Book Summary: Breathtaking photographs and original essays illuminate this tribute to the natural wonders of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The 469 miles of the Parkway run through some of the most magnificent landscapes in the United States, connecting the Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and these photographs capture the unique beauty of the region. Accompanying the images are heartfelt writings of regional poets and essayists who celebrate their abiding love for the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Conservation easements are among the fastest growing techniques for protecting land and open space. Conservation easements are legal agreements between a landowner and a conservation organization that limits or restricts entirely the right to develop a property in order to protect important conservation values associated with the property. At the heart of the conservation easement movement is the assumption that easements will protect ecologically important lands in perpetuity. However, there is little evidence that conservation easements can protect land permanently. Very few land trusts have experience in dealing with the myriad of challenges associated with long-term enforcement of conservation easements. This study sought to examine scenic easements acquired for the Blue Ridge Parkway in the 1930's and 40's and to develop an understanding of the challenges faced by the Parkway in attempting to enforce the terms of scenic easements drafted nearly 70 years ago. The scenic easements acquired for the Blue Ridge Parkways represent the first wide spread use of conservation easements in the country. The Parkway's early architects had few examples of easement programs to assist them in acquiring and managing these early forms of conservation easement nor did the NPS have the network of conservation organizations that exists today. This study reviews the process utilized by the Commonwealth of Virginia and the State of North Carolina to acquire scenic easements for the Blue Ridge Parkway and assesses the deeds used to convey the scenic easements from the states to the federal government. Further, this study evaluates and examines the number and types of violations of easement terms experienced by the Parkway and the various factors that may have contributed to violations of scenic easement restrictions and requests to alter/amend easements. This study also evaluates the various strategies used by the National Park Service to exchange and release scenic easements. Finally, this study concludes with a number of recommendations for improving the management of the Parkway's scenic easements and how organizations currently holding conservations can improve the stewardship of easements by incorporating adaptive management principles into their conservation easement stewardship programs. / Master of Urban and Regional Planning

Recognizing that a substantial portion of Blue Ridge Parkway visitation is made by the local population, this study was initiated as an effort to collect specific information on the characteristics of local Parkway use and to develop a demand model of local use based on the findings. The results should provide Parkway managers with information needed to more adequately serve the recreation needs of the local population. Most of the information presented in this study was collected during the fall of 1978 through use of a self-administered mail-back questionnaire which was sent to a random sample of people living in the 29 counties adjacent to the Parkway. Results are based on questionnaires received from 322 local residents. Additional information was also obtained from 44 other local residents interviewed by telephone. Development of the recreation demand model required much of the questionnaire data as well as data obtained from existing Parkway and Census Bureau publications. / Master of Science / Includes folder titled: Blue Ridge Parkway, published by GPO in 1976.

Fire is a cultural phenomenon. It is among man's oldest tools, the first product of the natural world he learned to domesticate. Since the 1970's, fire has been utilized extensively in forest management practices. This study was designed to compare prescribed burning in the fall or the spring with hand cutting to reduce the overall height of vegetation. Ten scenic overlooks on the Blue Ridge Parkway were selected for treatment. The experiment is a randomized incomplete block design. Four permanent transects were delineated in each unit for vegetation sampling. Four one-by-five meter plots were sampled on each transect for the species and number of root crowns in three height classes: less than one meter, one to three meters and greater than three meters. Vegetation sampling was completed before and after treatment. Rate of spread was determined by non-directional grid sampling. Flame length was measured at five points within the sampling grid and fire intensity was calculated. Prescribed burning and hand cutting stimulate sprouting of existing vegetation. Repetitive burning is necessary to effectively control hardwood sprouting on the Parkway. Fire stimulated the herbaceous community and resulted in a significant increase in the species richness. Changes in soil characteristics were slight and did not degrade the site. Personnel costs were similar but burning required fewer hours of work. Decreases in the number of personal accidents and an expected decrease in the number of personnel required to successfully complete the burns favor the use of fire to control vegetation for forest vista management. / Master of Science

Impacts from urban development on the cost of providing recreation services on the Blue Ridge Parkway were modeled using cross-sectional linear regression techniques. Twelve Parkway segments and corresponding adjacent counties provided the study sample. Total and per visit annual costs were expressed as a function of segment variables and external variables representing adjacent county development. No correlation between operating cost and external variables was found. Total operating costs are positively correlated with visitor center capacity and camp and picnic sites. Cost per visit is positively correlated with the presence of concessions and recreation acreage, and negatively correlated with the number of camp and picnic sites, suggesting economies of scale. Non-operating costs in developed and undeveloped sections were compared. Costs associated with access control, land acquisition, and landscape screening, were higher in areas with a greater percentage of private ownership. / Master of Science