Environment and Outdoors
The Roanoke area’s draw as an outdoor recreation site will get another boost several years from now — a kayak park in the Roanoke River. The project will create man-made rapids in the river near Wasena Park. $2 million in federal funding will pay for the project which must begin construction by 2024 and be completed by 2026. WFIR’s Evan Jones has more:
Click here for full kayak park information.
Graphic taken from Clean Valley Council’s Facebook page.
Next week, some Roanoke residents will learn how to collect rain water to help save on their utility bill while also helping the local environment. WFIR’s Camden Lazenby has more.
The workshop has already filled up but the Clean Valley Council has a waitlist for future events. Click here to add your name to the waitlist.
Photo: NPS
It has been two years since a landslide forced the Blue Ridge Parkway’s closure between Roanoke and Adney Gap near Bent Mountain. Work is now getting underway to re-open that stretch by the end of the year. Heavy rains took out a 150-foot section of the parkway, and repairing the damage involves a lot more than re-opening most roads you might travel, a project that officials say involves multiple layers of engineering and design work. Meantime, another Roanoke-area stretch of the parkway is set to reopen in June. More from WFIR’s Evan Jones:
From Governor Glenn Youngkin’s Office – RICHMOND, VA – Governor Glenn Youngkin signed SB8 this week, introduced by Senator Chap Petersen, to allow Sunday hunting on public land more than 200 yards from places of worship. Previously, Wildlife Management Areas and National Forests were only open to hunters every other day of the week, except Sundays.