A difficult departure from Shenandoah for superintendent

Last weekend, Jennifer Flynn abruptly shut down two-thirds of Skyline Drive to all motorized traffic

This was not the sendoff Jennifer Flynn anticipated upon stepping down tomorrow after three-plus years as superintendent of Shenandoah National Park, not to mention deputy superintendent for eight years.

“Today I’m feeling it’s not the best idea that I’ve ever had,” she quipped, referring to filling a top-level position at Interior Department headquarters. “This is the only job that would draw me to Washington.”

Needless to say, the unwelcome arrival of COVID-19 has made Flynn’s final month at Shenandoah quite taxing, with the federal government striving to keep its national park system open to visitors while at the same time some surrounding communities — Rappahannock County among them — push for closures.

“It has certainly been trying,” Flynn acknowledged in a telephone interview with the Rappahannock News, stressing that Interior Secretary David Bernhardt “has made it clear to national parks to follow our local counties’ leads.”

Those leads have been loud and clear, with officials from Rappahanock, Madison and Page counties extremely vocal about shutting down numerous trailheads in each county overwhelmed lately with hikers.

As a result, Flynn last weekend not only closed access to the trailheads in all three counties, she took an unprecedented step Saturday night of abruptly shutting down two-thirds of Skyline Drive to all motorized traffic.

Then on Wednesday of this week she took an even broader step of sealing off all of Shenandoah’s 199,000 acres after the National Park Service received a letter from the Rappahannock Rapidan Health District recommending “full closure” due to the threat of COVID-19.

Upon receiving the request, Flynn, with the support of Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt, made the decision to immediately close the park until further notice.

“We have been more than happy to comply,” said Flynn, who during her tenure has pursued dialogue with surrounding counties. “We always want to protect our communities and our staff.”

As for the closure of local trailheads like Mt. Marshall, Little Devil Stairs and Buck Hollow, Flynn said the park will rely on the Rappahannock County Sheriff’s Office for enforcement because “we can’t be there every day.”

“We are posting and marking [the trailheads] as best we can,” she said, pointing out there are 58 such trails originating in counties surrounding Shenandoah. “But the sheriff’s office is in a better position to encourage compliance with those closures [as] our rangers can’t be everywhere. This is one of the places we are truly in partnership with the county.”

Which puts added stress on Rappahannock sheriff’s deputies, who in a county this small are few and far between to begin with.

Last Saturday morning, for instance, the Buck Hollow Trail bordering Sperryville was roped off and posted with closure signs. By Saturday afternoon the emergency tape had been pulled from the trees and the trail was filled with hikers.

Flynn said park rangers will continue to patrol Skyline Drive and other areas during the closure. “Law enforcement staff is working the whole time and will continue to be working,” she stressed. “They are on full duty.”

Knowing Flynn and her extensive background within the national park system, she will continue to keep an eye on Shenandoah from the nation’s capital, during the ongoing pandemic crisis and in the future. She said she “will muster a lot of passion” culled from her field experience into the position of associate director for visitor and resource protection — responsible for 30 servicewide programs, 850 employees and a budget exceeding $200 million.

“I can help the field by bringing field experience to Washington,” she explained.

Once the pandemic has subsided, Flynn plans to return to Shenandoah for a “proper goodbye,” when people will be able to shake hands and hug each other again.

“After more than 10 years I feel terrible about walking out the door without telling people how much I appreciated them and my time here,” she said.

Flynn: “After more than 10 years I feel terrible about walking out the door without telling people how much I appreciated them and my time here.”