6. 1995 Research at the Hopeton Earthworks

The National Park Service and The Ohio State University are planning a cooperative research program at a site near the Hopeton Earthworks. The site is located on lands owned by the Chillicothe Sand and Gravel Company, who have agreed to make the site available for research. The Ohio State University will offer a fieldschool in archeological methods, and the National Park Service will provide equipment and personnel to participate in the research. The project will begin June 19, 1995 and continue through July 25, 1995. The National Park Service plans to sponsor a series of public lectures in association with the field school.

General Management Plan

The National Park Service is involved in planning for future management of Hopewell Culture National Historical Park. Long-term management of units of the National Park System is guided by a General Management Plan. The General Management Plan is a document which presents a practical framework for making decisions about issues relating to resource management, the desired visitor experience, and other aspects of park management. Development of the General Management Plan requires everyone with an interest in the park receive an opportunity to exchange views and provide input into the development of the plan.

Development of the General Management Plan is being coordinated by a team of planners from the National Park Service's Denver Service Center. The team is led by Marilyn Habgood, who arranged a week of meetings for Park Service personnel that culminated in public presentation of alternatives for managing the park. Habgood and the planning team are developing a written statement of the management alternatives, and continue to request comments from archeologists and the public.

General management plans present a vision of how the National Park Service will manage a specific park. These plans frequently identify needs for facilities, staffing, research, and visitor services. Current proposals for management of Hopewell Culture National Historical Park call for an increase in archeological research activities, as well as expanded visitation and interpretation at some of the sites recently added to the park.

New Look at Mound City

For those of you who have not visited Hopewell Culture National Historical Park recently you will discover some changes in the park's visitor center and self-guiding interpretive programs. The recently remodeled visitor center includes a new auditorium and an expanded book sales area. The auditorium is used for school programs, conferences, meetings, special programs, and to show the new 17 minute video "Legacy of the Mound Builders" winner of three prestigious awards.

Also, the three outside audio programs have been revised and new programs and equipment will be installed by early May. Interpretive signs will be installed along the trail on the south perimeter of the earth wall. These signs will discuss how the landscape at Mound City has changed from early prehistoric times to the present. Finally, a self-guiding booklet keyed to numbered posts will help identify trees and other plants found along the nature trail and discuss their ethnographic use. For more information on programs and other activities contact the visitor center at (614) 774-1126.