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PROGRAMS
PRESERVATION OF THE PARKWAY'S SCENIC QUALITY
 Every
view from the Blue Ridge Parkway has been scored qualitatively and quantitatively
for its aesthetic quality. Views, which are pastoral and contain water
features (ponds, streams), typically receive higher scores; whereas, views
with encroaching development receive lower scores. This information is
very important as a management tool for parkway administration and Foundation
land conservancy partners. These scores help establish priority for those
properties which may be considered threatened and endangered. Funds provided
by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation helped establish a national model
for view area management which has been adopted by many conservation groups,
including the Appalachian Trail Conference.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Moses H. Cone Memorial Park has been considered by some as the "crown
jewel of the Blue Ridge Parkway -- a diamond in the rough". Since
the estate was conveyed to the Blue Ridge Parkway by the trustees of the
Moses Cone Hospital in 1950, the park service has only been able to provide
threshold maintenance and interpretive services because of limited funding.
The Foundation's role now as a facilitator of private philanthropy has
resulted in modest restoration and preservation projects such as the restoration
of the historic fence balustrade, restoration of the fire/observation
tower, and partial restoration of the China Orchard. The Foundation is
currently providing funds for the Cone Developed Area Management Plan
which will become the blueprint that polishes the diamond which will indeed
become the Parkway's crown jewel.
CAPITAL PROJECT FUNDING
National Park Service experiences teach us that environment directly impacts
the quality of a visitor's experience. The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
has provided funding for two capital improvement projects -- the first
being the conversion of a covered pavilion at Waterrock Knob to a full
service visitor contact station; and the second, the expansion of the
1956 dated Museum of North Carolina Minerals. All the projects have had
multiple partners which have contributed to superlative improvements that
the visitor can greatly enjoy.
WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT
The Blue Ridge Parkway by legislative mandate must "conserve, interpret,
and exhibit the unique natural and cultural resources of the central and
southern Appalachian Mountains". Rigorous compliance examinations
are made of the environment when new construction is anticipated, even
trail construction. Inventories are made of existing plants and animals
with particular attention to T&E (threatened and endangered) species.
The Foundation has provided funding which would not otherwise be available
to study the impact of extending the Mountains to Sea Trail near Waterrock
Knob. The species in question were the saw whet owl and flying squirrel.
Construction was allowed after completed research funded by the Foundation.
WATERSHED PRESERVATION AND WATER QUALITY ENHANCEMENT
 The
Blue Ridge Parkway has over 450 parcels of land which are devoted to livestock
or crop agriculture leases. Until recent years, grazing stock was allowed
unrestricted access to streams and springs. However, this activity causes
local turbidity that diminished vertebrate and invertebrate animal populations.
With funding from the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and the Clean Water
Management Trust Fund, grazing stock is being restricted by new fencing,
riparian buffers, and carefully constructed cattle crossings.
EDUCATION OUTREACH - PARKS AS CLASSROOMS
36,000 young minds touched by the Blue Ridge Parkway... This did not happen
all at once but one classroom at a time in over 1,800 classroom visits
by Parkway rangers during last year's winter months.
Parks As Classrooms is one of the flagship programs funded by the Blue
Ridge Parkway Foundation. This curriculum based program which is designed
to instill values of Parkway protection and preservation satisfies the
national standards of learning in all 29 Virginia and North Carolina Parkway
counties where the program is presented. Park educators and administrators
agree that this program is one of the best investments that the Parkway
can make in the future of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
FAMILY PHOTOGRAPH AND STORY ARCHIVES
 The
Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation Family Archives serves the international
community as a permanent repository and reference center for documents,
specifically photographs, home video, and stories, pertinent to the contemporary
and past history of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Archives also supports
and maintains the institutional memory of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. Visit the Archives.
ENDOWMENT AND ESTATE PLANNING
In 1997, the first endowment gift was received by the Blue Ridge Parkway
Foundation. The endowments (corpus untouched) build a pool of charitable
assets that will benefit the Parkway through the Foundation's projects
and programs by building long-term discretionary income. These endowment funds are
currently placed with various community foundations along the Blue Ridge
Parkway. Community foundations build and strengthen communities by creating
opportunities for donors locally to meet critical needs. The Blue Ridge
Parkway Foundation believes in investing in communities which are the
catalysts for improvement in urban and rural life.
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