The Issue

Important viewsheds integral to the integrity and significance of the historic parkway are vulnerable to land use change because the federal government manages only a narrow corridor. There are more than 4,000 landowners adjacent to the park, with 60 percent of scenic viewsheds composed of private land.ⁱ These scenic resources are also critical to the region's tourism industry, so the development of incompatible land uses within viewsheds could have a negative economic effect. The disappearance of working farms and the loss of farmland is a critical issue in many of the counties through which the parkway passes. In some counties, there are no programs or regulations to preserve farmland.

To address this issue, National Park Service staff have initiated contacts with adjacent communities and county governments to protect park viewsheds. The park's Resource Planning and Professional Services Division, headquartered just outside of Asheville, North Carolina, developed a process for involving community members in viewshed analysis, at the same time encouraging a sense of ownership for the park and support for land protection. The division staff also provide information to municipal and county governments to help in the development of landscape protection methods.

ⁱU.S. Department of the Interior. National Park Service. Corridor Management Plan: Phase One. Blue Ridge Parkway. Virginia/North Carolina. June 30, 1996.