Shenandoah National Park proposal pushes for community ties

WAYNESBORO — Visitors to Shenandoah National Park bring in more than $41 million to surrounding communities, according to a new report that says improved collaborations between the park and communities will attract more visitors and non-local cash.

Shenandoah, as much as any national park, “is designed for people to look out of ... . The visual character of the surrounding communities and countryside are key to park visitors’ experience,” concludes the “Making Connections” report released Monday by the National Parks Conservation Association.

Cross-promotion between the park and tourism departments is key the report concludes. And future community developments should be mindful of the park’s scenic views and air quality.

Of the park’s 1 million annual visitors, 16 percent discover the park while visiting other area attractions. More than 45 percent see Shenandoah as part of a broader visit with other area attractions, the report found.

“That number could be a lot higher if there was more effort to market together,” said Catharine Gilliam, Virginia program manager of the National Parks Conservation Association.

The park, which celebrates its 75th anniversary next year, has struggled with hazy vistas, invasive species and plant diseases. Those factors pushed it to the “rock bottom” category in a 2004 National Geographic ranking of parks. That study concluded the park would be improved by more effort to protect scenic vistas. Almost 50 percent of visitors rated existing traveler information as “poor to very poor” in the park in a 2002 National Park Service study.

Park spokeswoman Karen Beck-Herzog said the past decade has seen communities grow closer to the park and improvements on those fronts.

“[We] really see ourselves as an overall part of the region,” she said.

“Shenandoah National Park is not an island by itself,” she said. “When I get calls about tourism from newspapers, say Baltimore, I don’t just talk about Shenandoah National Park. I’ll talk about themes: wineries ... Civil War history.”

The southern portion of the park received special attention in the conservation association report. Including Augusta and Albemarle counties, that region’s increase of visitors between 2003 and 2007 topped other parts of the park. Traveler spending in the southern region over that time grew 32 percent when adjusted for inflation.

“The southern district of the park offers some of the best recreation,” Gilliam said.

Southern region growth is due to partnerships between Augusta County, Waynesboro and Staunton, said Shenandoah Valley Travel Association Executive Director Brian Ososky. He and Beck-Herzog also credited growth in Charlottesville and improvements in other natural attractions for southern region growth.

“You can accomplish more working in partnership,” Ososky said.

The report recommends joint visitor centers, more shared brochures between cities and the park, regional identity branding and land conservation.

The parks conservation association will likely hold community meetings to bring together residents, businesses and civic organizations, said Gilliam.

Ososky said such a meeting regarding the national park hasn’t occurred in recent memory, but that 75th anniversary plans are already underway.