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NEWTONIA, Mo. — Area residents will have their chance to weigh in on a proposal to add Civil War battlefields near Newtonia to the National Park Service.
The park service has scheduled a public meeting from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 8, at the Newtonia Community Center, 461 Mill St. Presentations will be made at 5 p.m. and again at 6:30 p.m. that day, said Ruth Heikkinen, project manager and planner for the regional office of the National Park Service in Omaha, Neb.
U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., was successful in prompting Congress to authorize a feasibility study to determine whether the battlefields are appropriate for the National Park Service, and, if so, how to manage them.
The site could be managed as a stand-alone, independent unit of the National Park Service, or it could be brought under the jurisdiction of an existing nearby unit, in this case Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield near Republic.
Heikkinen said the public will have the chance to offer feedback on the proposal at the first public meeting. That will be followed by a couple other public meetings, probably in a year or so, in which park service staff will outline in more detail the different alternatives for managing the site.
“We are going to be coming up with multiple management plans,” she said.
Even if the feasibility study returns a favorable recommendation, it will be up to Congress to pass legislation declaring Newtonia’s battlefields part of the National Park Service.
“Congress doesn’t always act on our plans,” Heikkinen said, noting that 80 percent of the sites that receive a favorable review from the feasibility study never are added to the nearly 400 units that already are part of the national park system.
Even if they do, the legislative steps can take a couple of years, so she cautioned area residents not to expect any immediate action.
History happened
Two battles were fought at the site, one in 1862 and the other in 1864. American Indians fought on both sides during the first battle, according to the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission. The site also includes the Ritchey Mansion, used as a hospital and military headquarters during the war, which is now owned by the Newtonia Battlefields Protection Association.
The park service has scheduled a public meeting from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, July 8, at the Newtonia Community Center, 461 Mill St. Presentations will be made at 5 p.m. and again at 6:30 p.m. that day, said Ruth Heikkinen, project manager and planner for the regional office of the National Park Service in Omaha, Neb.
U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., was successful in prompting Congress to authorize a feasibility study to determine whether the battlefields are appropriate for the National Park Service, and, if so, how to manage them.
The site could be managed as a stand-alone, independent unit of the National Park Service, or it could be brought under the jurisdiction of an existing nearby unit, in this case Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield near Republic.
Heikkinen said the public will have the chance to offer feedback on the proposal at the first public meeting. That will be followed by a couple other public meetings, probably in a year or so, in which park service staff will outline in more detail the different alternatives for managing the site.
“We are going to be coming up with multiple management plans,” she said.
Even if the feasibility study returns a favorable recommendation, it will be up to Congress to pass legislation declaring Newtonia’s battlefields part of the National Park Service.
“Congress doesn’t always act on our plans,” Heikkinen said, noting that 80 percent of the sites that receive a favorable review from the feasibility study never are added to the nearly 400 units that already are part of the national park system.
Even if they do, the legislative steps can take a couple of years, so she cautioned area residents not to expect any immediate action.
History happened
Two battles were fought at the site, one in 1862 and the other in 1864. American Indians fought on both sides during the first battle, according to the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission. The site also includes the Ritchey Mansion, used as a hospital and military headquarters during the war, which is now owned by the Newtonia Battlefields Protection Association.
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