Battlefields under threat

[nick19thind]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070313/ap_on_re_us/historic_battlefields

WASHINGTON - Plans for a casino just outside Gettysburg were shot down last year, but the site of the Civil War's bloodiest battle is threatened by spreading home construction, a preservation group says.

While Gettysburg's new nemesis is housing, a site in Alabama's Mobile Bay is suffering from neglect and a lack of state funding, and vast tracts of land stretching from Virginia to Pennsylvania are at risk from a planned major power line, the Civil War Preservation Trust said in its annual inventory of endangered battlefields.

"Tens of thousands of valiant young Americans still lie entombed in those fields," former U.S. Rep. Charlie Wilson (news, bio, voting record), D-Texas, who backed federal spending on Civil War land preservation, told reporters Tuesday. "It is truly hallowed ground."

In addition to sites in Pennsylvania, Alabama and Virginia, the report names Civil War locations in jeopardy in Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Tennessee and West Virginia.

Suburban sprawl was cited as the most common problem.

Around Marietta, Ga., outside Atlanta, where Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman's Union army drove Confederate soldiers out of several strategic positions in 1864, the group cited large networks of trenches and other fortifications that remain unprotected. Some of the sites already have been damaged, and they are likely to succumb soon to Atlanta's development pressures, the group said.

The trust refreshes the list every year based on military significance, the urgency of threats and location. It boasts of saving more than 23,000 acres in 18 states by raising money and leveraging government funding to buy land or preservation easements.

Property outside Harpers Ferry in West Virginia was added this year after a developer dug 45-foot-wide trenches for water and sewer lines and unveiled plans to develop several thousand homes on land that saw fierce Civil War battles.

Harpers Ferry — best known for John Brown's failed effort to arm and free local slaves — changed hands eight times during the Civil War and was the site of an 1862 battle in which Confederate Maj. Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson won the surrender of 12,500 Union troops.

A mining company wants to rezone some 640 acres of "core battlefield" to dig more quarries at Cedar Creek, Va., while Fort Morgan in Alabama needs an infusion of state cash to reverse its decline, the group said.

In December, Pennsylvania gambling regulators rejected a bid for a casino about a mile from the Gettysburg National Military Park after the trust and other preservation groups protested. But the trust cited a pending threat: Plans for thousands of new homes.

The trust is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation group in the country, boasting some 70,000 members.

[Dignann]

Re: Battlefields under threat

For Immediate Release: 3/13/2007
Contact: Jim Campi, 202-367-1861 x205
Mary Goundrey, 202-367-1861 x231

CIVIL WAR PRESERVATION TRUST UNVEILS REPORT ON MOST ENDANGERED BATTLEFIELDS

Former Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson, descendant of Civil War soldier, and Former New York Congressman Bob Mrazek, noted Civil War novelist, join CWPT to announce report

(Washington, D.C.) - An historic West Virginia village where the scenic Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers meet, a once rural crossroads town in Pennsylvania where the blood of 50,000 Americans was shed and a Tennessee battleground where weary Confederates paid dearly for their slumber are some of the nation's most endangered Civil War battlefields.

At a news conference this morning, the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) unveiled its annual report on the status of the nation's historic battlegrounds. The report, entitled History Under Siege: A Guide to America's Most Endangered Civil War Battlefields, identifies the most threatened Civil War sites in the United States and what can be done to rescue them.

"The Civil War was the most tragic conflict in American history. For four long years, North and South clashed in hundreds of battles and skirmishes that sounded the death knell of slavery," said CWPT President James Lighthizer. "Nearly 20 percent of America's Civil War battlefields have already been destroyed—denied forever to future generations."

Joining Lighthizer at the news conference was former Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson, whose ancestor served with the 1st Alabama at Spring Hill, Tennessee, and former New York Congressman Bob Mrazek, a noted Civil War novelist. Wilson is the central character of the best selling book Charlie Wilson's War, soon to be a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

In their remarks, both lawmakers expressed strong support for the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Program, the principal federal program for protecting historic battlefield land. According to Wilson, the program has been used to save more than 14,000 acres of hallowed ground nationwide.

Also participating in the news conference was Dr. Libby O'Connell, Chief Historian of The History Channel. O'Connell developed and oversees Save Our History, The History Channel's campaign for historic preservation and history education.

History Under Siege is comprised of two parts: The first section cites the 10 most endangered battlefields in the nation, with a brief description of their history and preservation status; the second section lists 15 additional "at risk" sites that round out the top 25 endangered battlefields in the country.

According to Lighthizer, the sites mentioned in the report range from the famous to the nearly forgotten. However, all have a critical feature in common — each one is in danger of being lost forever, either fully or in part. The battlefields were chosen based on geographic location, military significance, and the immediacy of current threats.

Among the sites on this year's list is Harpers Ferry, W.Va., famous as the site of John Brown's abortive attempt to arm and liberate local slaves, but also the site of an important 1862 battle. From the heights that surround the sleepy village, Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson orchestrated one of the largest mass surrenders in American history. In August 2006, a consortium of Jefferson County, W. Va. developers crossed onto National Park Service (NPS) property and dug two 1,900-foot-long trenches for water and sewer pipes. They did so without receiving a permit from NPS and, despite repeated requests to cease and desist, left nearly two acres of taxpayer-owned hallowed ground seriously compromised. Now, thanks to this illegal construction, the same developers are proposing a massive development along the ridgeline.

The unprecedented bloodletting at Gettysburg, Pa., transformed the town into a mecca for those who sought to commemorate the sacrifices made there and on other battlefields. Although a proposal to build a 5,000-slot gambling facility one mile from the battlefield was defeated in December 2006, development pressures at Gettysburg continue unabated. According to The Gettysburg Times, the county estimates that 1,100 homes are either under construction or slated to begin shortly. Another 14,000 units have been proposed, and 6,500 more are foreseeable in the near future.

The struggle for Spring Hill, Tenn., was an attempt by Confederates to prevent an isolated Union column from retreating to nearby Franklin. Late in the day the Southern army gained a strategic position from which to cut off the Union retreat, but failed to attack. While Southern soldiers rested on their arms, the entire Union army passed them by, leading to the Battle of Franklin and its 6,200 Confederate casualties. Today, expansion of the Nashville and Franklin suburbs is eating away at large portions of the Spring Hill Battlefield. In January 2007, construction began on a massive commercial development – a 62-acre, 465,000-square-foot shopping center, which will contain a SuperTarget, Kohl's and 31 other retail units.

In addition to Harpers Ferry, Gettysburg and Spring Hill, History Under Siege includes:

Cedar Creek, Va. Despite a string of defeats in the Shenandoah Valley, the Confederate Army launched an audacious surprise assault at Cedar Creek, Va. on the morning of Oct. 19, 1864, that nearly reversed Southern fortunes in the valley. Unfortunately for the Rebels, the Federals rallied and launched a crushing counter-attack. Today, a rezoning application could allow the O-N Minerals Company to expand its current mining operations with five additional quarries across an area where at least 60 percent of the land is core battlefield.

Fort Morgan, Ala. In August 1864, Mobile Bay was one of the last ports available to the beleaguered Confederacy. After 18 days of intermittent bombardment by a Federal fleet under Adm. David Farragut, Fort Morgan surrendered its 46 guns and 500-man garrison. Today the once formidable Fort Morgan has fallen into significant disrepair. In 2006 the Alabama Historical Commission adopted a new plan to gradually increase staff and repair storm damage to the property. But full implementation of the management plan will require substantial state funding.

Iuka, Miss. On September 19, 1862, a bitter, pitched battle raged at Iuka for three hours, during which the Confederates managed to drive the head of the Federal column back. The presence of Union reinforcements the next morning caused Confederates to withdraw to the south. Today, as on many other Civil War battlefields, modern roadways penetrate the core battlefield and scene of the most significant fighting at Iuka. A motel was built on the spot where Lt. Cyrus Sears' 11th Ohio Battery unlimbered and served its guns in the heart of the battlefield; the building's foundation destroyed the hillside and valuable artifacts were lost.

Marietta, Ga. Following intense fighting at the end of May 1864, action during the Atlanta Campaign shifted eastward as Confederate forces occupied a long line of entrenchments from Lost Mountain to Brushy Mountain, near Marietta. Eventually, Federal forces drove the Confederates from the mountains eastward to the Kennesaw Mountain line. Today, huge sections of trenches and fortifications remain unprotected, and, in some instances, earthworks have been intentionally bulldozed to avoid complications that could scare away potential developers.

New Orleans Forts, La. In the spring of 1862, the Union navy launched an offensive to capture New Orleans, despite the series of forts built to defend against a nautical assault. Two of the greatest obstacles were Forts Jackson and St. Philip, situated on opposite banks of the river 70 miles south of the city. Fort Pike, just outside New Orleans, defended an alternate route. In August 2005, all three were devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Eighteen months later, though the initial cleanup has been completed, important questions remain about the future of the forts that once defended New Orleans.

Northern Piedmont, Md., Pa. and Va. The Northern Piedmont, a bucolic region that encompasses parts of Md., Pa. and Va., was one of the most heavily contested areas of America during the Civil War. Today, energy giants Dominion Virginia Power and Allegheny Power have proposed 500-kilovolt power lines that would devastate environmental, cultural and historical resources throughout the region. The most controversial route, proposed in Northern Virginia, would affect some 48,000 acres of land protected under preservation easements, including seven Civil War battlefields.

Petersburg, Va. For 10 months in 1864 and 1865, the area around Petersburg, Va., was honeycombed with tunnels and earthworks as Union and Confederate forces created trenches extending as far as 30 miles from the city center. In all, 18 major battles were fought in the area. The 2006 federal Base Realignment and Closure commission report call for a drastic increase in the size of Fort Lee, a U.S. Army installation located adjacent to the Petersburg National Battlefield. Estimates are that the on-base population will increase by 119 percent and that approximately $1 billion will be spent on building upgrades and new construction. Such incredible growth in such a short time will threaten the Park's historic buildings, landscape and archeological resources.

With 70,000 members, CWPT is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation organization in the United States. Its mission is to preserve our country's remaining Civil War battlefields. Since 1987, the organization has saved more than 23,500 acres of hallowed ground nationwide. CWPT's website is located at www.civilwar.org.

http://www.cwpt.org/PressReleases/PressDetail.asp?lngPressID=142

Eric

[Emmanuel Dabney]

National Trust Worried about Cedar Creek

From a press release today:

National Trust Urges Preservation of Cedar Creek Battlefield


Washington, D.C. (March 13, 2007) – Today, the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) announced its 2007 list of the most endangered Civil War battlefields, and one of the sites on CWPT's list is the Cedar Creek Battlefield, a National Historic Landmark that includes Belle Grove Plantation, a historic site owned and operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Following is a statement by Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, responding to today's most endangered listing of the Cedar Creek Battlefield.

"The National Trust is greatly concerned by the threat to each of the Civil War battlefields highlighted on the Civil War Preservation Trust's 2007 most endangered list, but as the owners of Belle Grove Plantation, we take an especially strong interest in preserving Cedar Creek," said Richard Moe, President of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "As stewards of these lands, the National Trust is committed to ensuring that this sacred soil is not transformed into a gravel pit in the shadow of a power line."

Background
The threats to Belle Grove and the Cedar Creek Battlefield are twofold. First, the National Trust adamantly opposes O-N Minerals’ proposal to radically expand their quarry operation, which is immediately adjacent to Belle Grove. The expanded quarry, with its waste piles, industrial facilities, and heavy truck traffic, would destroy core battlefield land, compromise the National Park’s scenic vistas, and degrade the area's pristine rural landscape. And second, the National Trust is seriously troubled by the proposal of Dominion Power and Allegheny Power to construct a new 500-kilovolt electric transmission line—with its 150-foot towers and 200-foot right of way—through the Northern Piedmont region in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Thus far, little or nothing has been done by Dominion Power and Allegheny Power to take into account the potential harm this power line would inflict on the rural landscape, local communities, and historic places along the proposed route. The Battle of Cedar Creek is an important chapter in the saga of the Civil War, and the battlefield on which it was fought needs to be preserved.

About Belle Grove Plantation
The National Trust for Historic Preservation, which took ownership of Belle Grove Plantation in 1964, was the first organization to provide leadership in the preservation of this 214 year-old historic site around which the Civil War Battle of Cedar Creek was fought. Today, the National Trust owns and protects 283 acres of the original plantation and battlefield, and the Trust’s non-profit partner, Belle Grove, Inc. owns and protects an additional 107 acres of historic and battlefield property. The National Trust and Belle Grove, Inc. work in close coordination with their key partners, the Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation, Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, and the National Park Service, to protect the 3,500-acre Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. The National Park was created by Congress with the strong support of local residents in 2002 to preserve both the battlefield and the antebellum plantation.

Online at: http://www.nationaltrust.org/news/20...edarbelle.html

[Dignann]

Re: Battlefields under threat

Here are the fifteen "at risk" sites:

Athens, Missouri
August 5, 1861
This Missouri State Park is faced with the possibility of a very unpleasant new neighbor—the Athens Hog Factory. The battlefield, which played a pivotal role in keeping the "Show Me State" in the Union during the war, could see visitation fall sharply due to the smell.

Brandy Station, Virginia
June 9, 1863
Culpeper County, home of the largest cavalry battle of the war, is the 18th fastest growing county in the nation, with its population increasing nearly six percent in 2005 alone. Between 2000 and 2005, population rose 24 percent. Housing developments are beginning to encroach on the battlefield.

Defenses of Washington, D.C.
1861–1865
Over time, many of the 68 forts erected to protect Washington from Confederate attack during the Civil War have fallen into disrepair or been lost entirely. There is little attempt to interpret the rich history of those that remain.

Falling Waters, Maryland and West Virginia
July 6–16, 1863
Although both sides of the Potomac River at Falling Waters, where the Confederates made their crossing back into the South after the battle of Gettysburg, remain largely intact today, residential development is encroaching rapidly.

Fort Monroe, Virginia
1861–1865
This important Union base, the scene of the battle between the Monitor and Merrimac and a refuge for freed slaves, is slated for closure as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure report. Local preservationists are determined to save it from development.

Glendale, Virginia
June 30, 1862
Three large developments, each incorporating the name of the battlefield as a selling point, have been built within the past two years. Four other developments in the immediate area are pending, including one within musket range of preserved land.

Honey Springs, Oklahoma
July 17, 1863
Area residents recently petitioned to have the private road through this largest battlefield in Oklahoma opened to public traffic. Tourists participating in the driving tour would be forced to compete with speeding commuters, making visitation more difficult.

Hunterstown, Pennsylvania
July 2, 1863
Known by historians as "North Cavalry Field," Hunterstown was recently recognized by the NPS as part of the Gettysburg Battlefield. Unfortunately, the site is extremely vulnerable to development. Last fall, several important historic structures on the battlefield were demolished.

Kennesaw Mountain, Georgia
June 27, 1864
As the Atlanta area has grown and overwhelmed existing transportation infrastructure, roads through this National Battlefield Park have become major commuter thoroughfares. Nearly all roads through the park, including those used for driving tours, are public use roads owned by Cobb County.

Little Blue River, Missouri
October 21, 1864
This battlefield near Independence was named one of the state's most endangered sites by the Missouri Alliance for Historic Preservation in 2005. Residential and commercial development are encroaching on central portions of the field. A four-lane divided highway is also proposed through crucial combat areas.

Lovejoy's Station, Georgia
August 20, 1864
Although Henry County, Ga., purchased 204 acres of land at this key battle of the Atlanta Campaign, crucial portions of the field remain unprotected in neighboring Clayton County. Like all of the burgeoning Atlanta suburbs, the area is highly vulnerable to development.

Manassas, Virginia
July 21, 1861 & August 28–30, 1862
Continuing traffic nightmares along U.S. Route 29 make the National Military Park nearly impossible to visit during rush hour. Many preservationists fear an impending push to widen the highway to four lanes through the heart of the battlefield.

Mansfield, Louisiana
April 8, 1864
Mansfield has long been the center of an unusual preservation struggle, as an active grassroots network faces off against a lignite mining operation. Preservationists remain ever vigilant as extraction work continues. Only 177 of the more than 6,000 acres at this site are currently protected.

Newtonia, Missouri
September 30, 1862 & October 28, 1864
The long-term protection of this southwestern Missouri battlefield could be secured by its inclusion in the Wilson's Creek unit of the National Park Service. Legislation to bring it under federal jurisdiction was introduced by Congressman Roy Blunt in January 2007.

Wilderness, Virginia
May 5–7, 1864
In January 2007, the Orange County Board of Supervisors laudably voted against expanding State Route 20 through the heart of the battlefield to four lanes. Still, large areas of the battlefield along Route 20 remain extremely vulnerable to development pressures.

http://www.civilwar.org/news/topten2007/atrisk.htm

Eric

[NYCivilWar]

Re: Battlefields under threat

What is the probability that "Dominion Power and Allegheny Power [will] construct a new 500-kilovolt electric transmission line—with its 150-foot towers and 200-foot right of way—through the Northern Piedmont region in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania"? And, what other battlefield sites, if any, are threatened by this proposal?

Thanks,
Kyle M. Stetz

[Bivouac_of_the_Dead]

Re: Battlefields under threat

I don't get it. The Petersburg area battlefields made the list, but not one word about the Richmond area battlefields except for Glendale. The overlapping battlefields of Gaines' Mill and the southern flank of Cold Harbor are not even mentioned. This two-for-price-of-one battlefield is being gradually whittled away one house at a time right now.

[Emmanuel Dabney]

Re: Battlefields under threat

03/14/2007
Petersburg among top 10 endangered Civil War sites
FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS


Petersburg National Battlefield is now among the 10 most threatened battlefields in the nation, according to a preservation group.

The area around Petersburg, site to more than 18 major battles, is threatened by suburban sprawl that will be fueled by the expansion of nearby Fort Lee, the Civil War Preservation Trust said.

The threat to the Petersburg site comes from the expected growth of Fort Lee, which is expected to double the on-base population and with about $1 billion to be spent on building upgrades and new construction, the trust said in a report called, “History Under Siege: A Guide to America’s Most Endangered Civil War Battlefields.”

“Such incredible growth in such a short time will threaten the Park’s historic buildings, landscape and archeological resources,” the report said.

The annual report, released yesterday, identifies the most threatened Civil War sites in the United States and what can be done to rescue them.

Chris Calkins, chief of interpretation at Petersburg National Battlefield, said land values in the area could skyrocket due to increase in size of Fort Lee and that land owners may become less interested in preservation and more interested in selling the land.

“Right now, we figure we’ll be fighting time,” Calkins said. “Ninety-five percent of the battlefields the park hopes to preserve are in Dinwiddie County.”

In Dinwiddie County last year 1,100 new homes were built, and another 1,100 new homes are expected to be built in the future, Calkins said.

But Calkins added that Dinwiddie County has expressed interest in preserving the land and has invited the National Parks Service to participate in the development of a new county comprehensive plan.

“At this point, it is a potential of being threatened but our goal is to get these lands preserved,” Calkins said.

Calkins added that the Civil War Preservation Trust and the Conservation Fund have already purchased several key battlefield sites including one near White Oak Road, another near Hatchers Run and the death site of Confederate Gen. A.P. Hill.

Calkins said not all of the battlefield sites are in Dinwiddie and that the total of 7,238 acres the parks service would like to see preserved is spread across Petersburg, Prince George and Dinwiddie County.

The Petersburg area is the site of some of the fiercest fighting during the war and for 10 months the area was honeycombed with tunnels and earthworks as Union and Confederate forces created trenches extending as far as 30 miles from the city center. In all, 18 major battles were fought in the area.

Two other Civil War sites listed as endangered in the report are from Virginia, including Cedar Creek. A mining company wants to rezone some 640 acres of “core battlefield” to dig additional quarries at Cedar Creek, the report said.

Also, vast tracts of the Northern Piedmont, land stretching from Virginia to Pennsylvania, are at risk from a planned major power line, the Civil War Preservation Trust said.

Five additional Virginia sites were identified as “at risk”: Brandy Station, Fort Monroe, Glendale, Manassas and Wilderness.

“Tens of thousands of valiant young Americans still lie entombed in those fields,” said Charlie Wilson, a former Texas congressman who backed federal spending on Civil War land preservation. “It is truly hallowed ground.”

Gettysburg in Pennsylvania is also on the list even though plans for a casino just outside the town were shot down last year. Now the site of the Civil War’s bloodiest battle still is threatened by rapidly spreading home construction, according the group.

Property outside Harpers Ferry in West Virginia was added this year after a developer dug 45-foot-wide trenches for water and sewer lines and unveiled plans to develop several thousand homes on land that saw fierce battles between the North and South.

Harpers Ferry — best known for John Brown’s failed effort to arm and free local slaves — changed hands eight times during the Civil War and was the site of an 1862 battle in which Confederate Maj. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson won the surrender of some 12,500 Union troops.

In addition to sites in Virginia, West Virginia and Pennsylvania, the report names Civil War locations in jeopardy in Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, West Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee and Mississippi.

Suburban sprawl was cited as the most common problem.

The trust refreshes the list every year based on military significance, the urgency of threats, and location. It boasts of saving more than 23,000 acres in 18 states by raising money and leveraging government funding to buy land or preservation easements.

The trust is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation group in the country, boasting some 70,000 members.

“Every day we are losing 30 acres,” said Libby O’Connell, chief historian at The History Channel and a member of the group’s board. “Once this land has been developed, we cannot get it back.”

• On the Net:

http://www.civilwar.org

Found online at: http://www.progress-index.com/site/n...d=462946&rfi=6

[Emmanuel Dabney]

More from the Petersburg front

Over 7,000 acres may save battle sites

BY F.M. WIGGINS
STAFF WRITER
03/18/2007

PETERSBURG — Nearly 150 years after the Union and Confederate armies clashed repeatedly in the area, a new battle is being waged — this time against growth. And time might be running out for those trying to protect Civil War battle sites.

The Civil War Preservation Trust announced Tuesday that the Petersburg National Battlefield is one of the 10 most endangered battlefields in the nation.

The question is how to protect the battle sites that are not part of the federally protected battlefield. The answer: Try to expand the Petersburg National Battlefield by more than 7,000 acres.

“We think, and hope, that this is so important that Congress will take action on the matter,” said Bob Kirby, superintendent of the Petersburg National Battlefield.

The National Park Service is seeking money from Congress to help expand the boundaries of the battlefield, Kirby said.

But the Park Service is also looking to the private sector to help preserve battle sites.

The Civil War Preservation Trust alone owns 1,856 acres of land that is considered threatened. There are a total of 7,238 acres not owned by the park that are considered threatened.

That 7,238 acres are in a December 2004 Petersburg National Battlefield General Management Plan that recommends an expansion of the battlefield borders.

Some of the land listed in the plan is protected by others and could be included in park boundary expansions. But the majority of the land cited in the plan is being sought by the Park Service for protection.

Jim Campi, a spokesman for the trust, said the group hasn’t reviewed the document in its entirety but that when and where it makes sense to, it may give or sell the lands to the national park.

“It really depends on the property,” Campi said. “If the property is on the border with park property, then it would make sense, but if it’s not, then it doesn’t make as much sense.”

Campi said primarily for maintenance reasons it would make more sense for the trust to retain ownership of land not already bordering park lands.

Chris Calkins, chief of interpretation at the battlefield, added that the work of the Civil War Preservation Trust is also working to leverage more people to donate money to their cause.

“They will actually use our listing on their list this year to generate more donations from people who may have a connection or interest in the area and to expand membership,” Calkins said.

There is now a renewed sense of urgency in protecting battle sites due to the expected growth at Fort Lee. The Base Realignment And Closure process, which is calling for the expansion, means that Fort Lee’s on-base population is expected to grow by 119 percent, according to the trust. That growth will take place in 2009.

The fear is that on-base growth will lead to more growth in the area — primarily in Dinwiddie and Prince George counties — where battles raged at the end of the Civil War.

The national battlefield is seeking some money to acquire property through land and water conservation tax dollars, Kirby said. But there are several other agencies fighting for the same money, including the Bureau of Land Management.

“There’s a backlog of unacquired property,” Kirby said.

He added that the wait for an agency to receive money to acquire property can at least be made a little shorter if there is a show of support from constituents in the area the purchase would affect.

And the National Park Service is not alone in the fight to protect significant battle sites.

Kirby said that the national park has the right of first refusal for several of those properties should the owners decide to sell, however, the park service right now has other priorities under the current administration.

“The current administration has decided to concentrate on maintenance and upkeep of existing park lands across the country instead of acquiring new ones,” Kirby said.

Kirby said that park is working with both the conservation trust and the Izaak Walton League, an organization that focuses on saving outdoor public lands, to preserve key historical sites.

And the cooperation extends to local governments, Kirby said.

Dinwiddie County is also being a fantastic partner in preservation, Kirby said.

“They have actually invited us to participate in the development of their comprehensive plan and to help with determining proffers for development in the county near some of the sites which we would like to see protected,” said Calkins.

And even the developers are cooperating to some extent.

On Puddledock Road in Prince George is the site of a soon-to-be built Lowe’s home improvement store that is on actual battlefield not owned by the government. While the park service couldn’t stop the Lowe’s from being built, Calkins said the developers did cooperate with the park and create a 200-foot-wide tree buffer between where the store will be built and where the park is.

Calkins said that, for now, working with property owners and localities is working.

And Kirby also stressed that the park is not against new development, or what may be the catalyst for that development.

“We’re thrilled that Fort Lee was successful in BRAC because they’re great neighbors,” Kirby said.

This is the second time the park has been on the list. Previously, the battlefield was on the list in 2003. In 2003 the park was on the list because of increased growth in the area.

Though still less than half of the more than 7,000 acres labeled as “at risk” are currently protected, Kirby and Calkins both said that they believe the residents want to see the lands protected, no matter the reason.

“For some it may be because it’s a nice open space. Others may look at it as a point of heritage,” Kirby said. “No matter what, it’s a quality of life issue.”

• F.M. Wiggins may be reached at 732-3456, ext. 254 or fwiggins@progress-index.com.

Online at: http://www.progress-index.com/site/n...d=462946&rfi=6