[bluegrass music]
>> The Blue Ridge Parkway
is many things to many different people.
It is sunrises and sunsets, wildlife and fall color.
It is mountain music and never-ending mountain vistas.
It represents ingenuity and perseverance,
beauty and community.
For over 80 years, visitors have flocked to Blue Ridge Parkway
to enjoy these special things and many more,
forging meaningful connections
to this beautiful ribbon of road.
Continuing to provide a high-quality experience
for an ever-increasing number of park visitors
is a challenging feat,
a feat that takes hundreds of dedicated employees
and numerous park partners
and a very special group of individuals
who give their time freely to preserve this special place.
Today, we are here to honor these stewards of the parkway,
our volunteers.
Hello and welcome to the Blue Ridge Parkway’s
first annual Virtual Volunteer Celebration.
My name is Tracy Swartout,
and I'm the superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
I'm thrilled to be here to thank each
and every one of you for your dedicated service
to the parkway
and to thank you for all of the work
that you've done to go above and beyond
to the service on the parkway this season.
But first, I really want to acknowledge
the difficult year that we've been through
to get us to this place where we are now and thanking you.
Although I know that in the past
events honoring our volunteers have been in-person,
the ongoing COVID-19 challenge has made gathering for events
like this a lot more difficult during this last year.
We hope that this virtual event,
although no replacement for a gathering in-person,
will really help you understand just how much we value each
and every one of you and the important work
that you do for the Blue Ridge Parkway.
I know that staying connected to volunteer work
and staying connected to one another
has been a challenge during this pandemic.
It's meant additional rules to follow,
hoops to jump through in the name of public safety,
and I want to thank you all for your patience,
your continued engagement,
and, most of all, I want to thank you for your time.
Many of you have also lost loved ones
or faced extended quarantines
as a result of challenges with COVID-19.
We understand what you're going through,
and many of our staff are in the same place,
so we especially appreciate your service during these times.
I know that even in 2020,
when our nation was being ravaged
by the COVID-19 pandemic, you continued to serve.
Over 600 volunteers
contributed more than 25,000 hours of service
to the Blue Ridge Parkway in 2020,
even with several months of halted service
due to stay-at-home orders all along the parkway.
This is a true reflection of the dedication of this group,
and for that, I really thank you.
Now, before we dig in to learn more
about our 2021 Volunteers of the Year,
I want to share some information about how volunteers
impacted the Blue Ridge Parkway this year.
As the nation began to see life begin to return to normal,
this year even more volunteers
returned to service on the parkway,
serving in all divisions and all districts,
impacting the visits of millions of our visitors.
In fiscal year ’21,
engaging in everything from providing visitor information
to enhancing park trails and facilities
and so much more, over 1,000 volunteers
contributed more than 40,000 hours
in support of the parkway
and supporting our staff in preserving
and protecting this special place.
I can't express fully my gratitude for you
who give your most precious gift— your time—
to support the mission of the National Park Service.
You could choose to spend your time doing anything else,
and, instead, you serve with us.
And for that, I'll be forever grateful.
[bluegrass music]
Each year on the parkway, nominations are gathered
from Park Service supervisors, park partners,
and lead volunteers that assist the park
in identifying and honoring
those whose work has demonstrated
an unparalleled level of dedication
to the Park Service mission.
This year, as in years past,
many were nominated across all of the park's divisions
for this special honor,
a reflection on just how many of you
are doing impressive work all across the parkway.
Please join me as we hear from this year's honorees
for the Blue Ridge Parkway Volunteer Group
of the Year,
Blue Ridge Parkway Volunteer of the Year,
and the 2021 Blue Ridge Parkway Enduring Service Award.
To start, we're going to hear from Ken Carpenter,
lead volunteer in the parkway’s high country,
as he describes his nominee for the Volunteer Group
of the Year, and then we'll hear from the winners.
Hi. My name is Ken Carpenter.
I work up in the Sandy Flats area,
and I nominated Phi Gamma Delta
to be the best group of volunteers on the parkway.
And I nominated them because
they’re a large group, number one, and, number two,
is they come up frequently and work with us
and volunteer up on the parkway, and they're flexible.
They are glad to come and help maintain trails.
They'll cut back rhododendron
and do whatever you ask them on the trail, or they'll come
and they'll help paint interior sections of the bathroom.
And then there was a time this past year
they had an opportunity to do a function on campus
where they could get several fraternities
and sororities and clubs together
and come up with an even bigger group,
so they were instrumental in taking a step
outside their fraternity
to bring additional resources up to the parkway.
So they're a great group. We enjoy working with them.
They enjoy working with us.
They're very flexible. So they deserve it.
They bring a lot of students with them.
They work a lot of hours.
Therefore, they deserve our award.
We are the fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta-Beta Nu,
the Appalachian State University chapter,
and we serve in the Boone/Blowing Rock area
doing trail maintenance
and cleaning up campsites and painting campsites.
We got started just by hearing about the service
that was going on on the parkway,
and they said they’d love to have us.
So we came out here and we loved it the first time we did
and just kept coming back.
I would definitely say that the biggest reason why we serve,
especially in the high country community,
is because, for one, it is home for a lot of us now.
Given that we're in college, there's a lot to do,
and coming out to the parkway
and to anything that's on national park
and state park land is always beneficial to us.
One of our five values
in the fraternity of Phi Gamma Delta is service,
and so this is a really wonderful opportunity
to give back to our local community.
I like to serve specifically out here on the parkway
and in the national parks area
simply because it's really important for people
to have a natural space to go out to,
and keeping it clean and keeping in good condition is key
to bringing them out here
and having them have that experience out in nature.
I continue to serve because I love this community.
I love being a part of this community,
and I love giving back to this community.
I continue to serve to come out here to the parkway
and help keep our parks beautiful,
help everyone come experience
what the Blue Ridge has to offer.
My advice to somebody who wants to come out and serve
is just get up and do it.
There's a stigma around service not being fun,
and when you come out here, you have such a great time.
You’re in a beautiful spot.
You're getting to do work that's a lot of fun,
and you really just enjoy it.
It's unlike any other thing that you do.
You get a sense of fulfillment and you just have so much fun.
It's a great time.
Thanks to Ken for nominating this wonderful group.
And thanks to the volunteers from Phi Gamma Delta
for embodying what it means
to be the next generation of park stewards.
Next, let's hear from Carolina Mountain Club's
Chancellor of Trails, Todd Eveland
as he describes the impact our Blue Ridge Parkway Volunteer
of the Year has had on this park,
and especially its trails.
Hi. I am Todd Eveland.
I’m the Carolina Mountain Club trails counselor.
I'm retired from PepsiCo after a 35-year career,
and we moved from Chicago to Asheville
about five years ago.
Well, Mel is the one person that I—
how I discovered trail work.
I was actually hiking and heard about the CMC
and was on a hike with my dog and stumbled on to Mel.
He was doing trail work near Hendersonville Road,
and he's an enthusiastic recruiter.
He's probably one of our best recruiters.
And he told me about it and said, “No pressure,”
you know, “here's how you get in contact with us.”
And the rest is history.
And you know, Mel is— he's the consummate professional.
He's taught me everything, and I have the highest regard for him.
What we primarily do is we keep the trail clear of debris,
you know, blowdowns, so we've done a lot of that work.
He's primarily our sawyer. I act as a swamper at times;
we have a number of people that act in that role.
But we primarily try to keep the trail comfortable
for all the hikers of various abilities.
And I think Mel and I and the entire Thursday crew
and many other crew members of the Friday crew
and others from the Asheville area,
our primary goal is to keep the water off the trail
and the people on it;
that's really the kind of the mission of the of the club.
And we build steps, you know, we do rock work.
We try to keep the water running off the trail
so the tread stays intact.
We try to protect the vegetation
and the wildlife and all the habitat,
and we're very cognizant of all those goals
as we approach trail work.
My name is Mel Skiles.
I've been working with trail maintenance
for nine years officially now.
I first got started doing trail maintenance—
actually, it's kind of a convoluted story—
I started hiking pretty regularly about
when I was in my 50s,
and then it was really in the ‘60s
I really started doing long-distance hiking
and, of course, I was preparing to do the Appalachian Trail.
Once I retired, I wanted to do the AT, through-hike the AT.
And so I started doing long-distance hiking—
or what I call long-distance hiking— 30 miles
and then 50 miles and then 100 miles and then 250 miles.
I would notice trails, and, I think I—
when I was looking for trails back in those days,
I really didn’t know who maintained the trails.
I just kind of took for granted that, well,
maybe it's the Park Service; maybe it’s the Forest Service;
maybe it's paid outside contractors.
And what really was an epiphany for me
is when I was doing one of my long-distance hikes,
I met a guy who had a chainsaw.
He had chaps and helmet on.
After talking to him— and he was a trail maintainer volunteer,
and it just blew me away.
And I thought, “Well, that's what I want to do
"once I finish the Appalachian Trail.
I want to do what he's doing."
And so in 2011, I through-hiked the Appalachian Trail
and I moved to Asheville that fall.
And in the spring of 2012,
I contacted the Carolina Mountain Club
mainly to do hiking because I didn't know the hikes,
or I didn't know the trails around here.
And in talking to the people in the Carolina Mountain Club,
I heard about that they have a trail maintenance program,
so I got involved with them and tried the different crews out,
and I got affiliated with the Thursday Carolina Mountain Club
Thursday crew, and I've been with them ever since.
It's kind of somewhat I've already said,
I like being out in nature. I like working in dirt.
I really don't want to call this work
because, you know, I get tired
and I get muscle soreness and whatnot,
but it's like the John Mellencamp song
“It Hurts So Good”
I feel good about different parts of my body hurting.
So I enjoy the work.
I really get enjoyment out of seeing other people
on my section of the trail.
I call it “my section,” you know,
the section I maintain.
I mean, I see toddlers.
I see parents with two-year-old toddlers walking the trail.
I see young kids. I see adults.
I see a lot of runners, and I see a lot of old folks.
I live in an old folks home, and so a lot of people that live
in this retirement center walk this trail.
And it's like I say, I can get to it within eight minutes,
and some of them can get to the trail in even less time.
So I see people of all ages walk the trail,
and it's a great satisfaction of just sitting back
and watching them enjoy the trail.
Thanks, Todd and Mel, for all you do
to preserve the Mountains to Sea Trail
and other trails in our area,
and for your obvious enthusiasm and love for the parkway.
Now, finally, we're going to hear
from our Seasonal Visitor Use Assistant Wayne Bersch
as he describes the work of this year's winner
of the Blue Ridge Parkway Enduring Service Award.
Hello. My name is Wayne Bersch.
I work at Rocky Knob Campground as a Visitor Use Assistant,
hopefully assisting visitors,
[laughter]
among other things.
I am delighted to have this opportunity to share with you
why I nominated Libby Wilcox for the Enduring Service Award.
Libby is a very dedicated person.
She's very humble.
She also is not afraid of anything—
I can say that— and she is willing to do
whatever it takes to protect her parkway
and protect her visitor— or, excuse me, the visitors—
and also to take care of her VIPs, visitors in parks.
Libby has worked for years along the parkway.
She has been an organizer,
a person that takes the job very seriously,
and does everything she can to protect the parkway.
She's most interested in making sure
that the visitor experience is unique
and it's a good experience.
She's so knowledgeable about the parkway.
She's taken on many projects.
She has about 65 volunteers under her wing.
There's been a transition, as most of you know,
into VIPs this year taking care of the parkway.
She's risen to that occasion,
even though that was a tough transition,
I'm sure,
but she does anything and everything
to help not only the campground,
which really affects me directly in my job,
but also along the parkway at all the picnic areas
and about a 50-mile section of the Plateau District
that runs from Smart View all the way down
past Puckett’s Cabin if you're familiar with the area.
And each one of those areas, whether it be
Groundhog Mountain Picnic Area,
Rocky Knob Picnic Area, the overlooks,
Smart View Picnic Area or the Rocky Knob Campground,
she's organized work parties to come in
and take care of the trails,
to take care of all the cemeteries,
and to certainly take care of the campground
and every aspect thereof.
There's many work projects.
She has pioneered things
such as replacing the fencing around the dumpster area.
They pressure wash the restrooms.
They pressure wash the common picnic area— areas—
and it just goes on and on and on.
I can't say enough good things about her.
And again, she's a very humble person.
She's very dedicated.
She certainly fulfills the mission of what we're all
about here at the Park Service, and I can't thank her enough.
I'm so proud of her and all she does and all of her VIPs.
And she would say this if I don't—
it's not her; it's the VIPs and their dedication.
I thank you again for this great opportunity.
Good luck to you Libby.
My name is Libby Wilcox,
and I work in the Rocky Knob area,
which is mile 150 to mile 200 along the parkway.
We have in this area a campground,
three picnic areas,
Mayberry Mill, Puckett’s Cabin, the Visitors Center,
10 overlooks, 26 cemeteries, and 25 miles of trail,
so that tells you where we were.
I got started doing this about 10 or 12 years ago.
When I built my cabin
and it was finished, I wanted something to do
and I noticed the mile markers needed painting.
Actually, that's all I really wanted to do
was paint mile markers,
but I seem to have gotten into some other things.
Once I started painting mile markers,
then I got involved with the chapter
of the Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway,
and then we began doing other things,
so it just really morphed from that.
Our past superintendent, Mark Woods,
talked me into doing some of these things
and let me know what the Friends organization was,
and that's how I became involved.
So I am now chairman of the Rocky Knob chapter,
and that chapter was through the Friends of the Blue Ridge—
or is now— and I'm a member of that board.
But then, of course, I'm a VIP with the Park Service
and work that 50-mile range.
I continue to serve because this is my parkway,
and there are so many things that need to be done—
not that maintenance doesn't work all the time—
but smaller, smaller jobs like painting signs,
the big welcome signs,
and the signs that the letters are this big.
The park, the maintenance people,
don't have time to do that,
so we try to fill in and do things like that.
Why do I do it? Again, this is my parkway.
It's yours.
It's everyone's. And I take pride in it.
And in our area, if we don't keep doing this,
then our children and grandchildren
won’t have a chance to play and drive
and have fun on the parkway, so that's why.
And, it's satisfying. It's gratifying.
And when we look at a sign and it's really bad
and it just needs work,
and then we paint it and step back
and look at it, it's gratifying,
and everyone feels so good about it,
so that's why I continue to serve
so that it will be great for the generations to come.
We can't pay back people that have done this before us,
but we can pay forward so that we go ahead
and do some things that will make it
where it will continue to be what it is today.
Congratulations, Libby,
and thanks for all of your many years of service
to Blue Ridge Parkway.
Finally, we want to thank you all for your time today
and for your hours of dedicated service
and, in some cases, many years of dedicated service
to the Blue Ridge Parkway.
I speak on behalf of all of our staff
and all the visitors when I say we couldn't do it without you.
We hope to see you again out on the road soon.
[bluegrass music]