
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, July 10, 1990                   TAG: 9007100250
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B2   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: FRONT ROYAL                                LENGTH: Short

SHENANDOAH PARK RECEIVING FEWER VISITORS

Shenandoah National Park officials say wet spring weather, insects and air pollution may share the blame for a decline in park visitors this year.

Visits have declined about 7 percent from the first half of 1989 and 8.7 percent last month from June the previous year, the National Park Service said.

In the first half of this year, park visits totaled 609,552, a decline of 45,000 from the same period last year. In June, visits were down at every park station from the previous year, for a drop of about 18,000 from June 1989 levels.

Park service officials have become so concerned about the effects of air pollution, especially on visibility from scenic park overlooks, that they recently proposed a moratorium on state permits for new electric power plants.

- Associated Press

by CNB