gmpwhy

Battle News
What you'll find here: Articles of information concerning the Gettysburg Battle and Battlefield.

New General Management Plan - Why?

Circumstances have changed since the completion of the last GMP update in1982:

Land has been added to the park’s boundary. In 1990 Congress added 1300 new acres, or more than one-third, to the total area of the park.
Park visitors are changing, and they expect more. People want more in-depth and vivid interpretation of the Gettysburg story than park staff and volunteers can accommodate. Ironically, the 1,700,000 annual visitors are a cause of wear and tear on natural systems, historical artifacts, and battlefield settings.
Local land development continues to place pressure on important resources and view sheds.
The park is intertwined with the Borough of Gettysburg and the surrounding townships. These communities include historic sites and resources which are directly related to the park’s significance, as well as businesses and homes which affect and are affected by the park.
The park is broke. The park has only two-thirds of the dollars it needs to ensure that the nationally significant resources of Gettysburg Battlefield are here for our grandchildren to enjoy. We must start looking for other ways to accomplish our mission, including finding more volunteers and developing partnerships that benefit the park’s visitors and resources.

The National Park Service is beginning to develop a new General Management Plan (GMP) and associated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Gettysburg National Military Park. The park’s current GMP was completed in 1982, and is outdated. This new plan will take a fresh look at the park and how it will respond to the challenges of the next 15-20 years.

A GMP is a tool that sets the basic philosophy and broad guidance for management decisions that affect a park’s resources and a visitor’s experience. GMPs focus on what resource conditions and experiences a park should provide, and why. A GMP addresses issues such as interpretation, resource protection, maintenance, and park operations.

Your ideas are important. We believe that your input and comments should help shape the goals, principles and strategies that form the core of the GMP. Please come to the public meetings, send us your comments and thoughts, and read these newsletters. We want to include everyone who has an interest in the park’s future, and we extend our invitation to both newcomers and veterans to join in the work.

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