INSERT CONTENT HERE (coming end of Nov)
FROM THE DESK OF THE SECRETARY: Paul Van Nest
American Battlefield Trust (ABT) saves lands at Gettysburg and Chancellorsville but still threatened are lands at Manassas and the Wilderness.
Consider this: The Trust was able to acquire the remaining portion of the Gettysburg Country Club and surrounding 15 acres along Willoughby's Run this fall because last fall, some 3,500 of you contacted township officials and urged them to deny a waiver that would have seen that same land turned into a multi-building, multi-story apartment rental complex! This preservation coup is only possible because of your advocacy.
Your voice has been heard in the halls of Congress, where in November, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the American Battlefield Protection Program Enhancement Act. This measure will streamline and create efficiencies in the already successful program, supercharging our ability to protect threatened landscapes.
We've also demonstrated the power of advocacy in person. When a development proposal jeopardized the heart of the Chancellorsville Battlefield, residents packed a public meeting venue beyond its capacity. The resounding opposition communicated to local officials in the strongest possible terms disapproval of a development plan within 1,500 feet of the historic Chancellorsville House ruins.
Sadly, there have been cases where not even overwhelming opposition could sway decisionmakers, such as with plans to build the world's largest data center complex adjacent to the Manassas Battlefield in Virginia. After a third marathon hearing in the lengthy process, the Prince William County Board of Supervisors approved the data center rezonings on December 13. We were disappointed but unsurprised by the vote, given the board's frequent disregard for the concerns expressed by local residents, preservation advocates and even their own planning staff.
Together with our preservation partners, we are exploring all avenues left to us to continue fighting for Manassas. We are doing the same at the Wilderness, where the Trust is a plaintiff in a legal challenge against Orange County centered on flaws in its approval process.
