Thanks to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, repairs are being made to Mabry Mill/Vicki Dameron

Giving threatened and rare plants a chance to thrive. Keeping the big wheel turning at a historic mill. Sharing the photographic history of the Blue Ridge Parkway with the world. These are just a few of the projects the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s Community of Stewards will bring to fruition in 2019.

Each year, the Foundation works closely with the National Park Service to identify initiatives and improvements on the scenic route that need public support. The projects give donors the chance to bridge the gap between the federal funding the park unit receives and what it truly needs to flourish. The projects address historical and cultural preservation, natural resource protection, education and outreach, and visitor amenities, but there is always one underlying goal, which is to leave the park a better place for future generations to cherish and enjoy.

Here are a few of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s 2019 projects:

Plant Nursery Intern

The 80,000-plus acres that make up the Blue Ridge Parkway are home to more than 2,000 plant species. To protect this flora and educate visitors, the National Park Service is preparing to create a plant nursery that can help bolster threatened and rare native plants found within the park.

Donor support can fund a meaningful learning experience for an intern who will assist park biologists in laying the groundwork for the nursery, including site selection, development of educational materials for park visitors, and propagating plants that can bolster rare and threatened populations of fauna found in the wild.

Flume repairs at Mabry Mill

Mabry Mill near Meadows of Dan, Virginia, is one of the most photographed sites on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but it is much more than just a pretty place. The mill built by Ed and Lizzie Mabry in the early 1900s is akin to an outdoor museum where visitors can learn about a bygone way of life in the mountains. The mill and the demonstrations of how it works are the centerpiece of the historical site. To ensure the waterwheel continues to spin for these fascinating presentations, the flume must be repaired. Gifts for this project will be doubled thanks to a Centennial Challenge grant authorized by Congress.

The Foundation also is making the digitalization of old photographs possible/BRPF

Digitize Historic Photographs for Online Access

The development of the Blue Ridge Parkway and its evolution over the decades are a fascinating story that is brought to life through photographs dating back to the initial days of construction in the 1930s. But thousands of images in the Parkway’s archives have never been available for the public to view. This project will begin the process of organizing and digitizing historical park photographs so they can be made available online for everyone to explore the route through its history.

You can help the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation bring these and other projects to fruition. Visit their website to learn more.