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FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway joined its Rocky Knob Chapter to unveil the first outdoor Iron Ranger donation box on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Lester Wood and Mindy DeCesar from the National Park Service demonstrated the collection method to Rocky Knob Chapter Steering Committee Chairpersons, Gloria and Kerry Hilton. The location of the donation box is just beside the walkway entrance to the gift shop/restaurant at Mabry Mill, Milepost 176.2.
Susan Jackson Mills, Ph.D., FRIENDS Executive Director, noted that �One of the most convenient ways for park visitors to express their support is through on-site donation boxes. FRIENDS volunteers will collect the monies, and we will return 100% of the funds back to the Parkway.� With the cost of operating the Parkway increasing much faster than funding, these boxes could generate thousands of dollars annually to help the Parkway with activities ranging from trail construction, viewshed restoration, and volunteer support. And, unlike many national park areas, the Blue Ridge Parkway charges no entrance fee, so they must depend upon private support and volunteer organizations to provide those services that people have come to expect from the Parkway. Currently FRIENDS collects donation boxes at the Folk Art Center in Asheville and at the Mineral Museum in Little Switzerland � all collections are performed by FRIENDS volunteers. Plans are underway to unveil indoor boxes at Peaks of Otter and Humpback Rocks this summer. In addition, outdoor boxes have been shipped to Moses Cone and Linville Falls where volunteer teams are ready to begin the collection. �The success of this FRIENDS project is centered on the incredible FRIENDS Parkway volunteers,� says Dr. Mills. For information about FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, call (800) 228-PARK (7275) or visit www.BlueRidgeFRIENDS.org (Image provided by the Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway.)
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