August 10, 2009, 10:06 pm
At this moment it’s likely someone is thinking about, preparing for, or actually visiting a certain dear friend.
This friend is always available. And during every visit it offers a multitude of things to do and paths to take, each of which invariably leads to new places and discoveries that can touch the soul.
For nearly 75 years Shenandoah National Park has been this friend to countless people. And because friendship is a partnership, there is the Shenandoah National Park Trust.
When the trust was founded in 2004 it was a committee within the National Park Foundation. The NPF is an organization established by Congress to support all 58 national parks.
In 2007 the trust decided to establish itself as an independent, nonprofit partner of the park. Its mission is to heighten awareness of all the park has to offer, and to raise funds for projects and programs that will “maintain and enhance” its natural and historic resources.
Because national parks are entities of the federal government they’re not allowed to raise funds. That’s why organizations such as SNPT are vital.
“The trust is one of dozens of what are called ‘friends groups’ of national parks throughout the country,” said Susan Sherman, executive director of the trust. “These groups have cropped up because the federal government has not been able to take care of the parks to the level they need.
“There are huge backlogs in Shenandoah, and all across the country, in maintenance projects and base-level projects such as keeping roads in shape and habitat in tact. Federal funds are not providing enough, so groups like the trust assist in providing funds so our national parks are the beautiful, thriving places they deserve to be.”
The trust recently launched a new license plate program, with the hope that it will provide a major, ongoing stream of funds for the park. The project illustrates the type of work the trust does to benefit Shenandoah.
