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FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, in cooperation and partnership
with the National Park Service Blue Ridge Parkway, announces
the 469-Mile Award for all who have traveled the entire Parkway
from beginning to end, whether by automobile, bicycle, motorcycle
or by foot.
FRIENDS is asking all Parkway travelers who have made the journey
to complete the FRIENDS’ application on the Web site, www.BlueRidgeFRIENDS.org,
to receive recognition for their accomplishments.
Inspired by author Tim Pegram, who backpacked the full length
of the Parkway in 2003, the 469-Mile Award is open to anyone
who traveled the entire length as far back as Sept. 11, 1987
– the completion date of the Parkway. The trip may have
been completed in a single trip or during several trips over
a period of time.
“Congratulations and many thanks to the FRIENDS of the
Blue Ridge Parkway for the icing they have added to this wonderful
park over the past twenty years,” Pegram wrote in FRIENDS’
High Vistas newsletter. Author of The Blue Ridge Parkway by
Foot: A Park Ranger’s Memoir, Pegram suggested that all
would be bicycling or walking the Parkway soon if gasoline prices
don’t come down.
Recipients will receive a certificate signed by the superintendent
of the National Park Service and FRIENDS’ executive director,
as well as a free one-year gift membership to FRIENDS. Award-winners’
names will also be cited in the monthly e-newsletter to commemorate
the accomplishments.
With 63 vacant positions on the Parkway due to budgetary shortfalls,
the Parkway relies on FRIENDS to fund interpretive, natural
and cultural programs. FRIENDS secures research funds to preserve
the hemlocks, which are in danger of extinction, obtains funds
for the federally endangered bog turtle, secures funds for and
recruits volunteers who repair split rail fences, paint milepost
markers, maintain the trails and pick up trash on the Parkway.
The cornerstone work of FRIENDS is to save Parkway views, recruit
Parkway volunteers, secure Parkway trails and preserve historical
structures.
For more information on how to apply for the award, visit www.BlueRidgeFRIENDS.org
or call 1-800-228-PARK (7275).
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