Groundbreaking 

High Knob Horse Trails

Scott County Horse Park, Dungannon, Virginia

11:30 AM, Monday, April 7, 2008

            It is my pleasure to visit the Scott County Horse Park today for a long anticipated groundbreaking of immediate significance to one of our region's most valuable assets.  For years, many of us here today have recognized the outstanding opportunity that High Knob presents our region.   It is my goal that High Knob become a major tourist destination for visitors who are seeking a premier outdoor experience, and today's event is a significant step in advancing this goal.

            We are here today to break ground for the construction of a network of horse trails and associated facilities on High Knob.  In 2005 Congress agreed to my request to provide $600,000 in federal funding for the horse trails and facilities, and soon thereafter local groups and the Forest Service began planning for the project.  The planning, design and environmental reviews are now complete, and construction is set to begin in May.  Approximately 2.5 miles of new trails will be built where trails have not previously existed.  Almost 5 miles of major trail reconstruction, including placement of new culverts and new trail tread, will also be undertaken.  Restrooms will be constructed at the High Knob and Little Stoney Falls. Three new trail heads will be created, each with its own parking lot - one near High Knob, one near the existing Little Stoney Falls parking area, and one above this facility near Hagan Hall. 

            We are holding today's groundbreaking at the Scott County Horse Park because at the present time there is inadequate parking for such an event at any of the parking facilities to be constructed.  I anticipate that our ribbon cutting in September, when completion of the construction is anticipated, will take place at one of the new facilities.  In the meantime, the Scott County Horse Park is a most appropriate location for a symbolic groundbreaking.  The Park is attracting growing numbers of horse enthusiasts to the Dungannon area for equine events and is proving to be a valuable asset for Scott County.

            The new network of trails, trail heads, parking lots and restrooms will encourage horse enthusiasts from throughout our region and beyond to visit High Knob. Completion of the horse trails, in conjunction with two additional projects now underway at High Knob, will assure that the area increases its visitation and realizes its great potential as a tourist destination for our region.

            The first of these additional projects is the reconstruction of the High Knob Observation Tower, which for decades had been a favorite feature for visitors.  We are all acutely aware that the Tower was destroyed by fire on October 31 of last year, and its destruction represented a great loss for the history and heritage of our region.  Early this

year I assembled a Task Force of interested local citizens with the goal of rebuilding a viewing structure on the site of the original tower and determining what additional facilities could be undertaken to enhance the visitor's experience at High Knob. The various subcommittees of the Task Force have met numerous times and have made great progress.  The Task Force members are committed to capturing the local enthusiasm that exists for rebuilding the tower and will be providing a full report on the progress of their efforts in the weeks ahead.

            A second additional project that will add value to the experience of visitors to High Knob is the rehabilitation of Chief Benge's Scout Trail from High Knob to Little Stony Falls in Scott County.  In December of last year I announced that the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation was providing $40,000 in federal funding from its Virginia Recreational Trails Fund Program to this project . With these funds and with labor donated by the Forest Service, the Clinch Coalition and other partners, Chief Benge's Scout Trail, which  has become degraded due to its age, will be repaired.   The 24-mile trail is available for use by hikers, bicyclists and horseback riders and will connect with the new horse trails we are breaking ground for today, providing additional recreational opportunities for horse riding enthusiasts who visit High Knob.

            There are several individuals who deserve our thanks for their efforts that have made today's event possible.  First, the Scott County Horse Association and its members are to be commended for their vision and commitment to enhancing horse facilities in Scott County.  I want to thank especially Sherry Hilton and Judith Babb for their help and advice in initiating this project and Charlie Green for his work with the Forest Service on designing the trails and facilities.                    

            I also want to thank Danny Parks, David Redwine, Buck Kinkead and the Members of the Scott County Board of Supervisors for their encouragement in our efforts to make High Knob a key tourism destination for the region.   Their support has been essential in our work to increase and enhance the attractions on High Knob, and their partnership with our office is greatly appreciated.

            Forest Service personnel in the Roanoke Headquarters Office and in the Clinch Ranger District in Wise have enthusiastically worked to move the design and environmental review process for the trails and associated facilities forward, and I want to express my appreciation to District Ranger Ron Bush and the Forest Service Staff for all their hard work on the project.

          Finally, my Senior Advisor for Policy, Becky Coleman, has contributed greatly to the process of developing new visitor amenities for High Knob over the past several years, and I want to thank her for her efforts in coordinating the various projects that I have described and assuring that funding for the projects has been provided.

            Let me now introduce in turn Ron Bush, Clinch District Ranger with the Forest Service, Sherry Hilton with the Scott County Horse Association and Buck Kinkead with the Scott County Board of Supervisors for their comments, after which we will hold the groundbreaking.