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National Park Service Awards $3.1 Million in Civil War Battlefield Grants
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“The impact of the events that took place on these hallowed grounds continues to affect all Americans,” said Director Jarvis. “The protection of these sites provides opportunities for all of us to connect physically and emotionally with our country’s journey from Civil War to Civil Rights.”

The grants are funded from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which uses revenue from federal oil and gas leases on the Outer Continental Shelf to purchase land, water and wetlands for the benefit of all Americans. President Obama has called for full, permanent funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund in his proposed budget, recognizing it as one of the nation’s most effective tools for protecting important water sources, expanding access for hunting and fishing, preserving historic battlefields, and creating ball fields and other places for kids to play and learn.

Since its establishment in 1964, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has conserved land in every state and supported tens of thousands of state and local projects. The fund does not use taxpayer dollars; the primary source of income derives from fees paid by oil and gas companies drilling offshore in waters owned by the American people. The program has only been fully funded once in its 50-year history and is at risk of expiring without action from Congress.

The grants are administered by the American Battlefield Protection Program, one of more than a dozen programs administered by the National Park Service that provide 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 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) and the ABPP’s 2007 Report to Congress on the Historic Preservation of Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Sites in the United States. 

Grants are awarded to units of state and local governments for the fee simple acquisition of land, or for the non-federal acquisition of permanent, protective interests in land (easements). Private non-profit groups may apply in partnership with state or local government sponsors. In the case of these newly awarded grants, the Civil War Trust partnered with the government sponsor grantees listed below. Other partnership organizations involved in the grant projects include the Kentucky Heritage Council; Land Conservancy of Adams County, PA; Tennessee Historical Commission; Virginia Department of Historic Resources; and the Land Trust of the Eastern Panhandle, WV. 

More information about the American Battlefield Protection Program and these grants are available online at: www.nps.gov/abpp.
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About the National Park Service
More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 407 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.

NPS Contact:
Kathy Kupper
202-208-6843