Tuesday,
December 17, 2002
WASHINGTON D.C.
President Bush Signs Battlefield
Preservation Bill
On Tuesday, December 17, President George W. Bush signed
into law the Civil War Battlefield Preservation Act of 2002.
The bill authorizes $50 million for the protection of historic
Civil War battlefields outside the National Park Service.
"The enactment of this legislation marks an important turning
point in the fight to save Civil War battlefields,"
remarked Civil
War Preservation Trust (CWPT) President James Lighthizer.
"This law will help preserve thousands of hallowed
battlegrounds that would have otherwise been lost to sprawl."
The Civil War Battlefield Preservation
Act officially authorizes a matching grant program funded by Congress
in the fiscal years 1999 and 2002. Since its creation, the program has
helped protect nearly 8,000 acres of historic battlefield land in 12 states.
In the past year alone, the program has helped save historic property at
Prairie Grove, Arkansas; Antietam, Maryland; Chancellorsville, Virginia;
and Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.
CWPT played a key role in getting the legislation enacted.
The organization worked closely with Congressmen Gary Miller
(R-Calif.) and George Radanovich (R-Calif.); Senators Paul
Sarbanes (D-Md.), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and James Jeffords
(I-Vt.); and 15 other cosponsors of the bill. CWPT wishes
to thank these lawmakers for their dedication to protecting
America's Civil War heritage.
for more information: Civil
War Preservation Trust
Friday, November 22, 2002
GETTYSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
Luzerne National
Bank Donates $3000 for the 143rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry
Monument at Gettysburg
On November 1, William Leandri, President and CEO of
Luzerne National Bank, in Luzerne, Pennsylvania donated $3000
to Gettysburg National Military Park for the perpetual care
of the 143rd Pennsylvania
Volunteer Infantry Monument along Chambersburg Pike, on
the Gettysburg battlefield. The donation will provide ongoing
funds needed for the preservation and maintenance of the monument
in future years.
A recent business plan for Gettysburg
National Military Park found that the park is operating
with an annual funding shortfall of 37-percent. Sufficient
funds are not available for the preservation of historic
resources and to provide education programs for the public.
"Thoughtful donations such as the Luzerne National Bank's
often provide the funds needed to accomplish vital preservation
projects," said John Latschar, Gettysburg Superintendent.
The donation was made through the park's Adopt-a-Position
program. For more information contact the National Park
Service at 717/334-5533
Tuesday, November 5, 2002
WASHINGTON D.C.
Annual
March for Gettysburg
Sponsored by the Friends
of the National Parks at Gettysburg, a fund-raising walk
for battlefield preservation will happen on April 13, 2003.
To register, call the Friends at 717-334-0772 |
