How do you put a price on a view? How do you quantify its value? Who determines what is scenic and what isn't? And how exactly would they go about doing that, anyway?
These are the kinds of questions Leighton Powell wrestles with every day. Powell is the executive director of Scenic Virginia, a statewide, nonprofit conservation organization based in Richmond. Many know the group by its annual photo contest (the 2010 winners were recently featured in The Times-Dispatch). The shots are an attempt to do in pictures what Powell's organization does with words throughout the year: highlight the beauty and bounty of the Old Dominion.
I caught up with Powell recently to talk about Scenic Virginia, its aims as an organization and the value of a good view.
There are lots of conservation groups interested in preserving parts of Virginia for different reasons. Where does yours fit in? How is Scenic Virginia different?
"If you go anywhere and tell people where you're from, the first thing they say is, 'Oh, my gosh, it's so beautiful there.' They don't say, 'Oh, my gosh, it's so historic.' And so our philosophy is, we've got so much beauty, we're so lucky to have this incredible bounty."
How does that philosophy translate into action?
"We're not one of these shrill, screaming conservation groups. One of our mottoes is change is inevitable, ugliness is not. If the preservation of beauty was at the forefront of every person's list, we wouldn't need to exist. But you have bad planning, you have bad development.
"I think my point is that we are so lucky to have this as our home. We can't preserve everything, but let's make sure we don't lose the things that are most important."
And for your group, that means Virginia's scenic assets?
"Right. We've brought the national Scenic Byways program to Virginia. We're working on creating a Virginia viewshed register. There's the Scenic Byways program for roads, the Scenic Rivers program for water. You've got the landmarks register for historic sites. There's nothing for just recognizing a beautiful view. Let's designate the views that are most important, so there's some sort of recognition that goes along with it."
Give me an example of the importance of protecting a view.
"Ten years ago, the city [of Richmond] had the opportunity to buy the land along the riverfront below Libby Hill and didn't take advantage of it. Now it's in private hands, and the view is threatened. So, we decided it was worthwhile to look at some sort of statewide program to determine what are the most beloved views in the commonwealth.
"Our goal is to get people to think, 'All right, what would happen if we lost this [view]? What are the steps we can take to preserve it?' It might be enacting new zoning. It might be purchasing land. It's to get people thinking what they care about."
Do you find yourself butting up against business interests and private landowners in your efforts to protect certain scenic vistas?
"We've really tried to focus on being pro-beauty rather than anti-billboard, or anti-cell phone tower, the things that can mar a viewshed. We understand that you've got to work with business. There's no other way to do it. We're very pragmatic. You can't save everything, and we know that. But let's just figure out what's important.
"A big part of my job is just reminding people how beautiful it is here. And get people to feel that pride about how lucky we are to live in Virginia. We're not feeding the hungry or saving abused animals, but you think about your own environment and how affected you are by what you see, it is very important."
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement