Discover the journey. Then help protect it.

January 2018 - In this Issue of The Scenic:
Freeze Frame

Blue Ridge Parkway near Graveyard Fields. Photograph by Craig Lancaster

Bass Lake at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park.
Photo by Mike Duncan

Graveyard Fields, milepost 418.
Photo by Craig Lancaster

The new year is off to a frigid start, and though it can limit our opportunities to travel the Parkway, the cold weather certainly creates breathtaking scenes. Before you set out to enjoy the journey, be sure to check weather and road conditions, which can change quickly and vary greatly between elevations along the route.  

An Easy Resolution to Keep: Giving Back

January can be the make or break time for New Year's resolutions. So we've got a feel good promise that is easy to stick to. Keep your pledge to give back to the Blue Ridge Parkway with a monthly gift. It's easy. Simply visit our Donate page, select a giving amount, check monthly gift, and you're all set. Now mark that resolution off your 2018 list!


Upcoming Foundation Events

4-6 p.m., Thursday, January 18
322 Gashes Creek Road, Asheville
Parkway lovers are invited to celebrate the opening of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation's expanded Asheville office from 4 to 6 p.m., Thursday, January 18. Come enjoy refreshments, door prizes, and a ribbon cutting with the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, and learn more about the Foundation's mission to protect and preserve the Blue Ridge Parkway. Details
 
Waterrock Knob on the Parkway
Photo by Mandy Gee
Waterrock Knob Vision Plan open house
5-7 p.m., Thursday, January 25
Please join us to share your ideas for the future of the larger Waterrock Knob and Plott Balsam region during an open house from 5 to 7 p.m., January 25, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville. The open house is hosted by the Foundation in collaboration with the National Park Service, and multiple local, state, and federal land managers in the region. Light refreshments will be served. 

In 2016, the Blue Ridge Parkway announced plans to acquire 5,329 acres near Waterrock Knob, Milepost 451, for the largest expansion of the park in 60 years. The Waterrock Knob region of Western North Carolina is one of the highest points along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and is one of the most biodiverse landscapes in the Eastern United States. Elk, rare salamanders, flying squirrels, and slowly disappearing high elevation spruce-fir forests all inhabit this amazing landscape also known as the Plott Balsams. The area is also home to rich Cherokee and Appalachian cultural history. Learn more 

Volunteer Expo
10 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday, February 3
Crown Plaza Resort, 1 Resort Drive, Asheville
Stop by our booth during the Volunteer Expo, hosted by the Junior League of Asheville, to explore opportunities for becoming involved in protecting the Parkway. In addition to learning about local nonprofit organizations, attendees can enjoy four educational panels tied to the theme, "How Do You Serve?" The panels will provide insight into direct, government, and board service. We hope to see you there, or you can visit our Volunteer Corps page to learn more.

Join Our Growing Team

We are hiring! The Foundation is expanding to meet the increasing demands and needs of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The following career opportunities  are available.

We are seeking a Foundation and Corporate Relations Officer to work with a motivated team dedicated to safeguarding the future of the Blue Ridge Parkway. This position will be responsible for developing and implementing fundraising strategies with corporate and foundation donors. This individual will secure funding from foundation partners, corporate donors, and governmental organizations for projects and programs of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.


We are seeking an Associate Director to support the work of the Program Director for the Blue Ridge Music Center. The Associate Director will assist in developing, administering and managing programmatic activities, including the Roots of American Music Concert Series, Midday Mountain Music, special events, exhibits and programs at the Music Center, located on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 213, near Galax, Virginia. As a facility, the Music Center is managed and operated by the National Park Service in partnership with the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, which oversees the performance and special events programming at and related to the site. 

Parkway Place Challenge


Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to catch our Parkway Place Challenge. We'll post a photograph of a mystery location on the Parkway, and you can enter the challenge by commenting with the name of the spot. One winner will be drawn from those with the correct answer and will receive a Blue Ridge Parkway RIDE license plate. Head over to our pages now to post your guess for this picture.

National Park Service photo
Road to the Past

Have you ever visited the North Carolina Museum of Minerals? Located at milepost 331 near Spruce Pine, North Carolina, the museum is one of just a few facilities open year-round on the Parkway. In this photo from 1965, a visitor in a great hat inspects the extensive collection. Today, hundreds of the minerals found in these beautiful mountains are on display. There are intriguing stories from the miners who pulled these resources from the earth, a machine that simulates the process of metaphoric rock formation, and insights into the birth of silicon chips thanks to Spruce Pine's rich quartz deposits. Learn more

  
Order your North Carolina specialty license tag and help the Blue Ridge Parkway.  For each attractive license plate sold, $20 funds important projects on the scenic route,and $10 funds the N.C. Department of Transportation Wildflower Program

Join our Community of Stewards                           

 

As the primary fundraiser and trusted steward of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Foundation is forever committed to preserving the past, enhancing the present, and safeguarding the future of America's Favorite Journey™. Learn more about joining our Community of Stewards at  brpfoundation.org .
 



Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
717 S. Marshall St., Suite 105B,  Winston-Salem, NC  27101
& 322 Gashes Creek Road, Asheville, NC 28803
(866) 308-2773 |  brpfoundation.org