NATIONAL MALL PLAN PROGRESS AND NEXT STEPS
Staying Involved in the Future on your National Mall

The National Park Service encourages your continued involvement in the
planning process.  We’ve heard from around 30,000 people thus far.  Their comments have helped us develop a range of alternatives as well as to modify and refine alternatives.

The national parks are America’s treasures and they belong to you. The NPS typically manages our shared natural and historic treasures - and the National Mall is the home to great symbols
of our nation such as the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, and Thomas Jefferson Memorial.  However the National Mall has a unique, essential and distinctive civic role as well.  The National Mall is the primary civic space in our country for the democratic expression of
our First Amendment rights and it is also where our nation hosts national celebrations. 
National celebrations include the Independence Day – 4^th of July, presidential inaugural activities, the National Cherry Blossom Festival and the Festival of American Folklife.  After hearing from so many of you, we know this is a place that we all care deeply about.

Your next opportunity for continued involvement is when the National Mall Plan Draft Environmental Impact Statement is published in the fall of 2009.  The document describes
the ramifications or impacts of four different management alternatives plus continuing current management (No-Action).  Alternatives A, B and C were presented to you in Newsletter 3 (December 2007).  A preliminary preferred alternative was presented to you in Newsletter 4 (Winter 2009).  As the result of public comment, all the alternatives have been refined.

 When the document is published it will be on public review for a minimum of 60 days.  As always we will encourage you to provide your comments online.