Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 14, 1993 TAG: 9308140054
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: KEN DAVIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PEARISBURG LENGTH: Medium
It is a place where nature and civilization meet, often in conflict.
Until now.
"You can have conservation and industrialization at the same time, but do it in the smartest way possible," said Van Anderson, a landscape architect and consultant for The National Committee for the New River.
The nonprofit committee, dedicated to protecting the river and its environmental and cultural qualities, was awarded a $32,500 grant from the Virginia Environmental Endowment in July to plan and develop a greenway along both sides of the river as it twines through the county.
Greenways - like the Huckleberry Trail in Montgomery County and the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine - are large open areas that run alongside natural or man-made linear corridors such as rivers, wilderness trails and railroad beds.
Contrary to what many business and environmental leaders think, committee officials say greenways can merge ecological and economic development instead of separating the two or forcing a choice.
"A greenway ties in with development," said Randi Lemmon, another consultant.
For example, Lemmon said, initial concepts include housing developments among wildlife areas along the river, or parks and picnic areas on scenic sights.
In addition, he said, developing the greenway along the river would tie together the towns of Pembroke, Narrows, Pearisburg, Glen Lyn and Rich Creek and would promote qualities that have been long overlooked.
"There are 37 miles of the New River in Giles County - more than in any other county - and yet there is very little interaction between the populace and the river," he said. "A greenway would fulfill the economic and recreational needs for all the communities. What benefits Pembroke benefits everybody else; what benefits Narrows benefits everybody else, and so on."
Plans for the greenway started in 1990, Lemmon said, when Giles County's comprehensive plan stated that recreation and tourism needed attention.
"Because they have the most river, they want to look at how to tap into that resource,' he said.
After developing the greenway plan, the National Committee for the New River will present it to civic, governmental and business leaders in the county for further consideration.
But although the plan revolves around economic and ecological development, the key is planned development, Anderson said.
"We're just trying to promote vision," he said. "We're proposing alternate forms of development. You have to look before you leap."
by CNB