Department of Conservation and Recreation
Conserve. Protect. Enjoy.
Department of Conservation and Recreation
Media inquiries: Please contact Dave Neudeck, dave.neudeck@dcr.virginia.gov, 804-786-5053.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: June 09, 2020
Contact: Julie Buchanan, Senior Public Relations and Marketing Specialist, 804-786-2292, julie.buchanan@dcr.virginia.gov
The Channels Natural Area Preserve to reopen this week with limited parking
RICHMOND — The Channels Natural Area Preserve will reopen Wednesday, June 10, with a few changes in place to protect both visitors and sensitive natural resources.
The parking lot off Virginia Highway 80 will be limited to 10 vehicles at one time. Visitors are asked to come back later should the lot be full when they arrive.
Parking will not be permitted along Highway 80. “No parking” signs have been posted, and violators will be ticketed.
“We are reopening The Channels Natural Area Preserve with parking strictly limited to 10 cars in order to sustainably manage visitor impacts and protect natural heritage resources,” preserve manager Claiborne Woodall said. “This will also protect the visitor experience at this unique natural area.”
Once inside the narrow Channels formations, visitors need to be especially mindful of social distancing guidelines. Visitors should keep ample distance from others, and alter routes when other visitors are encountered so as to avoid passing too closely. Groups of more than four persons should avoid going into the Channels at one time.
The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation closed the preserve on April 3 because of overwhelming numbers of visitors, resource degradation and concerns that visitors were not adequately social distancing within the confined rock formations.
The preserve is owned by the Virginia Department of Forestry and is part of The Channels State Forest in Washington and Russell counties. It is part of the Virginia Natural Area Preserve System, a network of 64 sites statewide that are managed for the permanent conservation of unique natural communities and rare plants and animals.
Biodiversity conservation is the primary purpose of the Virginia Natural Area Preserve System; public access for outdoor recreation is secondary.
Updates related to Virginia natural area preserves and COVID-19 are posted at www.dcr.virginia.gov/natural-heritage/nap-covid-19.
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