| Upcoming Events
Until March 30th
Voting is open for the 9th Annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition
May 19th
Grand opening of 9 TRACK Trails- see the KIP article for details
May 26th
Grand opening of the Mount Jefferson State Natural Area TRACK trail
June 2nd
Grand Openings of the Peaks of Otter and Blue Ridge Music Center TRACK Trails
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Did you know?
 The Parkway contains over 200 known archeological sites. |
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Save the Journey®
Donate today
and your tax deductible contribution will help preserve this magnificent National Park area for future generations.
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 | | photo by Vicki Dameron |
"Every spring is the only spring - a perpetual astonishment."
- Ellis Peters
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Calling all photographers!
We are always looking for beautiful photos of the Blue Ridge Parkway to use in our e-news and other publications.
If you have photos that you would be willing to let us use, please get in touch with our communications staff at
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Did you know?
The Parkway's education programs, including the Parks as Classrooms program which the Foundation helps to fund, reach over 42,000 children a year.
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Protect the Parkway
For each new or renewed specialty plate, $20 is given to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.
The entire specialty plate fee of $30 is tax deductible.
If you are a North Carolina resident, Click Here to
Find out how you can help protect the Blue Ridge Parkway's historic, cultural and scenic resources today and into the future.
Already own a
NC Blue Ridge Parkway Specialty Plate?
Enter to Win a 2 Night Stay at Mast Farm Inn, a Porsche rental, and a $100 gift certificate to Mast General Store!
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photo by Monty Combs
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"Spring comes: the flowers learn their colored shapes."
- Maria Konopnicka
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photo by Monty Combs
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"The spring is fresh and fearless
And every leaf is new,
The world is brimmed with moonlight,
The lilac brimmed with dew.
Here in the moving shadows
I catch my breath and sing --
My heart is fresh and fearless
And over-brimmed with spring."
- Sara Teasdale
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Make a Legacy Gift 
Consider joining the
Andre Michaux Society
and protecting the Parkway for perpetuity by including the Foundation in your estate plans. |
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Become a
Parkway Protector
With a commitment of just $10 a month, you can become a Parkway Protector and join a special group of our most dedicated monthly supporters - caring people just like you who love the Parkway.
It's easy - simply setup a monthly donation using this link.
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Your Stewardship in Action |
Foundation Allocates over $650,000 to the
Blue Ridge Parkway for 2012 Projects and Programs
 | | Our Board of Directors |
Thanks to your stewardship and generosity, t he Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation's Board of Directors has unanimously approved over $650,000 in funding to the Blue Ridge Parkway for 2012 projects and programs. These projects and programs cover a range of initiatives, including children's education, projects to enrich the visitors' experience, and preservation of historic, cultural and natural resources along the length of the Parkway. Highlights include:
Details on these projects can be found by clicking on the links above. A full list of projects and programs funded for 2012 can be found on our website. |
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North Carolina Blue Ridge Parkway
Specialty Plate Update
We are beginning our campaign to remove the "sunset clause" of HB289 passed by the North Carolina General Assembly last July. The sunset clause will remove all full-color specialty plates and replace them with the "First in Flight" background plate with the small organizational logo on the left beginning in July of 2015.
If you are traveling on I-40 you might see this billboard near the intersection with US-321 alerting drivers to take action. We would like to give special thanks to the billboard owner who gave us the space at an extremely reduced rate.
We are hoping that the General Assembly will take up this issue in their short session in May. Between now and then, the more your legislators hear about this issue the better. If you are a North Carolina resident, please visit ProtectThePlate.org to find more information about the issue and how to contact your legislators.
And as always, you can stay updated on this issue between newsletters through Facebook and Twitter.
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Foundation Conveys New Communications Center Building to the Parkway
 | | (l-r) Phil Francis, Mike Molling and Foundation Vice-Chair Greg Brown cut the ribbon |
Thanks to your stewardship, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation conveyed ownership of the new Communications Center building to the Blue Ridge Parkway during a dedication ceremony on March 22nd. The 1800 square-foot facility, which sits adjacent to Parkway headquarters in Asheville, will provide dispatch for emergency operations and law enforcement to the entire Blue Ridge Parkway as well as Kings Mountain National Military Park, Mt. Mitchell State Park, and the Veterans Administration Police Department in Asheville.
This state-of-the-art Communications Center will support the four districts along the 469-mile length of the Parkway, providing reliable communications for health and safety of visitors and employees and serving as a conduit between Parkway emergency services rangers and interpretive, resource management, administrative and maintenance staff. The dispatchers at the Communication Center interact with 29 counties, 65 cities/communities, 33 fire rescue services, 4 National Forest offices and 120 town operators in both Virginia and North Carolina.
Construction of this center and upgrades to the microwave communications system were made possible with $212,000 in funding from the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and $125,000 from National Park Concessions, Inc., both National Park Service partners. Parkway Superintendent Phil Francis said, "These gifts were vitally important to make this center possible. I think it will be one of the finest communication systems in the National Park Service."
 | | New Communications Center |
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2012 Parkway Facility Opening Dates and Operating Hours are Announced
The official 2012 opening dates for Blue Ridge Parkway facilities have been published by the National Park Service. Most facilities will be opening by May 11th. Details can be found on the Blue Ridge Parkway's website. |
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The Blue Ridge Parkway Is Still #1
The National Park Service has released their visitation numbers for 2011, and the Blue Ridge Parkway is still the most visited unit in the National Park Service with over 15 million recreational visits. You can view the entire list here.
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A Foggy Ride
 | | Which way is North? |
My motorcycle riding friend, Steve, and I began our ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway Tuesday morning from Cherokee, NC. We spent the first night in Boone after riding through a "cloud" where we could barely see the road in front of us. We left the next morning in the rain and stayed the night in Roanoke, VA after an afternoon of clear, sunny skies. The morning of day 3.... Read the rest of Mark's Story One of the special attributes of the Parkway is that everyone has their own special connection and personal memories. If you have a special memory you would like to share or would like to read other Parkway stories, please visit our website.
If you've traveled the Parkway from one end to the other, submit your story and request your rewards package at EndtoEnder.org
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Kids in Parks Growing by Leaps and Bounds!
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation's Kids in Parks program will be opening new TRACK trails across the country this spring. Here is a list of the currently scheduled openings:
- May 19th - 10 AM - Hungry Mother State Park in southwest Virginia
- May 19th - 3 PM - Grayson Highlands State Park in southwest Virginia
- May 19th: - 7 South Dakota Nature Trail Disc Golf Courses at Angostura State Recreational Area, Randall Creek State Recreational Area, Oakwood Lakes State Park, Oahe Downstream State Recreational Area, Big Sioux State Recreational Area, Lewis and Clark State Recreational Area, and Hartford Beach State Park
- May 26th - 2PM - Mount Jefferson State Natural Area, Jefferson, NC
- Jun 2nd - 1 PM - Peaks of Otter, Bedford, VA, Milepost 85
- Jun 2nd - 1:30 PM - Blue Ridge Music Center, Galax, VA, Milepost 213
Two more Nature Trail Disc Golf Courses will be opening in the Asheville area at Enka High School and North Buncombe High School, but dates have not been set. Stay tuned for more openings and watch us grow! |
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Kids in Parks Leadership receives the White House Champions of Change Award
On Thursday, March 22nd, our CEO Carolyn Ward was honored at the White House as a "Let's Move and Physical Activity Champion of Change" for her role in creating our Kids in Parks program. The White House honored 13 leaders from around the country who are inspiring and empowering America's youth to lead active, healthy lifestyles and are all united around one goal: to get kids moving more. First Lady Michelle Obama spoke at the event.
The Champions of Change program was created as a part of President Obama's Winning the Future initiative. Each week, a different sector is highlighted and groups of Champions, ranging from educators to entrepreneurs to community leaders, are recognized for the work they are doing to serve and strengthen their communities.
A video of the presentation and panel discussion will be available soon on the Champions of Change website. Carolyn's blog post at the Champions of Change website about the importance and need for the program can be found here. |
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Voting for the 9th Annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition is still open until this Friday, March 30th, 2012 at 5:00 PM. If you haven't visited yet, be sure to vote for your favorites!
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 Tony Geiger came to the Foundation in 2011 as an interpretive graphic artist/naturalist for the Kids in Parks program. Hailing from Langhorne, Pennsylvania, Tony graduated from Arcadia University in 2005 with a BA in Scientific Illustration. He has worked as an interpretive naturalist for nature centers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, conducting environmental education programs for all ages. Tony was also a project manager for New Jersey Audubon's Birding & Wildlife Trails program, and has designed outreach materials and interpretive signage for New Jersey Audubon, The American Littoral Society, and The Wetlands Institute. An avid birdwatcher, Tony usually has his binoculars close by.
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Parkway Place Challenge
 | | photo courtesy National Park Service |
We're going back in time this month! Do you know the location of this photo? Submit your answer on our website by midnight, April 23rd. Five winners will be drawn at random from those who submit the correct answer, and each winner will receive their choice of an array of prizes.
Last month's correct answer was the steps to Dugger's Creek Falls in the Linville Falls Recreational Area at Milepost 316. If you submitted a correct answer, the 5 random winners will be drawn this week, and you will be notified if you are one of the winners.
Do you have a photo that you think would be a great puzzler? Submit it here! |
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