our community. We recognized, and the
[park exploration] committee recognized, the need to
set aside some open space or parkland.”
Merely a mile west of Strasburg,
the Keister property includes a steep sided hill
overlooking the North Fork of the Shenandoah River. It
was named for the Keister family, who grazed dairy
cattle on the land from 1945 to 2000. “It’s
a marvelous piece of land and was highly sought after,”
said Marcus Ordonez. “It was well worth the local
taxpayer dollar to help acquire it.”
Last August, the county unveiled a
master plan for its newest park (available online at
http://co.shenandoah.
va.us/parks). The plan
proposes campsites, hiking trails, and boating and fishing
access to the North Fork. It calls for restoring
riparian buffers along the river to improve water
quality and increase wildlife habitat.
The master plan also calls for
making the most of stunning views available from the
hilltop. Visitors can gaze south across the North Fork
to Signal Knob, a prominent local landmark that was
once the site of a Confederate signaling station.
During the Battle of Cedar Creek, Confederate troops
crossed the North Fork just west of the Keister
property in their final, vain attempt to retake the
Valley. Views north from the hilltop take in much of
Cedar Creek battlefield, home to Belle Grove Plantation
and scene of annual reenactments.
“We’ve received good
support from the locals and had great participation at
some of our planning meetings when we set our master
plan up,” recalled Marcus Ordonez.
“We’re actually moving into phase one in
January. Hopefully we’ll start construction this
spring or summer.” In the first of three phases,
Shenandoah County will construct roads and a parking
lot, locate utility infrastructure, and build a boat
ramp.
Improvements at the Keister Tract
won’t come cheap. Fully implementing the master
plan, including a 3,000 square foot interpretive center
and small amphitheater, would cost more than $2
million.
Marcus Ordonez said he sees the
state’s initial investment through VLCF as the
catalyst that prompted county residents to dream big
for their new park. Winning the VLCF grant enabled his
department to stretch limited resources. Public
enthusiasm following the acquisition then prompted
Shenandoah County officials to go forward with the
proposed improvements.
“I would encourage parks and
recreation departments and localities to
participate,” he said of the VLCF grant program.
“It’s allowed us as
a parks agency to
leverage local funding for park resources. So the program
has not only opened local decision makers eyes to help
finance programs, but also helped us to meet our goals
as an agency as well.”
For more information on the
Virginia Land Conservation Foundation, including how to
apply for 2006 grants, visit www.dcr.virginia.gov/vlcf or
email DCR Land Conservation Coordinator Sarah
Richardson at sarah.richardson@dcr.virginia.gov. 
