New Vistas Journal

HIGH VISTAS Journal

A publication by FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway dedicated to increasing environmental education and awareness of the Blue Ridge Parkway and surrounding corridor.

Craggy Trail, Nye Simons Photographer

Spring/Summer 2011

FRIENDS OF THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY BOARD

J. Richard Wells, President Jamie Prince, Vice President of Administration Denise Koff, Secretary Ben Geer Keys, Treasurer Ken Randolph, Assistant Secretary & Treasurer George J. Blanar, Ph.D. William Brenton, Jr. CFP Lynn Davis Mary Jane Ferguson Jonathan R. Ireland Fredrick “Tubby” Kubik David Poteet Elizabeth Sims Marla Tambellini

HIGH VISTAS STAFF Journal Chief Susan J. Mills, Ph.D. Editor David Barstow** Journal Sales Katie Murray Graphic Designer Jill Darlington-Smith** Darlington-Smith Graphics

BOARD EMERITUS Mary Guynn Dick Patterson, MD J. Richard Wells

ADVISORY BOARD Marcia & Dave Barstow Pat & Chuck Blackley M. Rupert Cutler, Ph.D. George Humphries Gary R. Jensen Dr. Harley Jolley Cara Ellen Modisett

STAFF

Susan Jackson Mills, Ph.D., Executive Director Rod Broker, Director of Chapter & Volunteer Development Virginia Ehrich* Director of Membership Services Katie Murray* Director of Programs Kay Cristiansen* Director of Special Events Beth Clark* Bookkeeper

OFFICE VOLUNTEERS

Doris Gamelin** Office Volunteer Coordinator Special Projects Clerks: Mary Ellen Belcher** Leigh McKay** Pauline O’Dell** Retica Washington ** Kathy Van Duzer ** *Part-time Staff / **Volunteers

Jill Darlington-Smith Art Director & Digital Designer

Cell: 540.257.0885 Jill@DarlingtonSmith.com www.DarlingtonSmith.com

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Spring / Summer 2011

Spring & Summer 2011 features 4 The Joy of Spring Wildflowers

15 Grover Groundhog’s

7 I Want To Come Back

18 FRIENDS Activities

10 Biking the Parkway

23 FloydFest

Corner

Photo Board

13 RX: Get Them Outside

Rock Castle Creek, Nye Simons Photographer

www.BlueRidgeFRIENDS.org 3

The Joy of Spring Wildf lowers Article and Photos by Ann and Rob Simpson

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ven the most skilled florist cannot match the brilliance of the early spring floral display along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Signaling the end of winter, energetic spring wildflowers steadily stretch upward before breaking though the dense brown blanket of protective leaves. Before the trees leaf out and shade the forest floor, early spring wildflowers must bloom quickly to make use of the warming rays of the sun that reach through the barren branches overhead. The common names of flowers often reflect their shape, color or past medicinal use. The pastel carpets of flowers that lead off the floral procession have imaginative and descriptive names that create vivid mental pictures such as Spring Beauty, Liverwort, Dutchman’s Breeches, Squirrel Corn or Bloodroot.

Bloom times depend on weather, elevation and latitude with southern-most lowland flowers blooming sometimes weeks before flowers in the north or highlands begin to awaken. A few spring wildflowers and most blooming trees and shrubs make use of the cool early breezes

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to spread their pollen. Pollination is simply the art of getting female plant cells together with male plant cells so a seed can be formed. The pollen is produced in massive quantities, as it is a hit or miss (shotgun method) of dispersal. That

lightweight airborne pollen also ends up dusting our cars with a yellow blanket as well as in our nostrils, which sometimes produces spring allergies.

Plants such as Bloodroot or Trillium enlist ants to aid in the process of maintaining future populations. Their unique seeds have a juicy glob of nutritious food, called an elaiosome that ants enjoy. The ants grab the elaiosome in their mouths to carry back to their underground tunnels where they discard the unwanted seed.

In late April and early May, a good place to view Southern Red Trillium and other spring bloomers is along the paved nature walkway around Mabry Mill at milepost

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176. It is a great place to take pictures but please remember to stay on the path and leave the plants for others to enjoy. See if you can spot the yellow morph of the Southern Red Trillium, which can also be seen here.

A drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway offers a look into past generations and their love of the beauty and value of plants. From the pink blooming groves of apple trees at Altapass (milepost 328) to old-fashioned yellow daffodils at Peaks of Otter (milepost 86), the floral passions of early settlers in the region continue to be recorded in living accounts of history.

In mid-June spectacular pink and purple blossoms of Catawba Rhododendron can be enjoyed along the parkway. At Craggy Gardens Picnic Area (milepost 367.5), you can enjoy a picnic surrounded by glowing Rhododendrons or hike through a tunnel of the pink blossoms on Craggy Pinnacle Trail at milepost 364. With effortless beauty, wildflowers of the Blue Ridge Parkway inspire and motivate us to enjoy the wonders of nature and to share that joy with others.

FRIENDS Members!

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new face, a new look … the High Vistas Journal. FRIENDS Board of Directors and staff, working alongside Blue Ridge Parkway officials, have been envisioning new ways to grow and serve our park. The High Vistas Journal is a reflection of our growing membership and continuing dedication to these efforts. We hope that High Vistas will help you visually appreciate the great contributions that Parkway volunteers provide and deepen your sense of connection to FRIENDS and the Parkway.

AS FRIENDS members, you have been loyal and you have supported our programs. Thank you for making a difference for the Parkway through your membership in FRIENDS. Today more than ever we all face challenges -- including our Parkway volunteers and Parkway staff. But each Parkway volunteer and Parkway staff member is incredible! Thank you for the

tremendous job YOU do that enhances the opportunity for so many others to enjoy our park! Together we are working as a team to open for the main travel season on the Parkway. We salute your efforts!!

FRIENDS is finding creative ways to provide funding for our park. Please check out the “Easy as 1-2-3” ways to help FRIENDS on page 21 and 22 of this issue.

Page 24 provides you with additional ways to consider helping. Enjoy this issue and let us hear from you. See our call for submission of articles on page 9.

Make sure this is not your last issue.

Have you renewed your membership? Call Virginia Ehrich, Director of Membership at 800.228.PARK(7275) and renew by credit card today. Making a commitment of $5 a month makes a difference for the Blue Ridge Parkway. Return the enclosed envelope immediately so we can put your dollars to work this season!

When you’ve finished reading this issue, pass it along to your family and friends. Help inspire others to join or become involved with FRIENDS and the Parkway today.

Check out our growing network of chapters on page 6 of this issue! Individuals are needed to play leadership roles in a chapter to connect communities with the Parkway through service.

Today, more than ever, FRIENDS needs YOUR help to fund the growing needs of our park.

A new look, a new High Vistas Journal… to inspire Parkway involvement through FRIENDS!

Susan Jackson Mills, Ph.D. Executive Director

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FRIENDS Chapters are Connecting Links

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RIENDS Chapters help connect the Parkway to its adjacent communities and these communities to their Parkway.

As an example of this connecting capability, the Parkway recently entrusted FRIENDS with the cause of ensuring that all 382 of the Parkway’s amazing overlooks and parking areas are adopted and cared for by dedicated Parkway volunteers. FRIENDS chapters have been hard at work inspiring individuals, families and other groups to adopt Parkway overlooks in their area so that, amazingly, over 10% of the overlooks have already been adopted within thirty days!

The community of Bent Mountain, Virginia, is the location for the newest of FRIENDS chapters. A strong group of leaders held their organizational meeting in early February and they are already engaged in a couple of spring clean-up projects on the Parkway.

Dozens of children from the Roanoke area, along with their parents, participated in the latest tree-planting event along the Parkway in mid-March. Leaders from the Roanoke Valley FRIENDS Chapter, National Park Service and state officials, employees of event sponsor

Plastics One and other community groups combined to make possible the planting of nearly 500 pine seedlings and hardwood trees. The children learned about protecting and enhancing the environment as Parkway Junior Rangers and, also, participated as Youth Volunteers in Parks in this hands-on project.

Two FRIENDS chapters, one in North Carolina and one in Virginia, coordinated groups of college students in “alternative spring break” experiences in midMarch. Our High Country Chapter at Boone and Blowing Rock and the Fisher Peak Chapter in Galax helped students from Notre Dame and Shawnee State universities to grow in appreciation of Appalachian culture and history, and provide hundreds of hours in direct service on Parkway Spring cleaning projects. Meanwhile, our resident FRIENDS student chapter at Appalachian State University stepped up to take care of several heavily used trails around the Moses Cone Visitor Center, trails that have not yet been adopted by other FRIENDS members or volunteers.

As you can see, Children, youth and students are leading the way in efforts by our community-based chapters to protect and enhance the Parkway. For more information about how you can be involved, reach out to the appropriate contact person for the chapter closest to you.

FRIENDS Humpback Rocks Chapter Contact: Rod Broker Rod_Broker@Friends BRP.org 800.228.PARK(7275) FRIENDS Whetstone Ridge Chapter Contact: Paulette Albright britemtn@hughes.net 540.377.5754 FRIENDS James River Chapter FRIENDS Peaks of Otter Chapter Contact: Rod Broker Rod_Broker@Friends BRP.org 800.228.PARK(7275) FRIENDS Roanoke Valley Chapter Contact: Regina Desper Regina_Desper@msn.com 540.819.2254 FRIENDS Bent Mountain Chapter Contact: Eldon Karr appalachian.architect@verizon.net 540.929.4532 FRIENDS Rocky Knob Chapter Contact: Don Johnson BDonJohnson@mac.com 540.239.2705 FRIENDS Fisher Peak Chapter Contact: Dottie Bramley pdbramley@valink.com 276.236.7658 FRIENDS Northern Highlands Chapter Contact: Joyce Speas JE657@bellsouth.net 336.601.6118 FRIENDS Appalachian State University Student Chapter Contact: Heather Preston prestonhp@appstate.edu 828.262.2449 FRIENDS High Country Chapter in Boone/Blowing Rock Contact: Mike Kebelbeck mjkebelbeck@gmail.com 828.295.6385 FRIENDS Linville Falls Chapter Contact: Rod Broker Rod_Broker@Friends BRP.org 800.228.PARK(7275) FRIENDS Asheville Chapter Contact: Hugh Stephens hwstephens@bellsouth.net 828.274.9048 FRIENDS Cherokee Chapter Contact: Rod Broker Rod_Broker@Friends BRP.org 800.228.PARK(7275)

Humpback Rocks, VA, Pat and Chuck Blackley Photographers

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Spring / Summer 2011

I Want to Come Back

Connecting the Notre Dame students with the Blue Ridge Parkway and Galax, Virginia is part of the mission of FRIENDS Chapters.

By Doris Broker, FRIENDS Volunteer Coordinator

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ne of the primary reasons for building the Blue Ridge Parkway seventy-five years ago was to open Appalachia to travelers from other parts of the country and allow them to experience the rich history, culture, ecology and community of this proud region. Many travelers over the years, experiencing just that, have echoed Maggie Barrett’s enthusiastic comment, “I want to come back!”

Maggie Barrett and four other women from the University of Notre Dame and St. Mary’s College in South Bend, Indiana, had just completed a week in October 2010 working on the Parkway alongside members of FRIENDS Fisher Peak Chapter. The service seminar, sponsored by the Notre Dame Center for Social Concerns, earned them college credit, but it was in fact a threefold purpose that

appealed to them: it would involve service, it would be educational and, let’s not forget, it would be FUN! Graciously welcomed into the home of their host family, FRIENDS members Tony and Wanda Hatcher of Galax, Virginia, Maggie and fellow students Bianca Fox, Joy Johnson, Catherine Firth and Julie Rosher were immediately impressed by the warmth of Appalachian hospitality. “Although we were five strangers coming into their house,” writes Maggie, Learning is part of the education experience provided to students.

“everything was offered freely without thought of inconvenience or expense.”

The same was said about the three mentors who guided their work along the Parkway throughout the week. FRIENDS members Lew Shropshire and Pete Bramley, and Parkway Ranger Aubrey Arrington were instrumental in guiding the students as they cleared and blazed hiking trails, built a footbridge and even learned to use power tools. And lest we

FRIENDS Chapters involve students in volunteer opportunities and community experiences along the Blue Ridge Parkway inspiring the next generation of stewards. think their week was all work and no play, Joy, Katie and Julie were quick to share their introduction to mountain music and flat-footing. “I’d never heard of this, and it was so much fun!”

It was difficult for these young women to summarize their week’s experience along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Julie, Joy, Katie and Maggie agreed with Bianca continued on page 8

www.BlueRidgeFRIENDS.org 7

Continued from page 7 Katie and Maggie agreed with Bianca when she said, “We were given so much during our week there; now it is our turn to give back. We need to continue demonstrating the hospitality, passion and hard

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work that Appalachian people practice every day.�

And in this way, the Parkway continues to serve its purpose, as travelers carry back significant pieces of Appalachia to all the places where they return.

Emersion into the community through service provides students with a well rounded experience.

Spring / Summer 2011

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FRIENDS Tee Up for the Inaugural Virginia Blue Ridge Parkway Golf Classic

irginia Tech Head Football Coach Frank Beamer and Ballyhack Golf Club are proud to host the FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway Golf Classic on Saturday, May 21st, 2011 at Ballyhack Golf Club. The inaugural Classic is rapidly becoming an exclusive, sponsor-only tournament.

Anyone who loves golf and is a Hokie fan will enjoy the opportunity to experience the best of both worlds. The FRIENDS of Blue Ridge Parkway Golf Classic is an exceptional opportunity to play golf with Coach Beamer and make a difference locally, regionally and even nationally by supporting the work of FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The funds raised by

this event will directly benefit the entire 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway, American’s most scenic drive.

The course at Ballyhack is nothing short of spectacular, already recognized as the #3 “Best New Private Course” for 2009

by Golf Magazine. The 190-acre, Lester George-designed, 18-hole championship course is a classic Scottish highlandtype design incorporating the dramatic topography of the land. Featuring 50- to 70-foot elevation changes, fairways as wide as 150 yards and old-style, gougedout, roughed-out bunkers, the course will set new benchmarks in modern golf course design.

VA BRP, Pat and Chuck Blackley Photographers

Firepinks

Following an invigorating day of playing golf, friends and colleagues will join together at the Awards Reception. We have a classic celebration planned; enjoy cocktails, hors-d’oeuvre, Bluegrass music and a few special surprises.

Over 60% of the sponsorships for this event are already sold, but there’s still time to participate! This Golf Classic is a sponsorship event; when all sponsorships are sold, there will be no remaining foursomes. If you or your company are interested in participating, contact Kay Christiansen, Director of Special Events, at 800.228.PARK(7275) or Kay_Christiansen@FriendsBRP.org.

Please send FRIENDS an Article!

FRIENDS is looking for articles with an original slant and perspective. We want you to tell us about your Blue Ridge Parkway Experiences: a special spot less know on the Parkway, a waterfall, trail, flora, fauna, geology or your favorite place to visit.

Share with us a cultural or historical Parkway story you have come across. Specific examples, descriptive details and quotes are great to include. We are also interested in why you originally became a FRIENDS volunteer and why you continue.

Cap Lilly & Swalloytail

All submissions will become the property of FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway and FRIENDS has the right to edit the article. For articles published, the author will receive a one‑year membership in FRIENDS and a special FRIENDS gift. Please provide high resolution photos with your article of 200 to 500 words. Please submit your articles and photos to Staff@FriendsBRP.org.

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Biking the Blue Ridge Parkway

By Brittney Simmerman

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ush. Pull. Push. Pull. Over 80 miles, this mantra echoed in my head.

Ascending and descending over the breathtaking and majestic mountains of the Blue Ridge Parkway gave me a sense of pride, exhaustion and triumph unrivaled.

A week and a half into a cross-country trek with the non-profit Bike & Build, this Indiana Hoosier was entirely unprepared for the journey of epic proportions over one of the country’s most captivating landscapes. As I left Charlottesville, Virginia, in the wee hours of the morning, I immediately began to prepare mentally for the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was the first time I had even come close to cycling up a mountain; at that time, I thought the southern Indiana hills, upon which I trained, were difficult enough. When I could see the Blue Ridge Parkway sign from a distance, I gathered up my strength, courage, and that tiny bit of lunacy one must have in order to enjoy trekking up mountains, and began pedaling away.

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Soon enough, I found myself gasping for breath, partly because of my physical shape, but more so because my breath was literally taken from me as I peered over the edge of the mountainsides. I was seeing Virginia, the country and my own life from an entirely new perspective. The landscape was beyond gorgeous, and I could not believe how small everything looked from the tops of the Parkway climbs. In an instant, I related to the tiny objects below. I realized the enormity and complexity of life and what a tiny speck I must seem in the grand scheme of things.

As I kept arduously struggling up the next pass, I realized that each of those specks of life below contributed to the immense beauty of the big picture. It was a moment of tearful realization when it all suddenly made sense. We all have a purpose in the journey of life.

This realization was accompanied by beautiful memories such as June Curry, the cookie lady of Afton Mountain. For years, this amazing woman, with a heart for cyclists, has provided water, snacks and a rest stop for bikers who travel from all over the world to cycle the Blue Ridge.

As I sat and spoke with this down-toearth, gracious woman, she did not talk of her own generosity, but of the generosity of complete strangers. After a stroke required her to employ a home health care nurse for a period of time, cyclists from all over the world donated money and paid entirely for her healthcare. She tearfully recalled this experience, and many others, in which her true family, “the bikers,” aided her selflessly. Again,

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• 469 Miles of picturesque travel • Elevations range from 600 to 6,000 feet • Bikes are only allowed on paved roads and parking areas (not on trails or walkways) • Bikes must have reflectors or white lights between sunset and sunrise.

• The Parkway experiences four distinct, and often unpredictable, seasons , so dress accordingly and wear layers!

• Major Uphill Climbs along the BRP: Northbound: • MP 24 – 48: 2,670 feet • MP 48-63: 1,870 feet • MP 0 – 24: 1,450 feet

Southbound: • MP 63-76.7: 3,305 feet • MP 0 – 24: 2,810 feet • MP 24-48: 1,742 feet

For maps and more information contact: www.nps.gov/blri

I was floored by the amount of good one person could share and the sheer volume of lives impacted by one woman’s passion.

Forty-five miles into this seeminglyimpossible ride, I seriously doubted my ability to continue another inch up the road. Like a providential ray of hope, I looked down and noticed the words, “Push. Pull. Keep going! You are doing great!” in bright purple chalk on the pavement. Our fearless ride-leaders had left the simple, but inspiring message to

remind us of proper cycling technique and to tell us, yes, we could do this. Up the mountains I went, slowly, surely, fearlessly, relentlessly. Much like life, the Blue Ridge Parkway takes you through valleys, only to ascend to heights far beyond your imagination. Struggling is part of the journey, but those trials make the reward all the more satisfying.

I could not believe how small everything looked from the tops of the Parkway climbs.

Push. Pull. Never give up, in cycling the Blue Ridge Parkway, and in life.

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Humpback Rocks, VA, Pat and Chuck Blackley Photographers

Biking the Parkway Facts:

These are busy times at our FRIENDS offices

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From Our FRIENDS President

irst, great news about our efforts to secure a Parkway license tag for Virginia residents, similar to the successful North Carolina program.

WE DID IT!

By December we had obtained the required 350 applications, mostly from FRIENDS members; Delegate Lacy Putney of Bedford shepherded the legislation through the General Assembly. In early March we received word that the bill approving our new tag had passed.

Thanks to all of you who signed up! The tag will go into production later this year and should be delivered to applicants this fall. If you live in Virginia and have not ordered your new tag, please go to our website at www.BlueRidgeFRIENDS.org and reserve yours today.

We’re also busy planning for the 2nd Annual Blue Ridge Marathon this April 16th. Last year’s inaugural event drew more than 1,000 runners from all across the country to test their endurance on one of the nation’s most rugged 26-mile courses. In addition to raising $ 20,000 to benefit the Blue Ridge Parkway, the event focused national attention on our park.

IT’S PLANTING TIME… and time to get young people out into the park!

Getting our young people back out into the park is a growing focus for FRIENDS. This spring we have several projects that will engage college students and school age children.

Starting in mid-March, six students from Notre Dame University will spend 150 volunteer hours working under the supervision of the Fisher Peak FRIENDS Chapter to perform trail maintenance near the Blue Ridge Music Center.

Farther south near Boone, 40 students from Shawnee State University in Ohio will be spending their spring break volunteering 750 hours to do maintenance

FRIENDS chapters in Asheville and Roanoke have three events planned during Saturdays in April to help ready the park for the summer season: • The Peaks of Otter and Roanoke chapters will work with students from local high schools on the Abbott Lake Trail in early April.

• Warren Wilson College students will be working with the Asheville FRIENDS chapter on three Saturdays in April preparing the Mt. Pisgah Campground for its re-opening in May. • 200 students from Faith Christian School in Roanoke will be providing more than 1,000 volunteer hours preparing the Roanoke Campground for its May re-opening, doing trail maintenance on the Roanoke Valley Horse Trail and restoring the Roanoke River trail.

on trails, picnic areas and campgrounds under the direction of parkway staff and our new High Country FRIENDS chapter.

More than 100 children participated in the Viewshed Tree Planting on March 19th at milepost 113.3, to help buffer encroaching urban development in the Roanoke Valley. These Junior Rangers provided about 500 hours learning about proper tree-planting and care and crafting of birdhouses under the supervision of the Roanoke Valley FRIENDS chapter.

FINAL THOUGHT: While the last two years have been challenging for many of us, non-profit organizations like FRIENDS have been hit especially hard. But we have been blessed to have such loyal, committed Parkway lovers like you as members and volunteers. I’m delighted to leave you with this positive news:

Membership hit an all-time high of 9,000 members last month making FRIENDS one of the nation’s largest park partner groups.

NC BRP Crabtree Meadows, Pat and Chuck Blackley Photographers

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Spring / Summer 2011

Rx: Get Them Outside!

Rick Van Noy is the author of “A Natural Sense of Wonder: Connecting Kids With Nature Through the Seasons,” and a professor of English at Radford University in Virginia.

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In being moved, and in moving, kids are given the fountain from which further health, learning and responsibility begin. spring every day. Each discovery, each log overturned or feather found, leads to what Rachel Carson called the sense of wonder, a gift she thought all children should have.

In summer, the shade of these forests provides air conditioning to hike or camp in. You can also cool off in one of many swimming holes or by rafting one of the region’s fabled riversa – Nolichucky, Nanatahala, Chatooga – whose names

Rick Van Noy explores the natural with son Sam and daughter Elliott.

make my own watershed, the New, seem a little boring, but it never is, least not by canoe, which with the family is like a fishing-swimming-birding picnic. In fall, the deep burgundies and bright gold of October carnival call us out, but kids are never quiet on hikes and it’s no wonder: On some grassland or forest where the circuitry of our brains was honed, knowledge of such color and sensory detail kept us alive. We had to discern whether edible or lethal, friend or foe, and how to relay this information to others.

Winter is the best time to get kids out (but then they are all best), for sledding and skiing yes, but also perfect to discover the jackpot of tracks in snow: the secret lives of invisible neighbors. And somewhere on these journeys you realize the kids are getting fresh air and exercise, sharpening motor skills, testing limits, solving problems; good old-fashioned fun is healthy child development.

Carson called it the sense of wonder, and I now know what kids call it. On one spring walk we came across a red eft, the terrestrial stage of an Eastern newt, and

my son said, “OH MY GOD, DAD. COOL! CHECK IT OUT!” There hardly ever needs to be an agenda. It doesn’t take much to be surprised or moved by something out there.

And in being moved, and in moving, kids are given the fountain from which further health, learning and responsibility begin.

The message is really quite simple: get them out. Just don’t expect them to be quiet.

From the March/April 2011 issue of Blue Ridge Country magazine. Used with permission. For subscription information: 540-989-6138.

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NC BRP Craggy Gardens, Flame Azalea, Pat and Chuck Blackley Photographers

hen I set out to write a book on the importance of connecting kids to nature I believed then, and do now, that the problem was fairly obvious – kids spending too much time plugged in, not enough opened out. My task, as I understood it, was not so much to engage in a sociological explanation but remind people of alternatives. Less wag finger at “kids today” or nostalgic look at golden age than put on my trail shoes and figure out what we might do.

Raising kids in Blue Ridge country, we are fortunate to live and play among the world’s most biodiverse temperate hardwood ecosystem, home to a variety of trees and plants and freshwater invertebrates whose bounty those in the plains to our west and east can only envy. And spring is among the best of seasons for taking kids into this Appalachian playground. Soft rains swell creeks and invite creek walking, my favorite activity with kids, where you look for crayfish and maybe salamanders, which around this time are celebrating a grand comingout-of-the-ground party. And on the walk to the creek notice the wildflowers, the increased birdsong, some new sign of

FRIENDS Mailbox

Ridge IENDS, he Blue t Dear FR g in it is ime v any e best t saw so m I . y il I had th m ked fa with my that I as y y n a a w k m r Pa – so it to an’t wa n our trip c o I ls a !

O im an as a ZO rkway w a P e h t if ack. come b e Chicoin Manahi d Aucklan aland New Ze

Congratulations on your Unilever sounding project with engaging yougrant! What an exciting Smokies also received funds from th. Friends of the generous corporate support for our them. Great to have national parks.

Thanks for ALL you do to help sup What a treasure. AND you help port the Parkway.

Great Smoky Mountains National make the entrance to Carolina something extraordinary. Park here in North Holly Demuth North Carolina Regional Director, Friends of the Smokies

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e want to hear from you, our readers! Please send us your questions about the Blue Ridge Parkway, share with us what you like about High Vistas and types of articles you would enjoy. We will try to answer your Parkway questions and share your letters or excerpts as we have room, but reserve the right to edit these letters. Please send emails to: Staff@FriendsBRP.org and letters to FRIENDS, P O Box 20986, Roanoke, VA 24018.

Another Blue Ridge Recipe from Granny’s Kitchen

By Karen Hall, author of “Building the Blue Ridge Parkway”

Recipe for Dilly Beans Pickles of all sorts have always been very popular in the Blue Ridge Mountains. One unique form is the Dilly Bean, a spicy pickled green bean.

They go great with a sandwich on a picnic and will keep for several months once opened, as long as they are refrigerated. Granny always made these on the wood cook stove.

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1 cup of water Scant teaspoon

Dear FRIENDS, u! You Folks What a kind thing to do…thank yo iate the are way too generous. I really apprec s ever done award, it’s the nicest thing anyone ha erful gifts! for me, not to mention all the wond Parkway However, it is you folks who keep the for that, I d running through volunteerism, an am most grateful! Thank you!

Sincerely, Fran Shumate 0 Volunteers in Parks Vol Fran Shumate, is the 201

unteer of the Year!

Dilly Beans

1 cup of vinegar teaspoon crushed red pepper ) 1 teaspoon dill seed (fresh if available

garlic salt to taste of salt Green beans to fill 2 pint jars.

and boiling them for five minutes.

Sterilize pint jars by washing them s Have them hot before adding the bean Wash and boil the lids and rings. green beans to fill 2 pint jars. and liquid. Wash and string enough th wise. Leave ¼ inch head space.

Pack the green beans in the jar leng s the mixture over the whole green bean Heat all to boiling point and ladle ess in Screw the lids on the jars and proc that have been packed into the jars. . cool and the lids seal. Remove a hot water bath for 6 minutes until shelf, The longer you let these sit on the Do not serve for at least 2 weeks. the better they get!

Spring / Summer 2011

Grover Groundhog’s Corner Drawing by Alex Jaklitsch, age 9, Oak Grove Elementary School, Roanoke, VA

Drawing by Austin Jaklitsch, age 7, Oak Grove Elementary School, Roanoke, VA

WHO is Grover Groundhog?

Grover Groundhog is the environmental mascot of FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Grover’s goal in life is to inspire service to the Parkway

by Youth Volunteers in Parks (YVIPs) and to engage Junior Rangers in active, nature-based learning on the Parkway.

Hey, FRIENDS! Grover Groundhog here, about to make my appearance after a long winter in my burrow hibernating. Do you know what “hibernate” means? It sort of means that I go into a very deep sleep through cold weather. And to make sure I am safe I hibernate in a burrow, an underground home I have dug for myself.

Now that you know a little about me, I have a short quiz for you to see how much you know about my animal friends along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Ready? Put on your thinking caps, and tell me who my friends are along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Find ME along the Blue Ridge Parkway: 1. Like Grover, I hibernate. You might see me in the spring with my cubs. I am smaller than my cousins called polar and grizzly. __________ __________ 2. I swim in streams and lakes along the Blue Ridge Parkway. My spots make me a pretty fish. Have you ever heard of a speckled __________?

3. You have heard my high-pitched chirp on early spring nights, but I am not a bird! I am a tiny amphibian. Call me a spring __________ 4. Big Bird on Sesame Street? No, I’m just a big bird that struts and gobbles along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Ben Franklin thought I should be named the national bird! __________ 5. A green insect with a triangular head I have prominent front legs that are bent and held together… as though I were in church! __________ __________ 6. I bet you don’t know that I am North Carolina’s state reptile! My domed shell is hinged so I can seal myself in to escape predators. Cool, huh? __________ __________

7. Busy, busy! A large rodent, I can gnaw bark, build dams and I live in a domed house called a lodge. __________ 8. Bucks, does and fawns make up my family. Watch for us as we bound across the Blue Ridge Parkway! _______ - _______ _______ 9. Bright red and a good singer, I am the state bird of both Virginia and North Carolina. __________ 10. Most people would rather not see me as I slither across the forest floor. I do sometimes warn them of my presence by shaking my tail.

Timber __________ Now, wasn’t that fun? I can’t wait to receive your answers! Fill in this information and mail with your answers to: Grover Groundhog P.O. Box 20986 Roanoke, VA 24018 Name ______________________________________ Age _______ Address ________________________________________________ Email Address ___________________________________________ I’ll send you a surprise just for sending in your answers. And if you answer most of the quiz correctly, like a smart Junior Ranger, I’ll send you a very special prize!

You can stay in touch with me via my Facebook page “Grover Mascot” or contact me GroverGroundhog@FriendsBRP.org. I will have more interesting tidbits for you in the future about this beautiful place called the Blue Ridge Parkway. Come and visit!!

www.BlueRidgeFRIENDS.org 15

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The Blue Ridge parkway

Special iSSue

celebrates 75 Years

Photo Credit: Norman Poole

16

Spring / Summer 2011

FRIENDS High Donor List Thank You To Our Parkway Friends We salute each of you. Through your financial support and faithful contributions, the important work of FRIENDS

Parkway Friends $1,000 and Over Arcadia Publishing, Inc. Bruce Ford Brown Charitable Trust The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, Inc County of Roanoke Dickson Foundation, Inc. Dominion Foundation Fisher Peak Chapter Foundation for Roanoke Valley, Inc Richard and Caroline T. Gwathmey Memorial Trust Leisure Publishing Company The Morningstar Foundation National Environmental Education & Training Foundation North Carolina State Employees Combined Campaign Fredric and Mary L. Pement Plastics One, Inc. Roanoke Regional Partnership Rocky Knob Chapter Loren M. Rogers Mr. and Mrs. Bruce A. Stonestreet J. Smith Estate Charitable Fund of Triangle Community Foundation Unilever United States Foundation, Inc. Walnut Cove Chapter WalMart Stores, Inc.

Parkway Patron From $500 to $999 Arshire Farm Boone Homes Inc. of Roanoke Gregory and Laura Brown Mr. and Mrs. William D. Carter Cheap Joe’s Art Stuff, Inc

Commonwealth of Virginia Campaign Mrs. Josephine L. Creel Javad and Brenda Deganian Mr. Stephen English Ms. Margaret H. Gamble General Electric Ivan and Alicia Handwerk Mr. John F. Harkness Home Trust Bank Mrs. Evelyn Holmes Cynthia Petzold and Lowell Inhorn Mr. Hal Meyers The Newbern Foundation Pine Wind Music, Inc. Mr. Richard M. Pryor Rockydale Quarries Corporation Scansource, Inc. Charitable Foundation Mr. W. Kelly Smith Dr. and Mrs. Anthony R. Stavola Mrs. Judy Lynn Trimble James W. Turner Wal-Mart #1301 Gretchen Weinnig Peggy L. Wright Mr. Carl Yost

Milepost Mentor from $250 to $499 Mr. Norman Addington Adele M. Thomas Charitable Foundation, Inc. Chris and Gloria Andrews Appalachian State University Chapter Patrick and Rebecca Barnes Margaret J. Burmeister Martha and Randy Carson Mrs. Martha C. Clark

continues. If you made a contribution of $250 or more between March 01, 2010 and March 01, 2011 and your name does not appear on this list, please notify us at 800.228.PARK (7275).

Mr. and Mrs. Hunter L. Clarkson Holiday Inn – Cherokee Common Ground Distributors, Inc. Corrugated Container Corporation Gail and Stephen Dula Dr. Linda E. Durham Virginia E. Ehrich Elliston Associates Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Community Foundation Mr. and Mrs. Phil Francis Mr. and Mrs. Ray L. Garland Mr. and Mrs. Peter A. Gentling Ginger Brewton Interiors Mr. Robert C. Greear Mr. Harris Greene Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Groce Mrs. Mary R. Guynn H & R Block Tax and Business Services Mr. and Mrs. William M. Hackworth Amy Halsted Frank and Rose Hancock Donna Harman Kerry and Gloria Hilton Leon M. Hollingsworth Patty Iraggi John Hancock Advisors Mr. and Mrs. Philip G. Kinken Denise and Marc Koff Kroger Mr. Chiswell D. Langhorne Mr. and Mrs. Herbert L. Lawton William J. and Barbara B. Lemon David and Susan Lennox Mast General Store, Inc. Mrs. Margaret McGovern Mr. John D. McGregor

Dave and Margaret Melchior Mr. John R. Merten Mr. and Mrs. T. Dalton Miller Susan and Bob Mills Mr. William E. Monroe Tom and Sally Moore Paul and Lourdes Page Mr. Kevin Parker Betty S. Parker Dr. and Mrs. Richard B. Patterson Bruce and Nancy Prichard Progress Press, Inc. Mike and Sharon Quisenberry Frederick and Vickie Reese David and Carol Reger Karen Waldron and Shawn Ricci Dr. and Mrs. William R. Richardson Mr. D. Ward Richardson Roanoke Valley Chapter Rachel and George Sanborn Mr. and Mrs. David M. Shaw Mr. and Mrs. R. Dale Sheets Simmons Photographic Arts Mr. Larry Sipos Dr. and Mrs. Hugh W. Stephens Lee and Susan Stilwell Dr. Jane K. Testerman Mrs. Frances G. Trent Mrs. Mary Lou S. Ulmer Henry and Nancy Unger Mr. Gary R. Wade Mr. and Mrs. Michael B. Waitzkin Mr. and Mrs. George R. Williamson Wilson Ford, Inc. Janet U. Wimmer Emily and Chip Woodrum Mr. and Mrs. Sanford K. Woosley

Geraniums and Ferns, Nye Simons Photographer

www.BlueRidgeFRIENDS.org 17

Sunshine, Laughter, FRIENDS engages children,

ture stewardsy!

Students are&ouinr fu volvement is ke – education Plastics One employees sh tree planting family experiare the ence!

W

VA BRP Tuggle Gap, Pat and Chuck Blackley Photographers

It takes a team to plant a tree!

Lasting memorie s & making a d ifference!

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hether FRIENDS is engaging children, youth or young adults, we focus on connecting the next generation in service through FRIENDS network of chapters. These photos are just a few examples of our kids involved in service: picking up trash, planting a tree, repairing a split rail fence, adopting a trail or overlook with their family, learning something new about the Parkway or assisting with an endangered species project.

There has never been a better time to engage children and young adults about getting involved - or a better way to become involved than by helping the Blue Ridge Parkway. Today’s youth are fiercely individualistic, media savvy and believe strongly they can’t change the entire world, but they can to make a small difference in a meaningful way. FRIENDS knows this first hand about our students from Warren Wilson, Appalachian State, Notre Dame and Shawnee State universities.

& trails Shawnee students clean up campgrounds ay!

- making a difference for the Parkw Spring / Summer 2011

Energy & Sweat youth and students park wide!

Tree plantings educate!

“Ranger” Bob provides theerieexpnceert! ise – a true learning exp FRIENDS’ goal for 2011 is to connect over 1,000 kids through volunteer service with the Parkway - to date we have met over 50% of our goal. To make this a reality we need our members’, corporations’ and foundations’ support.

The Blue Ridge Parkway has asked FRIENDS to fund four Student Conservation Association positions to serve on the Parkway this summer. This is an investment of approximately $20,000 - without your support these positions simply will not be filled.

Please take a moment and return the enclosed envelope with your contribution today - in these economic times it takes each of us, providing financial support within our realities, providing in-kind donations and volunteering services. Whether your gift is $5 or $5,000 - each dollar makes a difference for the future of our park and our next generation.

Your contributions continue our work!

Planting my tree for the future! www.BlueRidgeFRIENDS.org 19

We Did It!

W

e did it! We reached our minimum 350 order and the new Blue Ridge Parkway has been approved by the Virginia General Assembly. To date, FRIENDS has over 400 orders for the new plate.

Now on to the next goal!

By the end of 2011, we must reach 1,000 license plate orders in order for the Parkway to financially benefit from this plate. After 1,000 orders have been placed,

FRIENDS will receive $15 for every $25 license plate purchased, and 100% of the proceeds will go directly to the Parkway!

So please help us reach this goal and order your plate today. It couldn’t be easier: 1. Go to www.BlueRidgeFRIENDS.org and click on the link for the license plate page 2. Print the Department of Motor Vehicles license plate application form from our website.

3. Mail the completed form and your check for $25, made out to FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, to:

FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, PO Box 20986, Roanoke VA 24018.

4. FRIENDS will deposit your money into our specially designated account.

5. Once the design has begun production, applicants will be notified by the DMV. For more information, call 800.228.PARK (7275) or email Staff@FriendsBRP.org

FRIENDS Announces Partnership with Wintergreen Resort

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h e G e n e r a l S t o r e w it h i n Wintergreen’s Mountain Inn carries a full range of FRIENDS logo-wear.

Wintergreen promotes the mission of FRIENDS among its residents and guests as partners with the Parkway.

Wintergreen Resort and Conference Center in Nelson County, Virginia, is one of FRIEND’s newest corporate partners.

Located in Nelson County in central Virginia, and adjacent to the Blue Ridge

Parkway, Wintergreen features four seasons of mountain recreation and amenities including 45 holes of championship golf on two courses, exhilarating winter skiing, snowboarding and snowtubing, an award-winning tennis program, a full-service mountaintop spa, outdoor recreation such as hiking, fly fishing and swimming, and a variety of enticing dining options. www.WintergreenResort.com

FRIENDS CORPORATE CIRCLE

Y

A Way To Connect With The Blue Ridge Parkway

our pledge of support for FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway is a public demonstration of good corporate citizenship. It is also a responsible way of communicating your company’s support of FRIENDS to our multi-state membership base of over 9,000 members and your commitment to improving the quality of life for all who visit and live along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

QUALITY OF LIFE

The benefits of preserving, promoting and enhancing the cultural and ecological importance of the Blue Ridge Parkway extend far beyond the scenic beauty of its 469-mile journey through Virginia and North Carolina. Corporate support of the Blue Ridge Parkway involves creating opportunities for the education of families and children as well as activities that improve the health and well being of people of all ages.

CORPORATE BENEFITS

FRIENDS is proud to acknowledge your contribution through various media including our website and annual report, ensuring your employees and customers are aware of your support for the Blue Ridge Parkway. Our Corporate Circle Levels of Giving provide increasing levels of acknowledgement and benefits as

20

your giving increases. Please see our website for further detail.

Corporate members can involve their employees in volunteer opportunities. There are many ways for your business to connect with the Blue Ridge Parkway through FRIENDS.

CORPORATE CIRCLE LEVELS OF GIVING PINNACLE— $20,000 and above SUMMIT— $15,000 HORIZON— $10,000 MOUNTAIN VISTA— $5,000 SCENIC OVERLOOK— $1,000

JOIN OUR CORPORATE CIRCLE TODAY!

The Corporate Circle is intended to provide year-long recognition and support to companies that share our values and objectives. If your company is interested in teaming up with FRIENDS as a sponsor for FRIENDS’ Blue Ridge Parkway Golf Classic events, you will automatically become a member of our Corporate Circle in addition to becoming a sponsor for the event.

Become a member today by CONTACTING FRIENDS at 800.228.

PARK (7275), emailing Staff@FriendsBRP.org or by visiting FRIENDS’ website www.BlueRidgeFRIENDS.org and clicking on the CORPORATE link.

Spring / Summer 2011

Message From…

Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent

2011

is on pace to be a year of great accomplishments for the Blue Ridge Parkway. We survived our 75th Anniversary in 2010 and have come out of that project a stronger, more focused Parkway. Visitation to the Parkway is already up 200% over last year, our General Management Plan is nearing completion, we’re saying goodbye to some longtime Parkway leaders and welcoming new staff, and we’re excited about how all of our formal Partner organizations, including FRIENDS, have stepped up to make sure there’s a strong and bright future for the Parkway region. Congratulations to

F

FRIENDS on the recent announcement regarding the establishment of a Parkway specialty license plate in Virginia. Many of you have worked tirelessly to see that to fruition – well done.

One additional step we’ve taken in continuing the momentum generated during the 75th Anniversary is the establishment of a Community and Partnerships Coordinator position. Leesa Brandon has assumed that position through an Intergovernmental Personnel Act with the State of North Carolina and will become the go-to person for all our partner groups. She will also work closely with FRIENDS on the administration of the

P a r k w a y ’s Vo l u n t e e r - i n - P a r k s program. Also in 2011, we will formally renew the formal operating agreement between the Parkway and FRIENDs. This process provides a wonderful opportunity to review all that we have accomplished together and helps us identify needs and opportunities moving forward. I look forward to our continued successes and work together.

New Chief of Interpretation & Education Selected for the BRP

RIENDS welcomes Susan Gonshor as the new Blue Ridge Parkway Chief of Inter pretation and Education. Annually, the Blue Ridge Parkway’s interpretive staff contacts over 1 ½ million visitors at 14 visitor centers and contact stations, through formal interpretive programs, informal contacts, demonstrations and special events, and through an extensive Parks as Classrooms program that reaches over 40,000 students.

Gonshor explains, “Having grown up in the East, I have wonderful memories of visiting the Appalachian Mountains.

It is now my privilege to return to this area and work with park staff and its many partners to connect Parkway users to the incredible biodiversity and cultural history of the region and to help them create their own memories and connections to ‘America’s Favorite Journey’.”

Gonshor is currently the Chief of Interpretation, Education, Community Outreach and Partnerships at Biscayne National Park where for 9 years she has led a full program that twice received the Southeast Region’s Keeper of the Light award for excellence in Interpretation.

Her accomplishments include co-chairing a 2-day BioBlitz that provided over

Community Liaison and Outreach Coordinator, Public Affairs Specialist, District Interpreter, and Supervisory Park Ranger.

2,000 participants with the opportunity to explore, identify and count over 800 marine and terrestrial species within the park and served as a catalyst for developing and strengthening partnerships with 40 public, private and special interest groups to provide community outreach and education to the diverse population in urban Miami and successfully competing for numerous grants, including receiving funds to virtually connect the classrooms in south Florida to the park through live, interactive programs.

Prior to her Biscayne NP assignment, Gonshor served in several positions at Yosemite National Park, including

The ‘Kroger Cares’ Card You can buy groceries or gas and fund FRIENDS work!

1. Renew your FRIENDS membership or join FRIENDS for the first time and request your $5 Kroger Card 2. “Load your card” – add additional funds to the card at the Kroger customer service desk or with a cashier 3. Use your card to purchase groceries or gas at any Kroger or Kroger affiliate across the U.S. FRIENDS receives a percentage of your total purchase amount.

www.BlueRidgeFRIENDS.org 21

Nature Uncorked.

Ride the Parkway, then park yourself in our tasting room.

We are located in rural Patrick County, Va., about 20 miles east of the Parkway and Mabry Mill. Come and enjoy it all.

158 Conner Dr. Stuart, VA 24171 276-694-7074 www.stanburnwinery.com

THANKS TO OUR IN-KIND CONTRIBUTORS We wish to thank the following for their important in-kind contributions:

Donate a Car & Support FRIENDS Programs A great way to receive a tax write-off and support FRIENDS of the BRP! 1. Call FRIENDS at 800.228.7275 2. Provide the make, model and year 3. Our Charity Car Company will contact you!

22

Best Printing, Inc. Blue Ridge Country Magazine Bojangles Chetola Resort at Blowing Rock Creative Nursery & Landscapes, Inc. Darlington-Smith Graphics F & W Office Park, III, L.C. FRIENDS’ Chapters FRIENDS' Staff & Office Volunteers

Mary Guynn Home Depot Kroger Leisure Publishing Company Panera Bread Plastics One Residences at Biltmore, The Virginia Forestry Service Walmart Store #1301 Woodmen of the World

If your name did not appear on the list and you made a contribution between September 1, 2010 and March 1, 2011, please contact us. FRIENDS needs your in-kind contributions.

Please call us at 540.772.2992 or 800.228.PARK (7275).

Spring / Summer 2011

Floydfest X: the eXperience Virginia’s best-kept, but not-so-secret, celebration of music and mountains

F

or the past ten years, FloydFest has brought great, live music and a big crowd to the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The event draws people from all over the country to camp for three days and listen to a wide variety of artists amid the Blue Ridge Mountains. This year will be the tenth annual event, and each one has been given a different name. For FloydFest X it is... the eXperience.

And what an experience it will be. Kris Hodges and Erika Johnson, the founders and producers of the event, understand the important role of the Blue Ridge Parkway in that experience. “As commercially remote as the Parkway is, it’s a destination for a demographic of people that overlaps with the music festival demographic.” According to Erika, these are people who want to immerse themselves in the atmosphere, and that wouldn’t be possible without the backdrop the Parkway provides.

The event draws thousands of people to the Parkway, and that alone could be a

detriment to the natural beauty of the festival sight and the Parkway. “Our attendees aren’t the littering kind,” says Erika, “and truly, there’s something totally unnatural... about disrespecting a pristine site; something that makes people act more responsibly than they might at other venues.”

According to Kris and Erika, if you don’t come earth-friendly, you certainly should be leaving that way.

What’s new for 2011? For one, a circusstyle trapeze with free lessons for all. This year you can see over 100 acts on 9 different stages featuring the most requested acts of the past ten years, including Old Crow Medicine Show, David Grisman, Sam Bush and Railroad Earth, plus some new favorites, like Taj Mahal and Robert Randolph & the Family Band. As in years past, there will be the Under the Radar Series, featuring local and regional bands from across the country. This gives them a chance to get their music exposed to a wider audience and the opportunity to play for the FloydFest crowd.

www.BlueRidgeFRIENDS.org 23

o Renew You r Membe t e m r sh t Ti ip ? i Give Us A Call.

Is

NON-PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID ROANOKE, VA PERMIT #78

P.O. Box 20986 Roanoke, VA 24018 800.228.PARK (7275) 540.772.2992 www.BlueRidgeFRIENDS.org

T

Ways Of Giving

he future of FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway depends upon YOU, our members. The degree of foresight and generosity of our members will affect the future of the Blue Ridge Parkway for generations to come. There are many ways you can give to FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway:

2. I hereby bequeath $___cash, to FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, whose current principle business address for identification purposes is P. O. Box 20986, Roanoke, Virginia 24018, to be used at its sole discretion for its charitable purposes.

• Give gift memberships to family and friends for holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and honorariums

3. I hereby devise the following property to FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, whose current principle business address for identification purposes is P. O. Box 20986, Roanoke, Virginia 24018, to be used at its sole discretion for its charitable purposes [legal description of property, whether real property or personal property].

Please note that FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway does not give legal advice nor does it in any way practice law.

• Give gifts of cash or marketable securities • Give a gift of real estate • Remember FRIENDS in your Will It’s simple. Add only one of the following sentences to your Will or do so by using a codicil to your existing Will: 1. I hereby give ___% of my residuary estate to FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, whose current principle business address for identification purposes is P.O. Box 20986, Roanoke, Virginia 24018, to be used at its sole discretion for its charitable purposes.

VA BRP James River Sunset, Pat and Chuck Blackley Photographers

FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, organized and existing under the laws of the State of North Carolina and the Commonwealth of Virginia, whose current principle business address for identification purposes is P.O. Box 20986, Roanoke, Virginia 24018. Tax ID#:58-1854404. FRIENDS would like to keep a record of your foresight and generosity on file. Please contact us at 800.228.PARK (7275), by mail to FRIENDS, P O Box 20986, Roanoke, VA 24018 or by email, staff@FriendsBRP.org.