Meeting of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
Federal Advisory Commission
2 March 2023, 9:30am-2:00pm EST, Park Headquarters
FAC Meeting Roster
Name, Role, Attendance
CHOH Employees
Tina Cappetta, Superintendent, DFO
John Noel, Deputy Superintendent
Mackensie Henn, Assistant to the Superintendent
Ben Helwig, Chief of Business Management
Andrew Landsman, Chief of Resources Management, Acting
Kevin Stanfield, GIS Specialist
Jim Yelton, Chief of Maintenance
Christiana Hanson, Chief of Interpretation, Education, and Volunteers
Commissioners
Joseph Adkins, Frederick County
Thomas Birch, District of Colombia
David Brickley, Virginia (absent)
Mark Cucuzzella, West Virginia
George Franks, Washington County
Angela Hummer, Maryland
Stella Koch, Virginia (absent)
George Lewis, Chair, At Large
Rod Mackler, Maryland
Stephen Nelson, Allegany County
Walter Stull, Frederick County
Scott Walzak, District of Colombia (absent)
Evelyn Williams, At Large
Francis "Champ" Zumbrun, Allegany County
Other Attendees
Sonny Holding, Congressional – Trone
Robin Summerfield, Congressional – Cardin
Williams Bowman, Member of the Public
Jon Wolz, Member of the Public
Minutes
Call to Order at 9:00
- Roll Call conducted by Chairman Lewis, meeting at quorum
- Not Present listed above
- Chairman Lewis wanted to emphasize the vacant seats listed below
- Montgomery County Vacant x2
- Washington Co
- WV
- At Large
- Chair encouraged the Superintendent to make the filling of these vacancies a priority
- Chairman Lewis read of the charge of the commission
- The commission is to advise the Secretary of Interior and the Designated Federal Official (DFO) on policy issues that affect the administration of the park
- The commission is intended to represent diverse jurisdictions of the park
- Administration of Commission
- The Superintendent offers her welcome to all those in attendance
- The day will include briefings for the commission, along with time for the commission to discuss and advise the park
- Superintendent opens the first Public Comment Period
- Robin Summerfield – passes along his greetings as well as the greeting from Senator Cardin, pleased to report that legislation for 10-year continuation of the commission is to be introduced next week, supporters include: Cardin, Van Hollen, Capito, Manchin, Trone, Raskin, Moonney, and Holmes-Norton
- Thanks for the commission for support and providing a formal means for community feedback
- Offered support for the nomination process
- Lewis Response – nomination packages must make its way to the WH, be aware of the importance of the nomination, thanks for the bi-partisan support for the commission
- Sonny Holding – proud to be part of the team and serve a role in the house, positive outlook for the passage of the legislation
- Back to Superintendent Cappetta
- Reviewing topics covered previously
- Working with College of William and Mary for a tribal affiliation study
- The study was prompted by the discovery of native remains in the C&O Canal collection, began the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) process
- The challenge is trying to figure out which tribes the remains and objects belong
- The study has provided a tremendous amount of information, with the goal of reaching out to the tribes identified
- Letters have been mailed to tribes with a connection to the Potomac River valley to begin a dialogue with the tribes
- Superintendent of Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail (POHE) has taken the lead as the liaison for the tribes
- Much to learn, more to share, with the goal of deciding where the objects should go
- Questions:
- Zumbrum – how many bodies are involved?
- Cappetta - We have one bone but other objects with funeral connections
- Brich – Where are the tribal jurisdictions?
- Cappetta - The tribes have moved greatly across the country
- Park is working on a Development Concept Plan (DCP) for Great Falls, where we are taking a holistic approach for how we administer the area
- Similar to the Whites Ferry DCP – where the question is what going to happen in the area after the removal of the abandoned cabins
- The process is now in the public comments phase
- Great Falls DCP – Swains to Anglers – is much larger and is in the conceptual stages currently, the public process has not begun.
- Contractor has been selected and working on the project
- Looking at circulation, how people move, looking at habitats, structures, services provided to the public, parking, safety, recreation opportunities, and recreation
- There will be opportunities for the public and the commission to contribute
- Park works collaboratively with the state to educate the public on river safety, work closely with local officials to provide safety
- Mackler – Is dredging part of the DCP?
- No, the removal of sedimentation from the Tavern to Viollets Lock is not part of this process. The project has not begun, as they are waiting for permits. The project is being managed by the Army Corps of Engineers.
- Commission Briefing - Kevin Stanfield
- Descendant engagement in the Seneca area
- Working with descendant community about a cemetery associated with the Seneca Stone Cutting Mill
- Dates to the 1800s, last burials are 1905, likely an African American cemetery
- Working with a community church that is linked to the cemetery
- Historic Recourses Study (HRS) is also looking at the area, with the lead working out of Bowie State Univ.
- The Descendant work is looking at how to balance the protection of the land while also allowing for community access to the grave sites
- Lewis – discussion who is interested in the restoration of the Seneca Aqueduct, how is the descendant engagement going to compete with the restoration of the aqueduct?
- Stanfield/Cappetta - Funding for the HRS and the descendant engagement is sperate from the rehabilitation of the aqueduct, while the restoration of the aqueduct would be conducted by maintenance
- Strategy is to make an assessment of the aqueducts to determine future work
- There will be many things happening in Seneca, including the land acquisition of the mill, that will increase enthusiasm for the area
- Bowman – Are there any intentions to restore the cemetery?
- Stanfield - That is one of the items that we want the community to decide, passive survey was conducted, the church and the community will help decide the proper treatment … Bowman would like a the list of those who are buried there. That information should come out in the HRS
- Birch – Name of the Church?
- Stanfield – Seneca Community Church
- Ground Penetrating Radar has also been offered to the community by the park for another method of survey work
Break – 10:30 for 10mins
- Administration of the Commission
- Approval of the minutes – approved
- Chair has completed the appropriate trainings and reporting required of the Chairperson
- Commission Briefing – Kevin Stanfield
- Scenic Easement Protection and SURPA – Presenter Kevin Stanfield
- Scenic easement terms
- Terms are specific to the park
- Protects the natural and cultural resources of the park
- Landowner engagement
- Regular site visits from arborists in the park to help evaluate trees in an easement
- The park is currently dealing with two cases of tree cutting on easements
- Park was made aware of the cases, park then documented the damage
- System Unit Resource Protection Act (SUPRA)
- Standard process, with evaluation from certified arborist
- Chair - What is the status of park boundaries?
- Once information is gathered and once boundaries are established, many boundaries have long standing issues, but the park is aware and working on areas with issues and conducting boundary surveys
- Park went through the SURPA process with two landowners, both will be replanting and paying damages, which goes towards reforestation
- Commission Briefing – John Noel
- Deferred Maintenance and Repairs, and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)– Presenter John Noel
- Deferred Maintenance and Repairs, and the IRA
- IRA
- NPS to Receive $500m in temporary funding
- This is not a permanent base operating increase
- Designed to help parks address the challenges of the 21st Century though hiring
- Proposed IRA strategy
- There is a large issue of deferred maintenance throughout the park, lack of staff and lack of funding, while contracting has limited capacity
- The Park proposes two preservation crews that can work independently
- Crews would start in FY24
- Crews would work on deferred maintenance and preventative maintenance
- Impact to the park budget is limited by the establishment as STF
- Questions
- Hummer – How does SFT work?
- They are considered full time.
- Hummer - What happens to money that would have been spent on contracting?
- Money from Repair/Rehabilitation and Cyclic [NPS funding sources], we can do more projects with the reduced cost of the preservation crew
- Lewis – How does the trade skill union correlate?
- Employees are allowed to join the bargaining unit for the park
- Lewis – Encouraged by the idea and believe it is a creative solution.
- Noel – the formal request is due in March, project has been presented informally
- Cappetta – This will be something they will like because it will have a positive long-term impact, it will be up to the park to prove the approach and demonstrate its effect. Sound strategy.
- Franks – What would you anticipate the push back to be?
- We do not anticipate major push back. The need for deferred maintenance is high
- The deferred maintenance and repairs are high throughout the park.
- Franks – supportive of the project
- Nelson – What is the downside?
- Noel – There are a couple challenges including recruitment (working with other programs like the experienced worker program) and administration
- Birch – creative approach to a priority for the park, there is competition for the money. How realistic is our expectation of the money?
- We have been told that we are getting a fixed about of the overall total to stretch out till 2030
- Williams – Have you given some thought to working with trade schools?
- We have spent some time working on recruitment, but the process is slow. These trade schools offer an out of the box solution, but they need help through the bureaucratic process. This is where an experienced worker could come in and help
- Cucuzella – Sounds like a version of the CCC, working towards a mission and investing in people, support
- Williams – Washington County is emphasizing the importance of apprenticeship, may be a possible partner
- Lewis – Thank you John and the Superintendent for presenting the management discussion
- Funded projects throughout the park
- Preservation crews will help to stem the tide of work, but the park is working on many construction projects
- See slide for more information
- Money saved by the preservation crews can be spent on new projects and more efficient equipment
- Mackler – Wanted explanation of the ERFO Fletchers
- The ERFO work is for emergency repairs from flood damage in the Fletchers area
- Walz – Looking for the status of the Aqueduct Assessment. Update on the removal cabins at Whites Ferry.
- We may be successful at moving the funding sooner.
- Park staff are actively working on other projects to fund them outside of government funding
- Birch – private funding?
- The C&O Trust is a great partner of the park and helps with many projects, Park is actively seeking non-park funding for projects
Lunch – break 12:00, 30mins
- Climate Change and Resource Resiliency – Landsman
- What Can we expect to happen?
- The park can expect
- Hotter/Drier Summers
- Warmer/Wetter Winters
- More extreme climate changes
- More frequent severe storms
- Increase in major storms
- More severe, flashy storms
- Increased flow in high river events
- Potential Impacts – Natural resources
- The park is home to 203 rare and threatened species
- The park can expect
- Changes in forest composition
- Loss of endangered plant species
- Spread of invasive species
- Changes in wildlife communities and movement
- Potential impacts – Cultural resources
- The park can expect
- Increased erosion to affect archeological sites
- Historic Structures
- Increased humidity, structural pests, and water intrusion
- Subject to high river events, river flooding, flash flooding, and erosion
- Historic culverts and streams
- Land use and development affecting stream flow and volume
- Increased sever weather and flashy storms
- Potential impacts – All resources
- Warmer temperatures lead to increased visitation
- What have we done so far?
- Identification of climatically resilient areas and habitats, generally those surrounded by other protected lands
- Identification of connected landscapes that facilitate species movement
- Assessing condition and integrity of historic culverts
- Including development of cost estimates for rehabilitation
- Modelling exercise to conduct current risk assessment for culverts
- Proposed projects
- Climate modeling for the near future
- Prioritization of culverts for repair and rehabilitation
- Forest restoration in resilient and connected landscapes
- Protecting endangered species in resilient and connected landscapes
- Commissioner Discussion
- IRA has funding for the park for staffing, but there is also a competitive funding source for promoting resiliency in both natural and cultural resources
- Birch – How to do we fight invasive species while the climate is more open to them?
- We’ve been doing an assessment to prioritize the species within the park based on their presence.
- Bowman – What is happening with garlic mustard?
- It is hard to control the expanse, we focus our efforts in prioritized areas. Volunteers receive extensive training when working on these projects
- Franks – Are there best practices established by the park service?
- Every park is a little different but there are established best management practices. Because of the uniqueness of the park and its ecosystem, there may be some hard decisions coming up based on the assessments being conducted as we work towards the future.
- Lewis – How do we decide what resources to save?
- The scientific community conducts research to look at the impact to the ecosystem
- The Resist/Accept/Direct (RAD) framework is used to help make decisions with consultation from academic and scientific communities
- Hummer- What are we doing for education of the public? We do a lot of education through multiple means, and we look to see where we can do more of. Things like signage, that explain the rules, or through printed materials, or in history programming and ranger talks.
- Birch – Its great to be popular, is there a possibility of controlling usage especially in the Great Falls area?
- That has not been brought up, but may be brought on in the Great Falls DCP
- Wolz – Walking in Montgomery County, noticing signs of coyotes?
- They are natural to the area and adapting to their environment, our game cameras help to catch these species and document their existence
- Commissioner Questions
- Chairman has asked the Superintendent to address
- Robberies and theft in the park
- Great Falls and Anglers are the problem areas for theft, US Park Police (USPP) are actively investigating these cases, education is ongoing to make the public aware
- Brunswick and trains
- Discussions are ongoing with the mayor, CSX, and the county as to how long trains can stay on the tracks
- CSX was sympathetic but anticipate greater train traffic
- In the event of an emergency, they are willing to move the train
- Stull – They are working to put a pedestrian bridge over the tracks, which would not accommodate cars. This is not a problem unique to Brunswick but there is an issue finding a solution
- Culvert 2
- Condition assessment was conducted in 2020, which said that the culvert was in bad condition
- 165 historic culverts, some have completely breached while others are higher priority because of its fragile state
- Culvert 2 is not a fragile structure ready to fail,
- Inventory and detailed assessments are underway and prioritization in process
- Lewis asks that culvert 2 be kept on the updates
- 4 Bridges
- Bids have been accepted and are being reviewed
- Other questions and concerns
- Eastern Ohio Train Wreck concerns
- Hazard management plans are in active planning
- Paw Paw Tunnel
- Project is scheduled to be finished in the spring, hauling of loose material is in process, weather dependent
- McMahons Mill
- Project is finishing on 21m project, punch list has been created
- Opening of the towpath should be in March, with an official
- Edwards Ferry Bridge
- In the 4 bridges project, bids have been received and construction is imminent
- Project schedule is undetermined
- Level 33 wall
- Project is underway
- Contractor on site, actively dewatering the canal with a road closure of March 20 to accommodate the deconstruction and construction of a historic wall
- Georgetown
- Brich – thank you for the care the park is making in Georgetown
- Mile 0 interpretive plaque – working on wayfinding and improving waysides throughout the park, hope to get a visual information specialist to help the park communicate more efficiently
- Ferry Hill
- It is not currently utilized, there is a ranger station and employee housing
- Work on house will be conducted in the coming years to address
- Exterior of the house is open
- Commissioner Nelson expressed his support of resurfacing in Cumberland
- Resurfacing is expected in 2023-2025, tent in 155mp-173mp fy23, Pending a TAP grant … fy24 140mp-155mp, fy25 173mp-184.5mp
- Funding is complicated and determines the order in which the towpath is resurfaced
- Noel encouraged Nelson to write letter of support for the Maryland Transportation Alternatives Program grant
- Georgetown VC
- Working with GH to open the VC along with the boat season
- Commissioner comments
- Williams
- No report, working with the teacher Corps and excited for the school season
- Cucuzzella
- Thankful for the work being done throughout the park offering an opportunity for recreation
- Hummer
- Franks
- Offer as a source in Washington County
- Birch
- Appreciative of the work and happy to be of help, like the structure of the meeting
- Stull
- Appreciative of the work the park does
- Nelson
- Thankful for the new Cumberland ranger and presentations
- Mackler
- Thank you to the newsletter and biographies of new employees
- Thank you to Joe for work on Wasteweir 1
- Lewis
- Thanks to the C&O Canal Trust for lunch
- Thanks to the commissioners for coming
- Personal update
- Public comment
- Wolz - Thanks for the opportunity to attend and learn more about the park
- Closing Remarks
- Employee Appreciation Day tomorrow
- Superintendent – thank for the staff and the quality of the presentations
- Congressional delegation with working to get the commission reauthorized and new commissioners nominated
- Commissioners are appreciated
- Thanks for hosting
Gaveled closed 2:08
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