The National Park Service has a decision open here and is taking comments on it. Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina.
The agency files it as “Linville Falls Site Plan”
Record openthe agency stopped taking comments September 30 · what you find still counts
Places to check
1
People it would take
6
Said they’ll go
0
Photographs filed
0
Opened
September 7
Window closed
September 30
Evidence
Nothing filed yet.
No photograph has been filed on this mission yet. The first one lands here with its fingerprint, where its location came from, and how far inside the agency’s own boundary it was taken. The places to check are below.
The objective
What we are testing.
Blue Ridge ParkwayRoute use
“Evaluate and address existing unauthorized social trails”
The agency wrote that in its own document, under Draft Site Concepts. Nobody has been out to check it.
Walk the main trail from the Linville Falls trailhead toward the falls viewpoints on the west side of the river. Photograph every worn side path people have made off the official trail. Photos of beaten-down side paths leaving the main trail, with bare soil or broken plants, or clear photos showing none exist.
Everything else the document says about the ground.
7 more sentences, in the agency’s own words, with where each one sits in the document. Any of them is fair game for a photograph.
“the visitor center at Linville Falls, which was originally constructed within the floodplain, has been destroyed twice due to flood damage”
Under Flooding Risk at Linville FallsWhere: Linville Falls trailhead area, site of the former visitor center
“Visitors can once again reach the falls and many of the area\u2019s signature viewpoints”
Under Park OverviewWhere: Linville Falls Trail Corridor, western side of Linville River
“major visitor facilities remain closed, including the campground, the visitor center, and the primary picnic area”
Under Park OverviewWhere: Linville Falls developed area (campground, visitor center, picnic area)
“Establish a geological fault line interpretive trail using the path of an existing roadbed where possible”
Under Draft Site ConceptsWhere: Riverbend Overlook
“Expand the camping season from its current May through October window to begin April 1”
Under Draft Site ConceptsWhere: Campground Loop A
“Core facilities\u2014including the visitor center, campground, restrooms, picnic shelters, parking areas, and portions of the Linville Gorge Trail system\u2014suffered extensive damage from flooding, erosion, and debris”
Under Park OverviewWhere: Linville Falls developed area
“Formalize the existing river access point for anglers”
Under Draft Site ConceptsWhere: Riverbend Overlook, Linville River
The window shut September 30. Evidence still counts: it backs the objections from people who did comment, goes to the lawyers, and outlives the decision.