ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia’s Natural Bridge landmark, a “natural wonder”, is now property of the commonwealth.
The Natural Bridge, a 215-foot tall “bridge” of limestone that passes over Cedar Creek in the Shenandoah Valley, had its deed transferred to the state on June 15. This date also happened to mark the 87th anniversary of the Virginia State Park System.
“Virginia’s state parks got a great anniversary present,” Melissa Baker, director of Virginia State Parks, said in a press release. “Now Virginians, and people all over the world who are captivated by the Natural Bridge, can rest assured that this natural wonder will forever be accessible to them as a Virginia State Park.”
The landmark and the 1,530 acres around it originally belonged to the Trust for Public Land (TPL), which is a national nonprofit organization protecting public land. The transfer of its ownership to the state was coordinated with the cooperation of the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).
There was concern that the property would be divided up after nearly 2,000 acres of land, including the Natural Bridge, were nearly sold at a 2014 auction.
Multiple organizations, including the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Virginia Resources Authority (VRA), stepped in with a loan to prevent the property from being subject to “piecemeal development”.
“Virginians were at risk of losing public access to one of the Commonwealth’s most recognized and revered natural features,” VRA executive director Shawn Crumlish said in a release. “The Virginia Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund made it possible to conserve this landmark and protect the streams on the property.”
The Natural Bridge has been maintained and managed by Virginia State Parks since 2016. Now that the state owns the property, they can proceed with their “master plan” of improvements for this and other park lands, which includes moving Route 11 off of the Natural Bridge.
This change has the support of the Virginia Department of Transportation, according to the release.
