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National
Park Service Awards $500,000 in
Grants
to Protect Four Significant Civil War Battlefields
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Land and Water
Conservation Fund Helps
Preserve Sites
in Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina
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Washington,
DC – August 2014 / Newsmaker Alert / National
Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis announced more than $500,000
in grants from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to help preserve land
at four of America’s Civil War battlefields threatened with damage or destruction
by urban and suburban development. The grant projects are at the Bentonville
(N.C.), Kelly’s Ford (Va.), Rappahannock Station (Va.) and Shepherdstown
(W.V.) battlefields.
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 “Setting
aside important parts of these battlefields will ensure all Americans have
an opportunity to journey back in history and better understand how the
Civil War was fought and how it affected our nation’s history and culture,”
Jarvis said. “The grants also demonstrate the importance of the Land and
Water Conservation Fund, which has made it possible for states and local
communities not only to safeguard and preserve Civil War battlefields but
also to undertake more than 40,000 outdoor recreation and conservation
projects across the country.”
In
making the announcement, Jarvis underscored President Obama’s call for
full and permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, through
which a small portion of revenues from federal oil and gas leases on the
Outer Continental Shelf is dedicated to helping states and local communities
create ball fields, bike trails and other recreational facilities, expand
hunting and fish access, preserve battlefields, and undertake conservation
projects.
The
program, which only been fully funded at its $900 million authorized level
once in its 50-year history, is set to expire this year without action
from Congress.
“Next
week we celebrate the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson signing
into law the legislation to establish the Land and Water Conservation Fund,”
Jarvis said. “There is no better time for Congress to guarantee all the
oil and gas revenues that are supposed to be used for recreation, conservation
and battlefield preservation are in fact be used for that purpose rather
than siphoned off to other purposes.”
The
battlefield grants are administered by the National Park Service’s American
Battlefield Protection Program, one of more than a dozen programs administered
by the NPS that provide states and local communities technical assistance,
recognition, and funding to help preserve their own history and create
close-to-home recreation opportunities. Consideration for the Civil War
battlefield land acquisition grants is given to battlefields listed in
the National Park Service’s Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report
on the Nation’s Civil War Battlefields (CWSAC Report).
Grants
are awarded to units of state and local governments for the fee simple
acquisition of land, or for the non-federal acquisition of permanent, protective
interests in land (easements). Private non-profit groups may apply in partnership
with state or local government sponsors. Complete guidelines for grant
eligibility and application forms are available online at: www.nps.gov/abpp.
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For
further information, contact Elizabeth Vehmeyer, Grants Management Specialist,
at 202-354-2215 or elizabeth_vehmeyer@nps.gov.
About
the National Park Service
More
than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 401 national
parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local
history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at
www.nps.gov,
on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice,
Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice,
and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.
Media
Contacts:
Mike
Litterst, 202-513-0354 (NPS)
Paul
Hawke, 202-345-2023 (NPS) |
