News Release

National Park Service seeking comments for Visitor Use Management Plan for Eisenhower National Historic Site

A Ranger talks to a group of students.

Bill Dowling

News Release Date: July 12, 2017

Contact: Ahna Wilson, 717-338-9114 x4411

The National Park Service (NPS) is undertaking a listening session process as an initial step in the development of a visitor use management plan (the plan) for Eisenhower National Historic Site (the park). The purpose of the plan is to maximize the ability of the National Park Service to encourage access and protect the park’s natural and cultural resources. The planning process will examine current and potential visitor opportunities and develop long-term strategies for providing access and connecting visitors to important experiences.
 
Eisenhower National Historic Site preserves and interprets the home and farms of the Eisenhower family as a fitting and enduring memorial to the life, work, and times of General Dwight David Eisenhower, 34th president of the United States, and to the events of far-reaching importance that occurred on the property. 
 
PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE – Members of the public are invited to attend a public open house on Thursday, July 27, from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center, Ford Education Room, 1195 Baltimore Pike, Gettysburg, to learn more about the Visitor Use Management Plan. The NPS will accept written comments at the open house and online.
 
“We encourage the public to get involved with the process and add your voice to the visitor use planning for the park,” said Ahna Wilson, Eisenhower National Historic Site Manager. “At the open house on July 27, we will be providing information about the park and hope to spread the word about this important effort. This is the beginning of the process, and there will be future opportunities to provide additional input.”
 
Eisenhower National Historic Site’s goal of the visitor use management plan is to establish a vision for the future of visitor experiences by evaluating and determining appropriate access, visitor services and interpretive opportunities, and protecting the cultural integrity of the site. The National Park Service (NPS) intends to develop a plan that promotes relevancy, builds constituency, and provides sustainable access and opportunities. This plan will evaluate a range of improved and new visitor uses in a manner consistent with the purpose and significance of the park.
 
For more information on the purpose, significance, and fundamental resources and values of the park, please download the park’s foundation document on the Eisenhower National Historic Site website.
 
The NPS seeks the public’s participation in the planning process for the Visitor Use Management Plan. For more specifics related to the development of a Visitor Use Management Plan, the NPS has prepared a newsletter and, beginning on July 17, will be accepting written suggestions, comments, and concerns regarding the proposal at the following website: https://parkplanning.nps.gov. The information will be posted under the park name, “Eisenhower National Historic Site,” under documents open for comment.
 
COMMENTS ARE REQUESTED BY AUGUST 21, 2017.
 
The Eisenhower National Historic Site is open daily with shuttle buses leaving the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center at 10 am and 2 pm. Admission is $9.00 for adults and $5.00 for youth ages 6 -12; children age 5 and under are admitted free. Advance reservations are available and highly recommended for groups. Reservations can be made by calling 877-874-2478.
 
For more information contact the Eisenhower National Historic Site at 717/ 338-9114 or visit the website at www.nps.gov/eise