News Release
NPS/Antietam Battlefield
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Contact: Chelsea Sullivan, 202-297-2659
Antietam National Battlefield seeks input on plan to improve park landscape management strategies!
The National Park Service (NPS) is preparing a Landscape Management Plan and Environmental Assessment (EA) for Antietam National Battlefield. The plan will define the framework for the treatment of the battlefield landscape and describe specific guidelines and tasks to maintain and enhance the park’s historic character.
The public is invited to attend a virtual public meeting on Oct. 21, and to submit comments electronically or by mail from Oct. 21 through Nov. 21, 2021.
Antietam National Battlefield is located in a rural area of south Washington County, Md. and was established in 1890 to commemorate the bloodiest single-day battle in American history on September 17, 1862. Antietam is considered one of the best-preserved Civil War areas in the National Park System, attracting approximately 350,000 visitors annually. The farms and farmlands in and near the battlefield appear much as they did on the eve of the battle in 1862 and the terrain and landscape directly affected the outcome of the Battle of Antietam.
The purpose of this Landscape Management Plan is to develop comprehensive, sustainable land use strategies that will preserve significant landscape elements and integrate natural and cultural resource values, including a framework to:
- Sustainably manage land uses, including agriculture, native grasslands and forests.
- Rehabilitate historic viewpoints.
- Protect witness trees that were standing at the time of the Battle of Antietam.
- Advance watershed stewardship goals.
- Increase resiliency to climate change impacts.
- Improve opportunities for park visitors to learn about the battle’s events and significance.
How to comment: Public participation is vital to the planning process. There are several ways to get involved.
Attend the public meeting: A virtual public scoping meeting will be held on Oct. 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. Click here to join the meeting and view the meeting presentation live. Audio for the meeting will be available via computer through the above website link or by dialing (877) 286-5733 (Conference ID: 902 759 352#). A recording of the meeting and meeting presentation materials will also be available for viewing after Oct. 21 on the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website.
Comment Online: You are invited to provide written comments and identify any issues or concerns about the project from Oct. 21 through Nov. 21. through the NPS PEPC website at: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/antilandscape.
Comment by Mail: Written comments may also be mailed to the address below. Mailed comments must be postmarked by November 21, 2021 to receive consideration.
Superintendent
Attn: Landscape Management Plan
Antietam National Battlefield
PO Box 158
Sharpsburg, MD 21782
The 30-day public comment period is the first step in the EA and Section 106 processes the NPS is conducting in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act.
Last updated: October 8, 2021