It's always interesting to watch Congress. Not always pleasant, but always interesting. Why, just take a look at some of the national park-related legislation that has been introduced in the Senate since June alone.
Now, just because legislation is introduced doesn't mean it's going to fly. But it is more than a little interesting to see what's going through the minds of these politicians. And it really makes you wonder when the bill's description includes the curious words, "and for other purposes," doesn't it?
Bill................Introduced.................................................Description
• S. 1168..........June 3............................A bill to authorize the acquisition and protection of nationally significant battlefields and associated sites of the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 under the American Battlefield Protection Program.
• S. 1207..........June 8............................A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia, as a unit of the National Park System.
• S. 1270.........June 16...........................A bill to modify the boundary of the Oregon Caves National Monument, and for other purposes.
• S. 1271.........June 16...........................A bill to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to add certain segments to the Rogue River designation, and for other purposes.
* S. 1356.........June 25...........................A bill to amend the National Trails System Act to provide for the study of the Western States Trail.
• S. 1369.........June 25...........................A bill to amend the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate segments of the Molalla River in the State of Oregon, as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, and for other purposes.
• S. 1378.........June 25...........................A bill to modify a land grant patent issued by the Secretary of the Interior.
• S. 1405.........July 7..............................A bill to redesignate the Longfellow National Historic Site, Massachusetts, as the "Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site."
• S. 1413.........July 8..............................A bill to amend the Adams National Historical Park Act of 1998 to include the Quincy Homestead within the boundary of the Adams National Historical Park, and for other purposes.
• S. 1418..........July 8.............................A bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to carry out a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of establishing Camp Hale as a unit of the National Park System.
• S. 1525.........July 28............................A bill to amend the Act of May 29, 1930 (Chapter 354; 46 Stat. 482; commonly known as the Capper-Cramton Act), to authorize a grant program to preserve resources in the National Capital region, and for other purposes.
• S. 1537.........July 29............................A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park Service, to designate the Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Birthplace and Childhood Home in Cresco, Iowa, as a National Historic Site and as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes.
• S. 1557.........August 3.........................A bill to reinstate the Interim Management Strategy governing off-road vehicle use in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina, pending the issuance of a final rule for off-road vehicle use by the National Park Service.
• S. 1568.........August 3.........................A bill to assist in the establishment of an interpretive center and museum in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, to protect and interpret the history of the industrialization of the United States.
• S. 1596.........August 6.........................A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire the Gold Hill Ranch in Coloma, California.
• S. 1629.........August 6.........................A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the archeological site and surrounding land of the New Philadelphia town site in the state of Illinois, and for other purposes.
Comments
S. 1596 would place Gold Hill Ranch under BLM control, but as a historic site--an early Japanese immigrant settlement--it would seem NPS would be a more suitable overseer (assuming the site is considered worthy of federal management). The ranch might counterbalance the internment centers in the telling of the Japanese- or Asian-American experience.
Hello, As I read these bills, it continues to amaze me that the site where Abraham Lincoln lived from March of 1830-March of 1831 is not a national park.
I am writing to you today to implore you to consider
visiting a forgotten and ignored part of
Abraham Lincoln's heritage--right here in the Land of
Lincoln. The site is the first home of Abraham Lincoln in Illinois--now "memorialized" as
the Lincoln Homestead State Park, about 8 miles west of Decatur,
Illinois, just 30 minutes east of Springfield, or about 3 hours
south of Chicago.
Yes, this was Abraham Lincoln's first home in
Illinois where he lived for one year with his parents--from March of
1830 to March of 1831. There he nearly died of
malaria, nearly died of starvation (had to forage in fields for
food), and nearly froze his feet off. He had the "Illinois
shakes"-- a form of malaria, and nearly starved during the Great Winter
of 1830-31. While recuperating from severe frostbite,
he was given a copy of the Illinois Statutes to pass
the time while he recovered in the home of his
neighbor, the first Sheriff of Macon Co., thus beginning his law career.
Today the park is the second least visited state park
in Illinois, and is a travesty of an unsecured law
enforcement problem, not up to ADA codes, and not
taken care of by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Yet it is a place where Abraham Lincoln experienced
life-changing events and character-building moments
that shaped his future career. He split thousands of
rails out there for neighbors and his family, and they
were still out there in 1860 when delegates gathered
some and triumphantly held them over their heads as
they entered the convention hall to nominate him for president in Decatur.
Today, if we were to visit, we could very well be
the only visitors there for the day or days on end, as
all that is out there is a rock and a plaque. However, at one time,
the US Department of Interior planned to make it a national park and
projected, "millions of visitors" to the site. I think you would be
surprised at how pristine the site is, and would be able to almost
imagine yourself as Lincoln on the edge of civilization in
1830. There is no nearby Wal-Mart or strip mall, just the sound of
the beautiful Sangamon River.
Of course, I have written to dozens of historians, politicians, and the like to implore that something be done about this site. This site is the only place that Abraham Lincoln ever lived that is not preserved, protected, or interpreted. The site is a disgrace and has a long history of ups and downs in attempts to preserve and maintain it. I would sincerely appreciate your response or feedback on the how the NPS feels about this site and its potential to be a national park.
Thank you sincerely for your time and response.
Carol Scott