The Appalachian Power Company is an operating company of the American Electric Power Company, the largest electricity producing private electric system in the United States since 1953. The Appalachian Power Company held almost exclusive development rights along the New River since its 1911 charter. From then until the 1940s, it built a few small dams, a very large hydroelectric dam with the highest generating capacity of its time, and the largest steam plant in Virginia on the New River. Besides a few navigation issues, conflicting developments, and brief clashes with the federal government, seen in Chapter Two of this thesis, the Appalachian Power Company's developments along the New River went largely unchallenged until the late-1960s. The Blue Ridge Project was the utility's next large hydroelectric project on the New River. It was slated to impound the waters of the upper New River in Grayson County, Virginia, with two reservoirs extending into the river's headwaters in the counties of Ashe and Alleghany in northwestern North Carolina. Though the initial project met no serious opposition, environmental lawyers and the State of North Carolina defeated a considerably enlarged version of the proposal after a legal battle lasting over a decade. Why was this double impoundment not successfully constructed? What had changed in the last decades to influence Appalachian Power's previously unchallenged right to generate electricity along the New River? The purpose of this thesis is to answer these questions. / Master of Arts

The eastern Blue Ridge near Warrenton is composed of low grade metamorphosed and very little deformed clastic sedimentary rocks, which unconfomably overlie Middle and Late Proterozoic gneisses and granites. A thick succession of Late Proterozoic metavo1canics (Catoctin Formation) lies above the metasediments. The metasediments in the Warrenton area are the Lynchburg and Fauquier Groups, the latter of which is raised herein from a formation to a group. The lowest unit, the Bunker Hill Formation, is dominated by coarse- to very coarse-grained feldspathic sandstone, typically trough and planar cross-bedded, with minor fine-grained sandstone and siltstone or granule conglomerate. The overlying Monumental Mills Formation is dominated by thin bedded fine sandstone and siltstone, with minor laminated mudstone towards the top. The next overlying unit, Ball Mountain Formation, is composed of thick beds of medium to coarse sandstone and rare conglomerate, interbedded in black schists and dark laminated mudstones. The facies observed and correlation with previous work farther south suggests that these three formations record a continuous transgressive alluvial to deep water rift sequence. The Ball Mountain passes northwards to the lower Swains Mountain Formation, which is dominated by massive sandstone, and farther north to the upper Swains Mountain and Carter Run Formation, a continuous fining upwards succession from medium sandstone to laminated mudstone. From south to north the clastic sequence shows an overall thinning, and at the time of eruption of the Catoctin volcanics probably was shoaling as well. The overlying Catoctin shows a basal volcanic breccia unit covered by a thick succession of lavas. Medium grained, parallel bedded feldspathic sandstone occurs as lenses along a regionally continuous belt in the upper part of the formation. Numerous metamorphosed mafic intrusives were observed within the clastic sequence, and evidence for Late Proterozoic faulting was documented. The whole assemblage of lithofacies is interpreted to represent a continuous rift sequence, and the presently exposed section was probably oblique to the trend of the original rift. The rift stratigraphy can be traced in all the Warrenton area. The whole sequence is characterized by one low grade progressive metamorphism. Deformation is minimal and took place in two stages: Development of pervasive foliation (S 1) in varying degrees throughout the sequence (event: Dl). Subsequent folding and faulting and development of a localized discrete cleavage (S2) (event: D2). The observed structural features can be correlated with features described by other workers in adjacent areas. The map-scale structure is dominated by a change in attitude of the strata from east-dipping next to the basement, to open folded and gently dipping farther east. Considering that the whole Blue Ridge is an allochthonus thrust sheet, this change probably corresponds to the eastern subsurface edge of the basement block, on which the rift sediments were deposited, above a gently dipping decolement. Some workers have proposed tectonic models of the central Appalachians in which accreted terrane boundaries, are present along the eastern Blue Ridge. The continuous rift stratigraphy and the tectonic evolution proposed herein do not support such models. / Master of Science

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

The mechanism through which the Appalachian Mountains have maintained moderate relief some ~300 Myr after the cessation of mountain building has long puzzled geomorphologists. As recent studies have shown that Appalachian exhumation has occurred at slow rates consistent with isostatic rebound of thickened crust, the driving forces behind localized episodes of accelerated incision and the associated rugged topography have been difficult to explain given the absence of tectonic uplift. This study uses previously undocumented relict fluvial gravels and knickpoint location to confirm the role of drainage rearrangement in producing local base level drop and subsequent basin-scale transient incision in the southern Appalachians. This process is fundamentally driven by the high potential energy of streams flowing across the elevated, slowly eroding Blue Ridge Plateau relative to the present Atlantic and landward interior base levels. Gravel deposits confirm that repeated capture of landward-draining Plateau streams by Atlantic basin streams, whose immediate base level is 250-300 m lower, forces episodic rapid incision and overall erosional retreat of the Blue Ridge Escarpment along the Plateau margin. The distribution of knickpoints, bedrock gorges, and relict surfaces in the interior of the Plateau indicate that the New River, which drains to the continental interior, is actively incising the low-relief Plateau surface due to episodic drops in landward base level. The origin of landward base level perturbation is unclear, but it may be the result of glacially-driven shortening and steepening of the lower New River during the Pleistocene. Collectively, these data indicate that rapid base level drop through drainage reorganization can energize streams in otherwise stable landscapes and accelerate fluvial incision and relief production without uplift of the land surface. This process is likely quite significant in post-orogenic settings, where inherited drainage patterns may not reflect the most direct, and thus energetically appropriate, path to present base level. Passive margins may therefore never achieve a topographic steady-state, despite uniformly slow and constant uplift due to isostatic rebound. / Ph. D.

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

X-ray diffraction studies of 29 Virginia Blue Ridge and Piedmont soil profiles and petrographic examinations of the parent rocks reveal that even after prolonged chemical weathering, physical and mineralogical differences exist between soil types which are due largely to changes in the parent rock, and to a lesser extent changes in the topography. Soils developed from different source rocks can be distinguished on the basis of color, texture, degree of contrast between horizons, and depth to fresh rock. The clay minerals of such soils differ in their distribution, amount and kind. The role of parent material in soil and clay mineral formation is a complex function of several variables: (1) chemical composition (2) mineralogical composition (3) rock texture and (4) rock structure. Soils developed from calcium-aluminum rich rocks or from basic rocks which have structures or textures not conducive to good drainage are characterized by kaolin and montmorillonite clay minerals and by dense plastic, poorly drained, clayey subsoils. In all other soils and in the surface horizon of these soils, the major clay minerals are kaolin and vermiculite. Topography affects the degree of profile development, color, and soil texture and controls the rate of clay mineral accumulation and weathering. The climates of the Blue Ridge and Piedmont are most favorable to the formation of kaolin minerals. However, greater amounts of kaolinite appear to be formed in the warmer Piedmont climate and more vermiculite in the cooler Blue Ridge climate. The most important mechanism for clay mineral formation is probably by direct alteration of the primarily silicate minerals. The distribution of these clays in the profile is determined by the weathering stability of the primary silicate. All ferromagnesium silicates weather to 14 A clay minerals. An intermediate 14 A chlorite phase was not observed. The most common product is vermiculite. The formation of montmorillonite is controlled by the four parent material factors listed above. Hornblende and augite are the chief source materials of montmorillonite. Biotite possibly weathers to montmorillonite if the internal drainage is strongly retarded. Montmorillonite weathers to vermiculite in the surface horizons. Kaolinite forms early in the profile during the weathering of feldspar. Medium- to coarse-grained muscovite is also a source of kaolinite. There was no evidence found to indicate that kaolinite is a weathering product of the 12 A clay minerals. Illite occurs in minor amounts in a few micaceous profiles but appears to be the result of mechanical break-down of larger mica particles. / Master of Science

The research hypothesis of this study states that a systematic and operational method for evaluating rural, cultural, historic landscapes, particularly at the regional level, simply does not exist. The purpose of this study was two-fold: first, to prove, through an informal survey of landscape architecture firms involved in historic preservation and preservation organizations, that the hypothesis was true, and secondly, to develop a method for evaluating a specific kind of rural, cultural, historic landscape -- nineteenth century farms in the Blue Ridge Belt. The overriding objective in developing the method for evaluating nineteenth century Blue Ridge farms was to make the evaluation criteria as operational as possible, and, therefore, create a method which would be accessible to the non-professional. The criteria used to evaluate the farms was based on studies done of farms documented in the archives of the Shenandoah National Park in Luray, Virginia, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and the Historic Landsmarks Commission in Richmond, Virginia. The method was designed so that every farm evaluated by means of the checksheet can be scored based on the degree to which it represents a typical nineteenth century Blue Ridge farm. / M.L. Arch.

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.

Multiple saline tracers were used to explore the role of geologic structure on groundwater recharge at the Fractured Rock Research Site in Floyd County, Virginia. Tracer migration was monitored through soil, saprolite, and fractured crystalline bedrock for a period of 3 months with chemical, physical, and geophysical techniques. Potassium chloride (KCl) and potassium bromide (KBr) tracers were applied at specific locations on the ground surface to directly test flow pathways in a shallow saprolite and deep fractured rock aquifer. Previous work at the Fractured Rock Research Site have identified an ancient thrust fault complex that is present in the otherwise competent metamorphic bedrock; fracturing along this fault plane has resulted in a highly transmissive aquifer that receives recharge along the vertically oriented portion of the fault zone. A shallow aquifer has been located above the thrust fault aquifer in a heterogeneous saprolite layer that rapidly transmits precipitation to a downgradient spring. Tracer monitoring was accomplished with differential electrical resistivity, chemical sampling, and physical monitoring of water levels and spring discharge. Tracer concentrations were monitored quantitatively with ion chromatography and qualitatively with differential resistivity surveys. KCl, applied at a concentration of 10,000 mg/L, traveled 160 meters downgradient through the thrust fault aquifer to a spring outlet in 24 days. KBr, applied at a concentration of 5,000 mg/L, traveled 90m downgradient through the saprolite aquifer in 19 days. KCl and KBr were present at the sampled springheads for 30 days and 33 days, respectively. Tracer breakthrough curves indicate diffuse flow through the saprolite aquifer and fracture flow through the crystalline thrust fault aquifer. Heterogeneities in the saprolite aquifer had a large effect on tracer transport, with breakthrough peaks varying several days over vertical distances of several meters. Monitoring saline tracer migration through soil, saprolite, and fractured rock provided data on groundwater recharge that would not have been available using other traditional hydrologic methods. Travel times and flowpaths observed during this study support preferential groundwater recharge controlled by geologic structure. Geologic structure, which is not currently considered an important factor in current models of Blue Ridge hydrogeology, should be evaluated on a local or regional scale for any water resources investigation, wellhead protection plan, or groundwater remediation project. / Master of Science