is some urgency to this appeal for a new partnership. According to Cartwright, the Park today has less than half the visitors they used to have. Thus, a logical place to reinvigorate this partnership is with its neighbors. Not unsurprisingly, some 40 percent of park visitors come from Virginia and the Park wants to keep them coming. It is estimated that visitors to the Park in 2001, in the example cited, brought $54 million to neighboring communities with expenses at local hotels, B&Bs, restaurants, and stores, plus another $14 million in salaries for people who work in these tourist businesses. Good news for folks both inside and outside
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