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Battle of Gettysburg News
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GETTYSBURG GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLAN NOW FINAL;
     NEXT STEP FOR NPS IS IMPLEMENTATION

          Philadelphia, PA, November 24, 1999 - National Park Service (NPS) Northeast Regional Director Marie Rust today announced that she has approved and signed the Record of Decision on the Final General Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (GMP/EIS) for Gettysburg National Military Park.

          "This plan will benefit park resources, our park visitors, and help the surrounding community," said Rust. "It will ensure that park resources are preserved for the enjoyment of future generations. It will enable us to provide visitors with an understanding of the significance of the Battle of Gettysburg within the context of the causes and consequences of the American Civil War. And finally, our economic experts predict that these improvements should result in dramatic increases in visitor spending in the economy," she added.

          "Our success will continue to depend on the good will of the American public and our partnerships with the private, local, state, and federal organizations. It is time to move forward together to help the park," she said.

          The Regional Director's decision clears the way for implementing a plan that will result in the rehabilitation of the Gettysburg battlefield. The NPS will begin immediately to intensify efforts to identify and protect the resources that contribute to the park's national significance, including its    three nationally significant landscapes: the site of the Battle of Gettysburg, the Soldier's National Cemetery, and the commemorative landscape of avenues and monuments built by the battle's veterans. Upon full implementation of the plan, the features that were significant to the outcome of the battle and its commemoration will more nearly reflect their historic conditions.

          Through the construction of new museum and collection storage facilities, the NPS will also provide improved protection for the cyclorama painting, a National Historic Object, and for the park's extensive collections and archives. The combination of rehabilitated historic landscapes and improved museum interpretation in the new facility will allow visitors to better understand the Battle of Gettysburg, its aftermath and commemoration within the full context of American history.

          Partnerships with private entities and local and state governments will permit increased protection and interpretation of Civil War resources, as well as of historically significant    viewsheds and roads outside the park's boundaries. Together, these actions will allow the NPS to meet the legislative purposes of the park.

          The Record of Decision (ROD) is a statement of the decisions made as a result of environmental and socioeconomic analysis over the past two and a half years and in consideration of public input. It describes the background of the planning effort, other alternatives considered, the environmentally preferable alternative, measures to minimize environmental harm, and public    involvement throughout the entire planning effort as well as in the decision-making process.

          Gettysburg's last General Management Plan (GMP) was completed in 1982. Over the course of the past 17 years, the park's deteriorating resources, increasing visitation, changing    educational needs of its visitors, and the demands placed on its visitor infrastructure exceeded NPS ability to provide necessary services. This GMP/EIS, published in June 1999, provides new   guidance for stewardship and interpretation of the park's three nationally significant landscapes-the site of the Battle of Gettysburg, the Soldiers' National Cemetery, and the commemorative landscape of avenues and monuments-as well as its collections and archives.

          The GMP/EIS is a programmatic statement in that site-specific details and recommendations are not always included.    The plan includes an overview of potential impacts for each alternative. In the future, if the NPS determines that specific actions called for by the approved plan require    additional analysis of impacts, more detailed assessments of impacts may be prepared. These will be tiered from this environmental impact statement.

          The GMP/EIS is the result of an extensive public involvement process that included 30 public meetings over a two-year period and more than 4000 public comments.

     -NPS-

     Editor's Note: The complete Record of Decision is available upon request from the Public Affairs Office.

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