Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 24, 1994 TAG: 9403010195
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-9 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By MELISSA DeVAUGHN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PEMBROKE LENGTH: Medium
Since last August, a $2 fee has been collected at the popular hiking and picnic area located off U.S. 460 in Giles County. But some people have ignored the signs.
"[Compliance to the fee] is getting better, but it is difficult for people to accept," said Blacksburg District Ranger David Collins. "People are beginning to catch on, but we're not getting 100 percent compliance by any means."
Sixty-five percent of the fee money will be used for maintenance and improvements to the area, which sees some of the heaviest use - about 70,000 people per year - of all scenic areas in the New River Valley.
Those visiting the Cascades must pay $2 at a self-service fee station, by depositing the fee and their license number in an envelope, and placing an additional record of the payment on their car's dashboard.
The Forest Service and the Giles County Sheriff's office have a cooperative agreement in which one of its officers will check the parking area at least once a day. Those who fail to pay the fee are fined $35.
The Cascades area was one of the last developed sites in the 710,000 acre Jefferson National Forest to add a visitation fee. Last year's budget included $176,000 to upgrade the area, and this year's budget, which is not completed yet, will add even more funding for projects at the area.
"We have looked at the big picture," Collins said. "We want to make improvements that won't degrade the area."
Some of those improvements include:
Building a handicapped-accessible loop trail from the parking lot to the first bridge along the trail to the Cascade falls. The remainder of the two-mile trail will remain as it is. The Jefferson National Forest will open bids to contractors for that project next week.
Renovations in and around the picnic area, including making two of the picnic areas handicapped-accessible. Work will begin this summer.
Improvements to septic and water systems, including upgrading the restrooms so they will be open year-round, and heated as well.
The construction of a small host cabin in which probably volunteers, but possibly a paid caretaker, will live and serve as an assistant to the area.
Collins estimates all of the projects will be completed prior to or by the summer of 1996. He also stressed that during construction, some or all of the trail may be closed
"There really is no down time for the Cascades," Collins said. "In the summer people just want to get out, in the fall there are the colorful leaves, in the springtime there are the flowers and in the winter there is the ice."
Some people have complained about the fee, Collins said, but it is a necessary evil. Without the additional money, the area would deteriorate quickly.
"It's already a developed area," he said. "We must maintain it. I think once people see the finished product, it will be easier to accept the fee."
by CNB