The Blue Ridge Parkway is finally getting a management plan. The long-delayed outline for the next twenty years goes to a series of public hearings starting later today. Phil Francis is the park's Superintendent. He says much of the land that forms the backdrop for many of the views along the parkway's 469 miles is privately owned.
Phil Francis: "So it requires that we work with local communities, and developers and planning commissions and environmental groups and cities and counties, the 29 counties through which the Parkway passes to see how we might partner together to help protect those views."
Francis says other issues include the number of signs along the parkway and improving camping facilities to include electrical hookups and showers.