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National
Park to
get $30M
facelift
By Stephen Darein* ;
Special to the Rappahannock News
For years, Shenandoah National Park, a part of which is in Rappahannock County and a scant two-hour drive from the national capital, has languished in a lack of attention from previous administrations and visitors alike. But both are now showing renewed interest in the only national park that is a day’s drive away for the 50 million people living and working in the East Coast megalopolis.
On Monday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar met with volunteers and youth groups working in the park for the summer. clearing non-native plants that have invaded the park. The event was part of a national kickoff of United We Serve, a nationwide volunteer service program which President Barack Obama announced on June 17. Accompanying Salazar on the visit was Anne Holton, wife of Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine (and daughter of former Virginia Governor A. Uinwcxid Holton, Jr. >.
"When President Obama called us to this day of service,’' Salazar said. "he asked Americans ... to embrace the spirit of service . .. and help lay a new foundation for America, one community at a time.”
Salazar and Holton toured the area near the Big Meadows ranger station after participating with volunteers in removing invasive plants around the Big Meadow's Sw'amp nature trail.
Speaking to the Rappahannock News after brief remarks to the national press, Salazar said $30 million had been set aside for Shenandoah National Park as part of the Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009. Asked how this initiative would benefit Rappahannock’s economy and economies of other communities surrounding the park, he said: "This $30 million going into the park will mean
See PARK, Page A5
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