Parktips – August 2010

The National Park Service submits the following ideas for news stories for your consideration. For more information about any of them, please contact Elise Cleva at 202-208-6843 or Elise_M_Cleva@nps.gov.

American Journal of Public Health Explores New Role for Rangers In the future, park rangers may educate visitors about not only canyons and Civil War battles, but also infectious diseases, long-term wellness, and other health-related topics. In “Park Rangers as Public Health Educators,”

an article in the August issue of the American Journal of Public Health, David Wong and Charles L. Higgins of the National Park Service report on a project that tested the viability of national parks as settings for health education. The Public Health in the Parks grants initiative funded outreach programs in parks throughout the country. In one program, Native American children engaged in actual exercise, which they translated into a “virtual walk” of the 74-mile length of Badlands National Park. In another program, visitors to Lowell National Historical Park in Massachusetts learned about a typhoid epidemic, the transformation of a local river into an agent of death, and the ensuing epidemiologic investigation. “Further exploration of national parks as nontraditional and underutilized venues for health education is warranted,” Wong and Higgins conclude.

Lighthouses Change Hands

Two historic light stations will receive new owners later this year. On June 21, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar recommended that the Buffalo Harbor South Entrance Light in Buffalo, New York, go to the Buffalo Lighthouse Association, Inc., a local nonprofit. Salazar recommended transferring the Burrows Island Light Station near Anacortes, Washington, to the Northwest Schooner Society, another nonprofit. Under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act (NHLPA) of 2000, federally owned, historic light stations may be transferred at no cost to federal agencies, state and local governments, nonprofit corporations, educational agencies, and community development organizations. Ten lighthouses are currently available. See http://www.nps.gov/history/maritime/nhlpa/nhlpa.htm for more information about the NHLPA Program.

Acadia Welcomes Wabanaki

Passamaquoddy birchbark artist David Moses Bridges kneels next to his hand-hewn canoe and calls to his son, Tobias Francis, 15, the youngest ranger in Acadia National Park. “Can you hand me the bear fat and pine sap mixture?” asks Bridges, who is demonstrating birchbark canoe making, a craft perfected thousands of years ago by his ancestors. Bridges is descended from four distinct tribes known collectively as the Wabanaki.

Their members traveled to this area to hunt and fish. Bridges’s cultural demonstration is one of many programs initiated by Acadia to allow Wabanaki people to share their traditions and culture with visitors. In another program, Francis shows the raw materials and tools used by Wabanaki people in the past and today to make ash and sweetgrass baskets. Future initiatives include producing Wabanaki language podcasts for visitors and positioning Wabanaki youth in Acadia through internships and mentoring programs.

NPS Handbooks Available Online as History E-Library Grows The online library of almost 4,000 books, reports, and articles developed by the National Park Service (NPS) keeps growing. Historian Harry Butowsky expands the collection every week. Recently, he added the popular NPS handbooks. First published in the 1950s by the NPS Harpers Ferry Center, they provide a wealth of comprehensive information drawn from the latest scientific and historical research available at the time of publication.

Photographs, maps, and original art complement the texts. The contents of many of these handbooks are available online at http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/handbooks/index.htm.

To access the entire History E-Library, go to http://www.nps.gov/history/history/hisnps/.

Fisher Census

Researchers in Yosemite National Park are trying to determine the size of the Pacific fisher (Martes pennanti pacifica) population. The Pacific fisher is now found only in roughly 50% of its historical range in California and is listed as a federal candidate species, meaning that federal authorities can propose that Pacific fishers be designated endangered or threatened. The Yosemite population suffers from low reproductive capacity, reduced genetic diversity, and ongoing habitat loss.

In Yosemite, researchers have placed motion-activated camera stations to document the presence and habitat requirements of fishers. Please see http://www.nps.gov/yose/naturescience/fishers.htm.

Beneath the Surface of National Parks

To find out the current geoscientific issues facing national parks, take a look at proposals from the National Park Service (NPS) for 2011 Geoscientists-in-the-Parks (GIP) positions. The GIP program places geoscientists in parks and central offices for three to 12 months. In response to a call just issued by The NPS Geologic Resources Division, staff at parks, regions, and central offices can propose projects in geoscientific research, resource management, inventory, monitoring, and interpretation/education.

You can view past issues of Parktips and register to receive Parktips via e-mail.

If you need help, please contact the NPS Communications Office at 202-208-6843.

For the latest news from the National Park Service, visit www.nps.gov/news.

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news release

Date: July 28, 2010

Contact: Kendra Barkoff (DOI), (202) 208-6416

Kathy Kupper (NPS) (202) 208-6843

Salazar Announces National Park Service Will Waive Fees on August 14 & 15 WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that the National Park Service will waive entrance fees on August 14 and 15 to encourage all Americans to visit our national parks.

“This fee-free weekend provides an opportunity for individuals and families alike to take an affordable vacation or to explore a nearby park they have never visited before,” Salazar said. “I encourage everyone to take advantage of the free admission to visit not only our greatest natural wonders but also our nation’s historic and cultural icons.”

There are 391 national parks located across the country in 49 states, many of which will hold free events on August 14 and 15. A complete list by park or state is available at www.nps.gov. A sampling of offerings include:

Ranger-led programs with free instruction and equipment loans for

those who want to get wet. Enjoy snorkeling at Cape Cod, kayaking at

DeSoto, or canoeing in Congaree or Big Cypress. Prefer to simply

chill out near the water? Bring your blanket to one of the 50 parks

with beaches.

Watch history come to life at military encampments and firing

demonstrations at Antietam, Gettysburg, Fort Laramie, Fort McHenry,

Fort Vancouver, Fort Stanwix, Fort Matanzas, Kings Mountain, Wilson

Creek, Kennesaw Mountain, and Yorktown.

Dance or tap your toes to the sounds of the Pig War Band at San Juan

Island, Cajun music at Jean Lafitte, Ojibwe music at Grand Portage,

mountain music on the Blue Ridge Parkway, folk songs at Carl

Sandburg, classical music at Saint-Gaudens, or dulcimer music on the

Natchez Trace Parkway.

The entrance fees being waived at the 146 sites usually charge for admission range from $3 to $25. There are 246 other parks that do not have entrance fees so you can plan a free visit year-round. The fee free waiver does not include other fees collected in advance or by contractors—such as fees charged for camping, reservations, tours and use of concessions.

The National Park Service website provides information to help the public plan their park adventures at www.nps.gov.

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For immediate release – July 26, 2010

Contacts: David Barna, (202) 208-6843, David_Barna@nps.gov

Patrick O’Driscoll, (303) 969-2839, Patrick_O’Driscoll@nps.gov

Wessels Named Intermountain Regional Director

Will lead one of seven National Park Service regions

WASHINGTON – National Park Service Director Jonathan Jarvis has named John

A. Wessels as the Service’s Intermountain regional director, responsible

for leading 5,000 employees and 92 national parks visited by more than 42

million people annually. Wessels, who serves as the region’s associate

director for administration, business and technology, assumes his new

position in Denver in August.

“John has an incredible track record of tackling tough issues and finding

innovative solutions,” Jarvis said. “Results-oriented and goal-driven, John

manages by inclusion, building a collaborative work ethic among employees

and with partners. He strives for the highest standards of transparency and

accountability. He has an easy grasp of the big picture and is dedicated to

the effective use of new and emerging technologies to meet the needs of the

National Park Service. As the National Park Service looks toward its second

century, he will be a valuable member of our national senior management

team.”

“Serving as the Intermountain regional director is a tremendous honor,”

Wessels said. “The region is home to some of this country’s most

spectacular landscapes and most compelling stories, places that have been

entrusted to the National Park Service by the American people for nearly

100 years. It is our privilege to care for the natural and cultural

resources in parks and to work with communities around the region to help

them preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational

opportunities for their citizens.

“For me, this is an opportunity to support employees in their dedicated

efforts to care for these special places and engage park visitors,

partners, and communities. I will listen carefully to their voices as we

work together to preserve these places, engage the public, draw young

people to the parks, and provide meaningful experiences to our diverse

audiences.”

As the regional associate director for administration, business and

technology since 2004, Wessels oversees a regional annual operating budget

of $500 million and the largest concessions contracting operation in the

National Park Service, more than 200 contracts that gross over $425 million

annually.

Over the last 18 months, he has also led the investment of $200 million in

American Reinvestment and Recovery Act funds in priority park projects

across the region. He was the key figure in developing a virtual

acquisition strategy that has improved accountability and empowered the

workforce with more flexibility for purchasing and contracting. He was

responsible for overseeing property management for 43 million acres of

public land and more than 2,000 park structures.

Wessels joined the National Park Service in 2000 as the Intermountain

Region’s comptroller, where he managed all finance and budget-related

activities and developed a web-based system to integrate financial systems

data and project information to provide park managers with real-time access

to critical income and expense data by park.

During his career he has served as acting deputy superintendent at Golden

Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco, acting deputy Intermountain

regional director, acting associate director for business services at the

National Park Service headquarters in Washington, D.C., and most recently

as acting superintendent of Grand Teton National Park and the John D.

Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway in Wyoming.

From 1989 to 2000, Wessels worked for U.S. Department of Commerce’s

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Boulder managing

financial and administrative functions and systems for the national physics

laboratory.

He was selected as a Presidential Management Fellow in 1985 and served in

the Office of Management and Budget where he become a permanent employee

(1985-1989) serving as the budget examiner for the $4 billion U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development. At OMB, he staffed two

presidential commissions – Management Improvement and Integrity and

Efficiency – and was the lead analyst on the Enterprise Zone Empowerment

Program, an initiative to spur investment in economically depressed

communities. In 1987, Wessels was commissioned as an ensign in the United

States Naval Reserve and served for six years as a reserve intelligence

analyst.

Wessels earned bachelor and master of science degrees in public finance and

policy analysis from Carnegie-Mellon University and a second master of

science degree in computer information systems from Regis University, where

he has served as an adjunct professor of business and information systems

in the College of Professional Studies since 1998.

He lives in Denver with his wife, Mary, and their children Grace and Jack.

www.nps.gov

Note to Editors: The National Park Service’s seven regional offices provide localized policy, leadership, and technical support to parks and communities. The Intermountain region is the largest region in the National Park Service, spanning the states of Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma. The region includes 92 parks encompassing 11.1 million acres; employs 6,000 permanent and seasonal employees, and generates one-half of all National Park Service concession revenues. It has more than 230 national historic landmarks and more than 11,000 properties listed in the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places.

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For Immediate Release: July 22, 2010

Contact: Beth Boland, 202-354-2238, beth_boland@nps.gov

“Lafayette Park: First Amendment Rights on the President’s Doorstep”

National Park Service launches online lesson plan

WASHINGTON, DC: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall

not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account

of sex.” In the struggle to add these words of the 19th Amendment to the

U.S. Constitution, fires burned, picket signs waved, and prison doors

clanged shut on women young and old. The struggle for female suffrage comes

to life in the National Park Service’s new Teaching with Historic Places

lesson plan “Lafayette Park: First Amendment Rights on the President’s

Doorstep.”

“Lessons like this one from the Teaching with Historic Places program do a

superb job of carrying out the educational mission of the National Park

Service. It may not be obvious how properties, such as Lafayette Park, that

are listed in the National Register of Historic Places help members of the

education community teach fundamental aspects of our nation’s history, but

the lessons demonstrate the power places have to illuminate the past, even

for those who can’t visit,” said Jon Jarvis, Director of the National Park

Service.

The lesson uses Washington, DC’s Lafayette Park, a statue-adorned landscape

directly in front of the White House, as the jumping-off point for an

exploration of the final years in the campaign for women’s voting rights.

In January 1917, members of the National Woman’s Party (NWP), headquartered

in a house-turned-office that faced the park, began to picket in that

public space. They were exercising their First Amendment rights to speak

freely, assemble, and bring petitions before the government, and their

banners boldly addressed President Woodrow Wilson, whose speeches the

suffragists would later burn in their struggle for political equality.

The lesson plan puts this struggle in context through photographs, maps,

and readings. The readings cover the events that took place between January

1917 and November 2, 1920—the first Election Day on which American women

throughout the country could go to the polls—and provide the text of a

speech in which President Wilson urged the U.S. Senate to grant women the

right to vote.

Studying Wilson’s speech provides an opportunity for students to strengthen

their vocabularies, their reading comprehension, and (by example) their

command of rhetoric. The lesson’s questions and activities spur students to

think empathetically and analytically as they examine photos, maps, and

texts; compare and contrast the suffrage demonstrations to other protests

staged in Lafayette Park; and research Supreme Court cases bearing on First

Amendment rights.

The lesson is targeted to middle school students but can be adapted to

upper elementary and high school levels. The lesson meets national

educational standards in U.S. history (grades 5-12) and social studies. A

generous grant from the White House Historical Association provided crucial

support for this lesson, which is the 139th in the Teaching with Historic

Places series. Teachers, students, and other inquiring minds should check

out http://www.nps.gov/learn/ for other educational products from the

National Park Service.

www.nps.gov

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July 20, 2010 – For immediate release

Contact: Samantha Richardson, Samantha_Richardson@nps.gov, 303-969-2825

From the Brooklyn Bridge to Osaka, Japan

National Park Service presents park design awards

WASHINGTON: Public, private and international design firms from more than

20 states and five countries vied for honors in the inaugural Designing the

Parks competition. Entries had to engage people, expand beyond traditional

boundaries and demonstrate reverence for place, sustainability, informed

decision-making and an integrated development process.

“The entries prove that great park design can change derelict factory sites

to ecologically responsible social spaces and old dairy barns to

LEED-certified conference facilities,” National Park Service Director Jon

Jarvis said. “Because the National Park Service has a community and

sustainability mission outside the national parks, it is inspiring to

recognize these exceptional park designs. These places will improve

people’s lives.”

The National Park Service’s Denver Service Center, in partnership with the

Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, recognized outstanding examples of

park design in four categories: master planning, site design, building

design and historic preservation design.

Master Planning Awards

Honor: Brooklyn Bridge Park (New York); Michael Van Valkenburgh

Associates, Inc.

Merit: Parklands of Floyds Fork (Louisville, Ky.); Wallace Roberts &

Todd

Merit: Minute Man National Historical Park (Concord, Mass.); Bargmann

Hendrie + Archetype, Inc.

Merit: Flight 93 National Memorial (Somerset, Pa.); Paul Murdoch

Architects and Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects

Site Design Awards

Honor: Waterfront Bunkaza Cultural Plaza (Osaka, Japan); RYUICHI

ASHIZAWA Architects & Associates

Honor: Teardrop Park (New York); Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates,

Inc.

Merit: Eielson Visitor Center, Denali National Park (Denali, Alaska);

Denali National Park and Preserve

Site Design Awards (continued)

Merit: Concrete Plant Park, Bronx River Greenway (Bronx, N.Y.); City of

New York

Merit: Santa Fe Railyard Park (Santa Fe, N.M.); Frederic Schwartz

Architects, Ken Smith Landscape Architects, and Mary Miss, Artist

Merit: Hudson River Park, Tribeca Section (New York); Mathews Nielsen

Merit: Annenberg Community Beach House (Santa Monica, Calif.); Mia

Lehrer and Associates

Building Design Awards

Honor: Pocono Environmental Education Center Multipurpose Space,

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (Dingmans

Ferry, Pa.); Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

Honor: Liberty Bell Center, Independence National Historical Park

(Philadelphia); Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

Historic Preservation Design Awards

Honor: Blue Ball Barn, Alapocas Run State Park (Wilmington,

Del.);Wallace Roberts & Todd

Honor: Chapultepec Park (Mexico City); Grupo de Diseño Urbano S.C. /

Mario Schjetnan

Honor: Cavallo Point Lodge, Golden Gate National Park (San Francisco);

Architectural Resource Group and Leddy Maytum Stacy

Architects, and Office of Cheryl Barton

An interdisciplinary jury evaluated 69 entries to select the award winners.

Detailed information about the Designing the Parks awards and each project,

including photographs and jury comments, is available at

www.designingtheparks.org.

www.nps.gov

Note: The Denver Service Center is the National Park Service’s centralized planning, design and construction project management office. It works with private industry to provide environmentally responsible and fiscally sound products.

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National Park Service News Release

July 16, 2010 – For immediate release

Contact: Samantha Richardson, Samantha_Richardson@nps.gov, 303-969-2825

From the Brooklyn Bridge to Osaka, Japan

National Park Service presents park design awards

WASHINGTON: Public, private and international design firms from more than

20 states and five countries vied for honors in the inaugural Designing the

Parks competition. Entries had to engage people, expand beyond traditional

boundaries and demonstrate reverence for place, sustainability, informed

decision-making and an integrated development process.

“The entries prove that great park design can change derelict factory sites

to ecologically responsible social spaces and old dairy barns to

LEED-certified conference facilities.” National Park Service Director Jon

Jarvis said. “Because the National Park Service has a community and

sustainability mission outside the national parks, it is inspiring to

recognize these exceptional park designs. These places will improve

people’s lives.”

The National Park Service’s Denver Service Center, in partnership with the

Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, recognized outstanding examples of

park design in four categories: master planning, site design, building

design and historic preservation design.

Master Planning Awards

Honor: Brooklyn Bridge Park (New York); Michael Van Valkenburgh

Associates, Inc.

Merit: Parklands of Floyds Fork (Louisville, Ky.); Wallace Roberts &

Todd

Merit: Minute Man National Historical Park (Concord, Mass.); Bargmann

Hendrie + Archetype, Inc.

Merit: Flight 93 National Memorial (Somerset, Pa.); Paul Murdoch

Architects

Site Design Awards

Honor: Waterfront Bunkaza Cultural Plaza (Osaka, Japan); RYUICHI

ASHIZAWA Architects & Associates

Honor: Teardrop Park (New York); Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates,

Inc.

Merit: Eielson Visitor Center, Denali National Park (Denali, Alaska);

Denali National Park and Preserve

Merit: Concrete Plant Park, Bronx River Greenway (Bronx, N.Y.); City of

New York

Merit: Santa Fe Railyard Park (Santa Fe, N.M.); Frederic Schwartz

Architects

Merit: Hudson River Park (New York); Mathews Nielsen

Merit: Annenberg Community Beach House (Santa Monica, Calif.); Mia

Lehrer and Associates

Building Design Awards

Honor: Pocono Environmental Education Center Multipurpose Space,

Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (Dingmans Ferry, Pa.);

Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

Honor: Liberty Bell Center, Independence National Historical Park

(Philadelphia); Bohlin Cywinski Jackson

Historic Preservation Design Awards

Honor: Blue Ball Dairy Barn, Alapocas Run State Park (Wilmington,

Del.);Wallace Roberts & Todd

Honor: Chapultepec Park (Mexico City); Grupo de Diseño Urbano /GDU

Honor: Cavallo Point Lodge, Golden Gate National Park (San Francisco);

Architects Resource Group/The Office of Cheryl Barton

An interdisciplinary jury evaluated 69 entries to select the award winners.

Detailed information about the Designing the Parks awards and each project,

including photographs and jury comments, is available at

www.designingtheparks.org.

www.nps.gov

Note: The Denver Service Center is the National Park Service’s centralized planning, design and construction project management office. It works with private industry to provide environmentally responsible and fiscally sound products

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 9, 2010

Contacts: Katharine Jones, Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, Katharine_Jones@nps.gov, 202-426-6905

Elise Cleva, NPS Headquarters, Elise_M_Cleva@nps.gov,

202-208-6843

Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens

America’s Best Idea: National Park Getaway

WASHINGTON – This week, the National Park Getaways series features an

article about Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens. This oasis in the

nation’s capital beckons to Washingtonians looking for fun and relaxation

on a weekend and to out-of-town visitors seeking a varied travel itinerary

that includes spots for outdoor recreation as well as monuments, museums,

historic places, and famous government buildings. Go to

www.nps.gov/getaways to learn more.

Early on, the Getaway article discusses the floating bouquets that

distinguish Kenilworth from other urban green spaces. Water lilies and

water lotuses fill large ponds in the park, the full-blown flowers creating

a fireworks display at your feet. Wheels of pink and white illumine the

dark water and transform its surface into a Fourth-of-July sky, frozen at

the height of pyrotechnic excitement. Petals radiate from the centers of

the lilies and lotuses, and the cores of the former erupt into the yellow

jets of stamens.

The water flowers bloom in summer and get fêted in July at a festival that

also celebrates Asian culture. The Getaway article helps you find

information about this event and also explores what Kenilworth has to offer

“beyond the ponds.” The park includes marshland, and visitors can canoe,

stroll, and watch for birds, turtles, other animals, and animal tracks. In

every season, Kenilworth gives you reason to visit.

Read this week’s article, the 56th in the Getaways series, and previous

Getaways at www.nps.gov/getaways. The articles connect readers to national

parks where they can enjoy nature and culture in the company of family and

friends.

www.nps.gov

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – July 9, 2010

Contact: David Barna (202) 208-6843

$1.2 Million Awarded to Preserve Battlefields

National Park Service announces 25 grants

WASHINGTON – More than $1.2 million in National Park Service grants will be used to help preserve and protect America’s significant battlefield lands.

The funding from the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) will support projects at more than 100 battlefields nationwide.

“These grants will help safeguard and preserve American battlefield lands,”

said Jonathan B. Jarvis, Director of the National Park Service. “These lands are symbols of individual sacrifice and national heritage that we must protect so that this and future generations can walk these places and understand the struggles that define us as a nation.”

The grants fund projects at endangered battlefields from the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican-American War, Civil War, World War II, and Indian Wars. Grants were made to projects in 17 states and territories to support archeology, mapping, cultural resource survey work, documentation, planning, education, and interpretation.

Projects include underwater archeology at the Battle of the Atlantic during WWII in North Carolina; documentation of the Second Seminole War Fort Defiance and Fort Micanopy in Florida; a statewide comprehensive GIS database of Civil War sites that will include 38 battlefields in Tennessee; a preservation plan for the U.S. Dakota War of 1862 Woodlake Battlefield in Minnesota; and development of a new battlefield preservation, and planning website in Virginia for the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District.

Priority was given to the preservation of nationally significant battlefields. The majority of grants were given to battlefields listed as Priority I or II sites in the National Park Service’s Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report on the Nation’s Civil War Battlefields and the Report to Congress on the Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Sites in the United States.

Federal, state, local, and Tribal governments, nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions are eligible for the battlefield grants which are awarded annually. Since 1996 more than $12 million has been awarded by ABPP to help preserve significant historic battlefields associated with wars on American soil. More information is available online at http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp. Brief descriptions of funded grant projects follow.

Year 2010 Grants

Arkansas State Parks, Department of Parks and Tourism $82,000

The Civil War Battle of Prairie Grove (1862) was the last time two armies of equal strength fought for control over northwest Arkansas. With archeological investigation and GIS mapping, this project will delineate the locations and extent of major battlefield features within Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park.

Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center (Connecticut) $19,000 The Battle of Saybrook Fort consisted of more than a dozen discrete battles, ambushes, and actions that are a part of the Pequot War (1636-1637). This project will identify areas for future archeological testing, revise maps of Study and Core Areas, develop a preservation advocacy partnership, and educate the public about this important event in American history.

Gulf Archeology Research Institute (Florida) $49,500

The opening battles of the Second Seminole War occurred in and around the town of Micanopy. This project will identify and document the nature and extent of Fort Defiance and Fort Micanopy through field archeology, archival research, and data analysis.

LAMAR Institute (Georgia) $40,000

In December of 1864, the Confederacy suffered a devastating loss at the Battle of Monteith Swamp. Union troops broke through the Confederate defenses and took Savannah. This project will conduct archeology fieldwork to identify and document the battlefield as well as foster public outreach.

Ball State University (Indiana) $70,000

The Battle on the Wabash (1791) and the Battle of Fort Recovery (1794), which occurred in Ohio, represent the largest engagement of the American Army and Native American forces in the history of the United States. Little is known about these battles. The site identification and documentation plan will define the battlefield boundaries – a first step toward diminishing the threat of private development and looting at these battlefields.

Madison County (Kentucky) $35,000

The Battle of Richmond is the second largest Civil War site in Kentucky and is one of three major battles that are part of the “Confederate heartland offensive” within Kentucky. A preservation plan will address the needs of local government and will suggest ways to partner with the Blue Grass Army Depot (BGAD), as well as other organizations, agencies, and the community, to develop ways to protect threatened battlefield land.

Tebbs Bend Battlefield Association (Kentucky) $35,000

The Civil War Battle of Tebbs Bend was the first major engagement of Confederate General John Morgan’s Great Raid, a push into the northern Midwestern states intended to capture supplies and erode support for the Union war effort. Building on the work of a previous ABPP grant, an archeology survey will be developed for the Tebbs Bend Battlefield.

Northwestern State University of Louisiana $41,000

During the Red River Campaign of 1864, a fierce engagement occurred between Admiral David Dixon Porter’s fleet, the Confederate land batteries, and several hundred sharpshooters on Deloach’s Bluff Battlefield. This project will identify the location of subsurface resources and the extent of the historic battlefield through a cultural resource survey, GIS/GPS fieldwork, remote sensing, and minimal archeology testing.

Wood Lake Battlefield Preservation Association (Minnesota) $47,000

Wood Lake was the final major battle of the U.S. Dakota War of 1862.

Preoccupied with the Civil War, the U.S. Government violated treaties with Minnesota’s Dakota Indians, leading to hardships for these tribes. Building on the work of a previous ABPP grant, a comprehensive preservation plan will be developed for the Wood Lake Battlefield.

Frontier Heritage Alliance (Montana) $68,800

The final battles of the Sioux Indian Wars were against the Northern Pacific Railroad survey expedition on the Yellowstone River in 1873. This project will indentify and document the Stanley-Custer Battles with Sioux Warriors, produce a historical report and a National Register nomination, and educate land owners about the historic significance of their properties.

Natural Heritage Trust (New York) $75,000

British General Burgoyne surrendered his sword to Colonial General Gates during the end of Battles of Saratoga on October 17, 1777. As a defining military engagement during the Revolutionary War, the sword surrender proved to the French Government that Colonial forces were capable of winning the war. This led the French to ally with the Americans. The project will produce a cultural landscape treatment plan and site development plan for the preservation and interpretation of the Sword Surrender site.

Research Foundation of State University of New York at Binghamton

$50,723

The Revolutionary War Battle of Newtown was among the Continental Army’s most significant battles during the Sullivan and Clinton Campaign against British allied Iroquois in the New York frontier. This project will conduct an archeological field survey to identify material remains associated with the Battle of Newtown to better define the integrity and the battlefield’s main defining features. Findings will be used to formulate a preservation plan for the battlefield.

East Carolina University, Maritime Studies (North Carolina) $80,000

Following America’s entry into WWII, a protracted naval conflict was waged between German and Allied naval vessels along the U.S. eastern seaboard during the Battle of the Atlantic. This project will conduct an archeological inventory of the submerged cultural resources from naval conflicts to supplement current historical records.

Rutherford County (North Carolina) $40,000

Between 1776 and 1783, Gilbert Town was a staging ground and campsite for various British and Patriot commands. It played an important role in several Revolutionary War campaigns in the Carolinas. This project will complete an archeological survey of key properties that will most likely be impacted by development at the Gilbert Town Battlefield site. In addition, a long-term archeological plan for the site will be produced.

County of Chester (Pennsylvania) $40,000

The Battle of Paoli was George Washington’s third and final attempt to prevent the British from taking the colonial capital city during Howe’s Philadelphia Campaign of 1777. This project will identify and inventory threatened parcels at the Paoli Battlefield. The project findings will be used to update the county’s historic atlas and create a predictive model for preservation by using GIS technology.

Coastal Carolina University, Center for Historical Studies (South Carolina)

$60,000

Horry and Georgetown Counties contain Revolutionary War and Civil War battlefield sites that will be identified and documented through this project. The findings of this project will be used to increase the awareness of battlefield sites in these two counties for future preservation planning efforts.

South Carolina Research Foundation $64,200

In 1865, the Union Army, led by General William T. Sherman, began a campaign to subdue South Carolina. Sherman’s army marched across the state fighting battles and skirmishes, disrupting rail traffic, and destroying property. This project will identify and document multiple battlefields, skirmish sites, and camps associated with this campaign to provide the South Carolina Civil War Sesquicentennial Advisory Board with baseline data for preservation.

Friends of Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park (Tennessee) $32,100 In 1863, the Federal Army ended Confederate control of Chattanooga, a vital transportation hub, after several key battles during the Campaign for Chattanooga. Building on the work of a GIS database developed with funding from a previous ABPP grant, this project will work toward preservation advocacy and consensus building among local planners, landowners, developers, and other stakeholders within the Chattanooga Battlefield boundaries.

Tennessee State Library and Archives $40,750

This statewide project will take a comprehensive GIS database of 38 Civil War sites and make it available online for federal, state, and local planning agencies and preservation organizations. The geospatial database with economic and demographic overlays will be accessible to the public on the web through the Tennessee GIS server. Greater access to historical information should lead to increased public interest.

University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College $26,000 The Siege of Fort Brown during the U.S.-Mexican War highlighted traditional siege tactics and earthwork construction techniques, and featured numerous men who would assume important military leadership roles in subsequent battles in American history. This project will produce a cultural landscape inventory that will include GIS mapping, a historical overview, military terrain analysis, and an analysis of present conditions on the site.

St. Thomas Historical Trust (U.S. Virgin Islands) $44,500

In 1801, Fort Frederik participated in a battle with two British ships – the only well documented battle with an enemy force on St. Thomas, U.S.

Virgin Islands. This project will conduct an engineering study for the stabilization of ruins at Fort Frederik as it is threatened by frequent hurricanes and other natural forces. There will be documentation of Fort Frederik, the battle, and the ships, as well as an underwater survey of the adjacent seabed.

City of Burlington, Community and Economic Development Office (Vermont) $45,000 During Burlington’s engagement, the British were repelled and Thomas McDonough’s Fleet moored below the Burlington Battery. This project will delineate Burlington’s War of 1812 resources and develop an archeological management plan for Burlington Battlefield. Field techniques of archeology and GIS mapping were used during the completion of a previous ABPP grant project. This plan will assist the community to preserve and protect the battle remains discovered by that work.

Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation (Virginia) $61,500

This project will create a new battlefield preservation and planning website for the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District and Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation in preparation for the Civil War Sesquicentennial. The website will build awareness and support for the preservation of 15 battlefields in the Shenandoah Valley and will include a mapping application.

Shenandoah Valley Network (Virginia) $21,500

The goal of this advocacy project is to secure improved local zoning and planning in two Shenandoah Valley counties. This effort will preserve the rural character, agricultural base, and natural and historic resources on which the future of six nationally-significant Civil War battlefields depend. The project will include public outreach, GIS mapping depicting the impacts of proposed local ordinances, and technical support for preservation programs.

Stafford County (Virginia) $77,700

The Battle of Aquia Creek was one of the first naval engagements in the Civil War. Union vessels and Confederate batteries exchanged roughly 1,000 rounds over Aquia Landing, which was a pivotal gateway between the capital cities of Richmond, Virginia, and Washington, DC. This project will conduct an archeological survey that will include underwater archeology, and will produce a National Register nomination application.

Total $1,246,273

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News Release

July 8, 2010

Contact: David Barna (202) 208-6843, david_barna@nps.gov

Sue Husari, (510) 817-1320, sue_husari@nps.gov

Lehnertz Named Pacific West Regional Director Will lead one of seven National Park Service regions

WASHINGTON – National Park Service (NPS) Director Jonathan Jarvis has named Christine S. Lehnertz as the Service’s Pacific West regional director, responsible for 3,000 employees and 58 national parks visited by more than

56 million people annually. She reports for duty in mid-August to the

Oakland, California, headquarters.

“I am delighted that Chris has accepted this opportunity to lead our team in the Pacific West,” Jarvis said. “She is a proven leader and an accomplished manager who brings a fresh perspective to the work we do on behalf of the American people. As deputy superintendent at Yellowstone National Park and most recently as acting associate director for cultural resources in Washington, DC, Chris has shown an uncanny ability to get to the heart of any issue, develop consensus, and get things done. She is respected by her peers and our employees and will be a great addition to our senior management team.”

“The parks in the Pacific West region are an amazing microcosm of the entire National Park System: a mix of stunning natural beauty and authentic American history,” Lehnertz said. "Throughout the region, the National Park Service’s community programs are helping towns and cities preserve their own heritage and create places where kids of all ages can get outside and be active. While the responsibilities of regional director are daunting, I am excited about taking on the challenge and with the prospect of working with the top-notch employees, partners, and volunteers who work in the Pacific West and throughout the National Park Service.”

Lehnertz replaces Jarvis as the Pacific West regional director. The position has been filled on an acting basis since Jarvis was confirmed as National Park Service director in September 2009.

Lehnertz has been the National Park Service’s acting associate director for cultural resources since April 2. She served as deputy superintendent of Yellowstone National Park since 2007 where she was responsible for all aspects of human resources, budget, and natural and cultural resource management and science programs. She also had oversight of more than 100 park concessioners with $100 million in annual gross revenue and ensured that the park’s large portfolio of construction and maintenance projects complied with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act.

From 2004-2007, Lehnertz served as director of ecosystems protection programs in the Denver regional office of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency where she led a large multi-disciplinary staff to implement federal environmental laws including the Clean Water, Safe Drinking Water, and National Environmental Policy Acts. She managed partnerships with states and tribes, environmental and natural resource departments, and with local government and non-governmental organizations, including responsibilities for $129 million in annual grants. Her work with EPA began in 1990.

Lehnertz earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental biology from the University of Colorado in Boulder and a secondary education teacher certificate from Metropolitan State College in Denver.

Lehnertz and Shari Dagg, her partner of 16 years, plan to bring their work with golden retriever rescue to their new home in the Bay Area.

-NPS-

Note to Editors: The National Park Service’s seven regional offices provide localized policy, leadership, and technical support to parks and communities. The Pacific West Region comprises Nevada, California, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Hawaii, portions of Arizona and Montana and the territories of Guam, American Samoa and Saipan, extending 106 degrees around the globe. The region includes 12.5 million acres of national park land, including 8.5 million acres of wilderness, 159 federally listed threatened and endangered species, 4,418 miles of designated wild and scenic rivers, nearly 100 national natural landmarks, more than 235 national historic landmarks, and more than 7,500 properties listed in the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places.

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Climate Change Response Program

1201 Oakridge Drive, Suite 200

Fort Collins, CO 80525

970-225-3597 phone

www.nps.gov/climatechange

July 1, 2010

Contact(s): Angie Richman, 970-267-2136, Angie_Richman@nps.gov

Lisa Norby, 303-969-2318, Lisa_Norby@nps.gov

Young scholars help National Park Service tackle climate change

George Melendez Wright programs premier this summer

(Fort Collins, CO) – From temperature tolerance of moose to solar energy,

26 young scholars will tackle research and education projects to help

national park managers look at the effects of climate change. The students

will work in national parks from Maine to Alaska and California to Florida

this summer and are the first to take part in the National Park Service

(NPS) George Melendez Wright internship and fellowship programs.

National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis said, “We need to understand the

effects of climate change in our national parks in order to make better

resource management decisions, and we think the work these young people do

will help accomplish just that. The internships and fellowships are

designed for youth – to harness the energy and creativity of college and

university undergraduate and graduate students – and put them to work

alongside national park managers, scientists and educators.”

Leigh Welling, coordinator of the NPS Climate Change Response Program,

said the first group of interns and graduate fellows will collect data on

natural resources and prepare educational materials about climate change in

national parks. They might be inspired to consider a career with the

National Park Service, too.

Interns will work in national parks for 12 weeks through September. Their

projects include design and construction of a showcase photovoltaic array

at Crater Lake National Park, outreach to urban youth to address climate

change in the Nation’s capital, development of an educational program about

prehistoric climate change at Russell Cave National Monument, and a study

of the moose of Voyageurs National Park. “Moose populations in northern

Minnesota fell from 4,000 to 85 between 1984 and 2007, and scientists

suspect warmer summers and winters may be part of the reason. Here’s a

project to help us understand these changes by monitoring the temperature

tolerance of moose”, Welling said.

The 13 Wright Fellows, all graduate students, will research subjects that

include changes in wetland ecosystems in Yukon Flats Wildlife Refuge in

Alaska and climate stress in the American Pika in several western national

parks. “This research furthers stewardship, highlights the effects of

climate change on national parks and enriches public understanding of

America’s natural heritage,” Welling said.

The internship program is facilitated by the National Council for Science

and the Environment, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization. For

more information regarding the internship program please visit:

http://ncseonline.org/CampustoCareers/cms.cfm?id=2233#NPS. The fellowships

are facilitated by Dr Lisa Graumlich, formerly from the University of

Arizona and now the inaugural Dean of the College of the Environment at the

University of Washington.

Welling said there will be Wright Fellows and Interns for years to come.

“The response to our call for projects was overwhelming, from parks and

students. That showed the need for these types of programs. We can afford

the $315,000 cost of this year’s programs because the Congressional

appropriation for the National Park Service this year included funds for

climate science and adaptation.”

Jarvis said, “This program links the emerging knowledge of energetic youth

with the legacy of national park rangers, scientists and technicians and

that’s important for future generations who inherit our stewardship

responsibilities.”

The George Melendez Wright programs are named in honor of the early 20th

-century National Park Service biologist who promoted the idea of

science-based research as central to preservation of national parks and who

envisioned a system of protected areas to promote ecosystem health and

resilience.

For more information about the George Melendez Wright interns and fellows,

their projects and the NPS Climate Change Response Program, please visit:

http://www.nature.nps.gov/climatechange/internshipsresearch.cfm

www.nps.gov

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