(If you have difficulty viewing this newsletter, go to http://www.ContinentalChronicle.org/)
|
The Continental Chronicle Spring 2009 |
|||||||||||
|
A Message from
the Superintendent We also welcome our army of running supporters as we host the 4th annual Revolutionary Run on Sunday, April 19, marking the beginning of National Park Week. The Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau is again the key sponsor along with local companies such as Lockheed Martin and Nolen Painting. Over 800 people have already registered to walk or run in this year’s event. All proceeds benefit the care and maintenance of the park’s 28 miles of trail which are used by all. If you have not yet registered, visitwww.revolutionaryrun.org. Also, please plan to join us on Saturday, April 25 for National Junior Ranger Day. We will offer special outdoor programs for kids exploring the natural and historical features of the park. See the park website for details,www.nps.gov/vafo Joining us this summer will also be three teachers from neighboring school districts as part of the Teacher-Ranger-Teacher program. This program details teachers to parks as park rangers to assist us in developing curriculum based education programs for local schools, programs for the general public, assisting with teacher institutes or with park research projects. Teachers return to school with the obligation to bring the parks into their classrooms by developing and presenting curriculum based lesson plans that draw on their summer’s experience. Look for our teachers from the Great Valley School District, the Tredyfferin-Easttown School District and the Philadelphia School District out in the park over the summer. Look forward to seeing all of you out in the park. |
|
||||||||||
|
The National Parks: America's Best Idea Acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns can now add “honorary park ranger” to a resume that already includes two Academy Award nominations, seven Emmy Awards, and 20 honorary degrees.
Acting National Park Service Director Dan Wenk recently presented Burns and his production partner Dayton Duncan with honorary park ranger certificates and traditional ranger hats during a ceremony in the Department of the Interior Auditorium. After receiving the awards, Burns and Duncan previewed and discussed a short film based on The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, their six-part, 12-hour series scheduled to air on PBS stations nationwide this September.
“Ken and Dayton have created a documentary film on the national parks and the origin of the National Park Service that provides Americans an opportunity to reflect on the significance and value of our national parks,” said Wenk. “Their film will assist the National Park Service in communicating important messages and themes, such as the wonder of our natural and cultural heritage preserved in the National Park System; the unique American ideas and ideals that the System represents; and the inclusion of America’s diversity in its past, present, and future.”
Duncan, the series’ writer and co-producer, first thought of making a film about national parks during a cross country vacation in 1998. The project, eight years in the making, traces the birth of the national park idea in the mid-1800s and follows its evolution for nearly 150 years. Creating the series was a labor of love for Burns and Duncan who both said that many of their fondest memories include experiences shared with family members in national parks.
Burns, the director and co-producer, said the cinematography in the series is the most stunning of his nearly 30-year career. He mixed scenic shots with archival footage and photographs and supplemented them with first-person accounts from historical characters as well as personal memories and analysis collected from more than 40 interviews. Like his prior epic works including The Civil War, Baseball, and Jazz, Burns’ latest documentary has a quintessentially American theme.
“National parks embody an idea as uniquely American as the Declaration of Independence and just as radical: that the most magnificent and sacred places in our land belong not to royalty or the rich but to everyone- and for all time,” said Burns. “While making this series, we discovered more than stories of the most dramatic landscapes on earth. We discovered stories of remarkable people from every conceivable background. What they had in common was a passion to save some precious portion of the land they loved so that those of us who followed might have the same chance to fall in love with that place. Without them, parks would not exist.”
|
|||||||||||
|
Public Review Period for Draft White-tailed Deer Management Plan/EIS Ends
The 60-day public review period for the Draft White-tailed Deer Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) ended on 2/17/09. A great deal of information on the plan was available and it generated numerous comments from the public, interested parties, and local, state, and federal government agencies. There were 83 participants in public meetings held in January 2009. The majority of written comments were received from residents of Pennsylvania; however, input also was provided from residents of 34 other states and four countries (Albania, Canada, Hungary, Spain). In total, we received 1,168 pieces of correspondence containing 3,842 comments. Of these 351 comments were substantive and will be addressed in the Final EIS. The final public comment analysis report will be available on the park website in April, with a final plan and EIS to follow. Implementation of the final plan is scheduled for late fall.
|
|||||||||||
|
Spring/Summer 2009 Programs There are several public programs being offered once again this spring and summer. A few of the programs being offered include Walking Tours, Junior Ranger Guided Walks, "History of Valley Forge" Trolley Tours, and Valley Forge After Hours Tours. Visit www.nps.gov/vafo to see our full Spring/Summer 2009 program guide which includes all of the programs being offered.
Walking Tours :
Junior Ranger Guided Walks :
Become a Junior Ranger! Kids 6 to 12 years of age will enjoy a guided walk through the encampment area uncovering the hidden stories of Valley Forge through fun and education activities. Junior Ranger Walks are free and are offered at 10:30 am Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays June 13 to September 7. All walks depart from General Varnum's Quarters at Tour Stop #9.
"History of Valley Forge" Trolley
Tours:
Valley Forge After Hours: | |||||||||||
|
No Need to Drive This Summer In addition to the very popular trolley tours of the park, which provide professional guides and a great experience, the park will experiment with a free transportation-only shuttle along the tour route to provide an alternative to driving for our visitors. Called the Revolutionary Traveler, the new shuttle will run every 20 minutes and will be able to carry bikes. The shuttle is an experiment to see how feasible such alternative transportation might be. It is being run through a partnership with the Greater Valley Forge Transportation Management Association. | |||||||||||
|
Pennsylvania Turnpike Suspends Widening
The park has worked for five years with Tredyffrin Township and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission on mitigation of future impacts from the planned widening, which was to have taken place between the Downingtown and Valley Forge exits. Impacts included excessive storm water releases into Valley Creek from the entire six-mile segment of the road, noise impacts, and loss of tree screens. In late March, the commission announced that it “has suspended further development” on the project. Reconstruction of the PA 252 bridge over the turnpike already is underway and will continue, with PA 252 scheduled to be closed through November.
| |||||||||||
|
Friends of Valley Forge Park Continue Support of Key Park Projects
The Friends want to extend a thank you to all who participated in recent events, programs and our annual giving campaign. Many of you responded to our first ever annual fund appeal which generated several thousand dollars toward the support of the ongoing work of the organization including sponsoring educational programming, ongoing trail work, special events, interpretive exhibits for the rehabilitated train station near Washington’s Headquarters and the cell phone tour which is available 365 days a year at no cost to the visiting public. We sincerely appreciate your support. We also want to welcome our newest board members. Board members help guide our organization while providing voices from the community on behalf of all of you who use and care for this special place. Our newest board members are: Carole Rubley, former state representative; Scott Sibley, chair of the Upper Merion Township Board of Supervisors; Joe Tamney, principal of Boyd, Tamney, Cross a public relations and marketing company; Lorette Treese, archivist at Bryn Mawr College and Paul Decker of the Valley Forge Convention and Visitors Bureau. Our organization grows stronger through the contributions of these fine leaders. |
|||||||||||
|
The official newsletter of Valley Forge National Historical Park • Spring 2009 [ Join our mailing list ]
If the content of this newsletter does not display properly, copy and paste
this URL into your browser's address bar:
www.ContinentalChronicle.org. For more information on the Friends
of Valley Forge Park, go to
www.FriendsofValleyForge.org. |
|||||||||||
