The 75-year old Parkway is a national treasure.

On a daily basis Parkway staff grapple with any number of issues that bring the future of the resource into question.

It is the responsibility of all of us – individuals, elected officials, business, communities alike – to embrace Parkway values, speak out regarding future challenges, and actively work for a sustainable and healthy Blue Ridge Parkway.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Symposium Presentations

Below are links to PDFs of the PowerPoint presentations given at the October 14-16, 2010, symposium in Roanoke, VA, entitled, Imagining the Blue Ridge Parkway for the 21st Century: Sustaining Communities, Environments, and Economies. Presentations are listed in alphabetical order by presenter and all links open as PDF files.

Parkway Purpose, Idea, and Creation
Carlton Abbott, President, Carlton Abbott and Partners

What Does Partnership Look Like? Successes and Stresses from One Working Partnership
Bill Carson, Chief Executive Officer, The Historic Orchard at Altapass

Cultural Assets in Your Community
Todd Christensen, Executive Director, Southwest Virginia Cultural Heritage Commission

Too Much of a Good Thing: Unintended Consequences of Tourism in the Southern Appalachians
Ricky Cox, Associate, Appalachian Regional Studies Center, Radford University

Keeping the Parkway’s Ecosystem Healthy: The National Park Service Can’t Do It Alone
Rupert Cutler, Ph.D., Retired Roanoke City Council Member

Cherokee Heritage Trails - The Trails Continue
Barbara Duncan, Ph.D., Folklorist and Director of Education, Museum of the Cherokee Indian

The Blue Ridge Parkway at 75: A Successful Social and Economic Experiment
Joe Elton, Director, Virginia State Parks

Gateway Tourism
Steve Galyean, Development Director, Virginia Tourism Corporation

How Spending on the Blue Ridge Parkway Impacts Local Communities
David Gantt, Chairman, Buncombe County, NC, Board of Commissioners

Green Infrastructure Planning for Sustainability and Resilience
Linda Giltz, Regional Planner, Land-of-Sky Regional Council

Last Chance Landscape Revisited: 1998-2010
Clay Goodman, Roanoke County, VA, Administrator
Janet Scheid, Roanoke County, VA, Greenway Planner

Virginia Green and the Blue Ridge Parkway: A Logical Partnership for Promoting Green Tourism Practices and Preserving Virginia’s Natural Resources
Tom Griffin, Director, Greener Results Consulting

Neighbor’s Guide to the Blue Ridge Parkway NOTE: Due to file size, sections are listed in order below
David Hill, ASLA, Founder, Hill Studio

• Looking Back: Some Unique Characteristics of the Blue Ridge Parkway
• The Design Story: Blue Ridge Parkway’s Unique Features
• A Cinematic Experience of the American Countryside to be Enjoyed at 45 mph
• The Neighbor’s Challenge: Your Back Yard is the Parkway’s Front Yard
• When Building on Your Property
• Roads, Utilities, Fencing, and Lighting
• Planting
• Architectural Massing
• Considerate Design

Corridor Conservation and the Community’s Role
Gary Johnson, Chief of Resource Planning, Blue Ridge Parkway

Opportunities for the 21st Century Visitor and Travel Partners in the Blue Ridge Parkway Region
Monika Mayr, Deputy Superintendent, Blue Ridge Parkway

Roadside Advertising in a Digital Age: Virtual Marketing Opportunities for Rural Businesses along the Parkway
John McGee, Ph.D., The Virginia Geospatial Extension Program VirginiaView Coordinator, Virginia Tech

Developing a Blue Ridge Cultural and Education Center
Steve Swartz, President and CEO, Swartz Engineering Economics, Inc.

Explore Current Parkway Issues Fact Sheets

AT ISSUE: Parkway Biodiversity by the Numbers

AT ISSUE: The Parkway’s “Borrowed Landscape”

AT ISSUE: Parkway Boundary Trespasses

AT ISSUE: Illegal Taking of Botanical Resources

AT ISSUE: Land Protection & The 75th Anniversary