General Management Plan for Sand Creek Massacre NHS Prepared for Public Review

Date: June 8, 2015
Contact: Shawn Gillette, 719-438-5916

The National Park Service (NPS) is in the final stages of developing a long-term management plan for Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site. The draft general management plan and environmental assessment will be available for public review this month. On June 16, NPS staff will hold a public meeting on these documents at the Crow-Luther Cultural Events Center in Eads.

"We are at the end of a very important planning effort for the national historic site," said Superintendent Alexa Roberts. "The general management plan will guide the overall management site for the next 20 years. We are delighted to share this vision for the park's future with the people of Kiowa County, for the Cheyenne and Arapaho people, and the American public. Sand Creek was a pivotal moment in the history of the United States and the American West. This plan will help us continue to protect the massacre site and bring this important story to our visitors. We look forward to hearing from neighbors and Kiowa County residents, who have been so instrumental in the park's development over the last decade." 

The plan was developed by the NPS over 10 years in partnership with the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, the State of Colorado, and officials of Kiowa County. The plan identifies a long-term management strategy, the types of facilities to be developed for the site and ways that visitors can access the site. Superintendent Roberts observed that, "The plan will enable us to move forward with important improvements and educational and interpretive programs to help our visitors better understand and appreciate the significance of the Sand Creek Massacre and the events that followed. Sand Creek is an important window into our history and we want visitors to experience that as fully as possible." 

A 45-day public review period for the plan will end on July 29, 2015. For more information on the general management plan or the site, please email Superintendent Roberts or email planning project manager Tom Thomas.