MEDIA ADVISORY

Interior Secretary Norton to Visit Shenandoah National Park May 7, to Highlight Success of Park Maintenance Projects

WASHINGTON—Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton, accompanied by National Park Service Director Fran Mainella, will visit Shenandoah National Park on Friday, May 7, 2004. Norton will use the visit to highlight the importance of completed projects that were once part of the park’s maintenance backlog. She will tour the recently rehabilitated Massanutten Lodge located at the Skyland Resort.

The Skyland Resort is on the National Register of historic districts. It represents an integral part of America’s search for recreational opportunities beginning in the last half of the 19th century. The buildings, including Massanutten Lodge, are characteristic of the period and methods of construction. Built in 1911, Massanutten Lodge embodies the stylistic genre of Skyland through the use of massive boulders and rustic surfaces. Recent improvements to the building include replacing bark siding, rebuilding rock walls around the lodge, and restoring the landscape to its original contour.

Who: Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior
Fran Mainella, Director of the National Park Service
Marie Rust, Northeast Regional Director of the National Park Service
Doug Morris, Superintendent of Shenandoah National Park

What: Tour maintenance backlog projects

When: Friday, May 7, 2004
10:00 a.m. – Tour begins
10:30 a.m. –Media availability

Where: Shenandoah National Park, Skyland Resort

Note to Editors: Media covering the event should arrange to meet at the tent in front of the Skyland Conference Hall, located at milepost 42 on Skyline Drive. A report on all national parks in the Commonwealth of Virginia will be available for those attending the event.