Hearing from locals about opening the park
On May 7th, the Rappahannock News reported a recent visit by Interior Secretary David Bernhardt to Shenandoah National Park. The secretary was accompanied by both Republican Congressmen Denver Riggleman of the 5th District and Ben Cline of Virginia’s 6th District. In a video made during the trip, Secretary Bernhardt announced plans to begin reopening the park to visitors.
O cials in Rappahannock County were never consulted about the Trump administration’s plans to reopen. Many Rappahannock County o cials were quoted expressing concern about opening up the region to a large number of visitors amidst the continued threat of COVID-19 transmission. Although our number of con rmed cases is low, our trend is upward. When Congressman Riggleman was asked for comment about the visit, he declined.
The closing of the Shenandoah National Park and the trailheads in Rappahannock County last month was a subject of intense debate. Large signs were put up along major roadways to discourage visitors from trying to access the park and some citizens went so far as to advocate for the closure of Highway 211.
Despite this backdrop of concern, county o cials were never given the opportunity to voice their opinions on reopening the park. Further, county governments have not been able to properly prepare plans of action in conjunction with federal o cials for when visitors begin arriving.
Once again Congressman Riggleman is proving that he cares more about appeasing President Trump than the wellbeing of his constituents. Opening Shenandoah National Park and welcoming large numbers of visitors puts Rappahannock and Madison County citizens at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 and is counter to safety concerns of our county.
I am currently a candidate in the Democratic Primary for Virginia's 5th District and a former member of the Rappahannock County Board of Supervisors. Congressman Riggleman’s lack of transparency with local elected and county o cials is disheartening.
I implore Congressman Riggleman to step out of the darkness and work closely with local o cials in Rappahannock and Madison Counties for a safe and smart plan for reopening the Shenandoah National Park.