News Release
Date: April 20, 2021
Contact: Chuck Lawson, Project Manager
Contact: Vanessa Lacayo, Public Affairs Specialist
DENVER—The National Park Service (NPS) is extending the comment period for the Amache Special Resource Study to June 30, 2021, and invites the public to participate in three additional virtual (online) meetings. The NPS is conducting this study to determine whether Amache should be considered for inclusion as a unit of the national park system.
Amache was one of 10 incarceration sites operated by the War Relocation Authority under the Department of the Interior during World War II. Japanese Americans and legal residents of Japanese ancestry were incarcerated at Amache, located just outside of the town of Granada, Colorado near the Arkansas River. Over 10,000 people were incarcerated at Amache, with a peak population of over 7,300 people, two-thirds of whom were American citizens.
Meetings will be held at the following dates and times via the videoconferencing platform, Zoom:
Saturday, May 22, 2021
11:00 am to 1:00 pm MST / 10:00 am to 12:00 pm PST
Link: https://brown.zoom.us/j/92961369737
By phone: (877) 369 0926, Meeting ID: 929 6136 9737
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
3:30 pm to 5:30 pm MST / 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm PST
Link: https://brown.zoom.us/j/94315127736
By phone: (877) 853 5247, Meeting ID: 943 1512 7736
Thursday, May 27, 2021
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm MST / 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm PST
Link: https://brown.zoom.us/j/95324800472
By phone: (877) 853 5247, Meeting ID: 953 2480 0472
In each meeting, the NPS will share information about the special resource study process, including the criteria used to evaluate a site for inclusion in the national park system, answer questions, and solicit public feedback and ideas. These virtual meetings will provide additional opportunities for public involvement, to complement three virtual meetings that were hosted in July and August of 2020.
Links, schedules, and more information about these meetings can be accessed via the project website: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/Amache
Anyone with an interest in Amache or in this National Park Service study process is encouraged to take the time to share their thoughts and ideas. Those unable to participate in the virtual meetings can also submit comments on this study in a number of other ways:
Online (preferred). Visit the study website https://parkplanning.nps.gov/amache and click on the “Open for Comment” tab to access the online comment portal.
By Mail
Amache Special Resource Study
National Park Service
12795 West Alameda Parkway
PO Box 25287
Denver, CO 80225-0287
By Email.
Public input helps the NPS better understand what is important or unique about Amache, how much support exists for preservation, public use and potential designation, and what the public envisions for Amache’s future. Public comments also inform whether there are any issues or concerns which should be considered during the study process.
At the conclusion of the study process, findings and any recommendations of the Secretary of the Interior will be sent to Congress for consideration. Only Congress, through legislated action, or the President, through the use of the Antiquities Act of 1906, have the authority to designate new national park units.
More information about the study can be found at:
Last updated: May 13, 2021