National Park Service Awards Civil War Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants
OutdoorHub 03.25.13
National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis today announced more than $2.5 million in grants to help preserve 700 acres of land at four of America’s Civil War battlefields. The grant projects are in Marietta, Ga., Bentonville, N.C., Cool Springs, Va. and Summit Point, W.V.
Director Jarvis said, “These grants provide state governments and local organizations the ability to protect important Civil War sites for future generations as we commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.”
The grants are from the National Park Service’s American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP), one of more than a dozen programs administered by the National Park Service that provides states and local communities technical assistance, recognition, and funding to help preserve their own history and create close-to-home recreation opportunities.
Consideration for the Civil War battlefield land acquisition grants is given to battlefields listed in the National Park Service’s Civil War Sites Advisory Commission Report on the Nation’s Civil War Battlefields (CWSAC Report). Funds were awarded based on the property’s location within CWSAC-defined core and/or study areas, the threat to the battlefield land to be acquired, and the availability of required non-Federal matching funds.
Congress appropriated nearly $9 million for Civil War battlefield land acquisition grants in 2012. Applications for the balance of the funds are accepted at any time. Criteria to consider in the applying for the Civil War Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants include:
- The LWCF Civil War Battlefield Land Acquisition Grants are awarded through a competitive process to units of state and local governments.
- Private non-profit groups may apply in partnership with state or local government sponsors.
- Each grant requires a dollar-for-dollar non-Federal match.
- Grants are available for the fee simple acquisition of land, or for the acquisition of permanent, protective interests in land at Civil War battlefields listed in the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission’s (CWSAC) 1993 Report on the Nation’s Civil War Battlefields.
- Higher consideration will be given to proposals for acquisition of endangered lands at battlefields defined as Priority I or II sites in the CWSAC report.
- Complete guidelines for grant eligibility and application forms are available online at: http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp/
For further information, contact Kristen McMasters, Grants Manager, at 202-354-2037 or kristen_mcmasters@nps.gov
| Grantee, State | Amount |
| Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Ga. Marietta Operations Battlefield, 132 acres (Fee Simple) | $2,011,551.00 |
| North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, N.C. Bentonville Battlefield, 108.47 acres (Fee Simple) | $253,422.50 |
| Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Va. Cool Springs Battlefield, 195 acres (Easement – additional funds) | $300,000.00 |
| Jefferson County Farmland Protection Board, W. Va. Summit Point Battlefield, 264 acres (Easement – additional funds) | $2,187.05 |
| Total | $2,576,160.55 |
