CLIFTON FORGE — Gov. Ralph Northam was in Alleghany County Friday morning to announce the reopening of the Green Pastures Recreation Area in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests.
Under an agreement signed by Northam Friday, Virginia will work with the U.S. Forest Service to restore and manage Green Pastures as a satellite of nearby Douthat State Park.
The 133-acres were one of the few federal outdoor recreational areas throughout the country that was set aside exclusively for African Americans during the segregation era in the 20th century.
Northam and federal officials signed a shared stewardship agreement to coordinate a response to the increasing ecological challenges and natural resource concerns throughout Virginia. The memorandum of understanding establishes a framework for state and federal agencies to improve collaboration as they strive toward their mutual goals of reducing wildfire risk and taking action against threats to forest and ecosystem health.
At the request of the Clifton Forge NACCP, the Civilian Conservation Corps began building Green Pastures in the Alleghany Highlands in 1938. From 1940 to 1950, the Forest Service operated the area as a segregated site for African Americans. Virginia and West Virginia opened segregated state parks in 1950.
“Segregation affected every aspect of life for Black Virginians, including when and where they could access recreation spaces,” said Northam. “People would come from all over to Green Pastures for cookouts, church outings, and celebrations with friends and family. Through this federal partnership, we will protect the land of this historical site and share the Green Pastures legacy with a broader audience.”
In 1963, the Forest Service changed the park’s name to Longdale Recreation Area. Under the new Historic Property Lease between the Forest Service and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Green Pastures will now be known by its historic name.
Restoring and reopening Green Pastures has long been a priority under Governor Northam’s Historic Justice initiative,” said Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources Matthew J. Strickler. “I am pleased that we have been able to work with state and federal partners to pay appropriate tribute to this place, and ensure it is accessible and properly remembered to all Virginians.”
Under the agreement signed Friday, the state will lease the recreation aar4ea for 30 years. It will be operated as a satellite of Douthat, which is 11 miles away.
Clyde Cristman, director of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, said Friday’s ceremony was a culmination of work by several individuals, including Joan Vannorsdall, who served as a member of the Alleghany County Board of Supervisors. It was a letter written by Vanorsdall that led to the state becoming involved in the project. Cristman also cited the work of Friends of Green Pastures, a local volunteer group that worked to keep up the site after it began to deteriorate.
“By the 2000s, it was abandoned,” said Clifton Forge Mayor Pam Marshall.
Marshall said the recreation began to deteriorate after funding to the Forest Service became more limited.
“The signing of this Shared Stewardship Agreement is emblematic of the long-standing relationship between the United States Department of Agriculture and the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bettina Ring. “The United States Department of Agriculture and the Virginia Department of Forestry have collaborated on the Virginia Interagency Coordination Center, forest health initiatives, water quality protection, urban and community forestry, and longleaf pine restoration. Working with and through each other, we can help ensure we have healthy forests, healthy people, and healthy communities across the commonwealth.
“Through Shared Stewardship, we have an unprecedented opportunity to work together to set landscape-scale priorities, implement projects at the appropriate scale, co-manage risks, share resources, learn from each other, and build capacity to improve forest conditions,” said Forest Service Associate Chief Angela Coleman. “This collaborative approach will have direct and positive effects on land management practices for Virginians.”
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