
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 9, 1994                   TAG: 9402090108
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C4   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WINCHESTER                                LENGTH: Medium

PARK SERVICE DOESN'T BACK BATTLEFIELD BILL

The regional director of the National Park Service says she won't support legislation creating a Shenandoah National Battlefields Park until more planning is done.

Bills pending in the U.S. Senate and House would create a sprawling national park comprised of eight Civil War battlefields throughout the Shenandoah Valley. It would establish visitor centers in Winchester and Harrisonburg.

The park would be made up of more than 1,000 acres voluntarily sold or donated to the government. There would be a driving tour of the loose connection of battlefields and some walking and bike paths.

After an hour-long briefing on local battlefield preservation efforts, Park Service regional director B.J. Griffin said a heritage plan should be completed before Congress passes legislation creating the park.

The legislation directs the Park Service to work with a Shenandoah Valley commission to create a heritage plan within three years. The plan would be a blueprint for the preservation, management and development of 12 battlefield sites.

In September, Park Service Deputy Director John Reynolds also refused to support a battlefield bill sponsored by Sen. John Warner, R-Va.

In testimony before a Senate committee, Reynolds said he was concerned about a lack of community support for the initiative and about preserving the area around each battlefield.

On Monday, Griffin echoed some of the worries about local governments' commitments to the integrity of the battlefield sites. The integrity of the sites includes keeping land immediately around the core of a battlefield free from visible development.

Afterward, she said the briefing allayed her concern about community support. "What I saw was a lot of commitment, support, resources spent to that end."

Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Fairfax County, author of a House bill to create the park, said he will continue to work with the Park Service to gain its support for the bills.

by CNB