Help celebrate National Parks Week by supporting our local history
The Battle of Chickamauga was one of the bloodiest and most significant battles in the Western Theater of the United States Civil War. It occurred in parts of southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia.
The National Parks Service preserves these sacred grounds as the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. Unfortunately, the park is in need of critical infrastructure repairs to the tune of $50 million.
Following the Battle of Gettysburg, the Battle of Chickamauga saw the most lives lost of any battle in the Civil War. Memorials serve as testimonials to the battle waged on the grounds more than a century and a half ago.
As we mark National Parks Week April 15-23, we pay homage to those sites.
But at the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, half of the needed repair costs are for maintenance of monuments and landscaping. The other half would go to roads and trails. It is unfortunate that this land, which witnessed the loss of 34,000 soldiers, would face such a dilemma.
One section of the park preserves the remnants of Paleo-Indians who occupied what is now the Moccasin Bend National Archaeological District. This section of the park has more than $7 million in deferred maintenance, including a work needed on the crumbling shoreline of the Tennessee River.
The National Park Legacy Act of 2017 gives Congress the opportunity to address these critical needs. If passed, it would create the dedicated Legacy Restoration Fund to provide for the most critically needed projects. Money would be allocated to the fund annually, so that it could be drawn on for future needs. It also would provide for public-private matching partnerships.
As Executive Director of the Friends of Moccasin Bend, I have seen firsthand how falling and flat budgets negatively affect our National Parks and their visitors. Since Moccasin Bend’s addition to the National Park Service in 2003, there has been little to no federal dollars invested park infrastructure improvements like roads, trails and interpretation. The burden of fundraising has largely fallen onto the Friends, and that’s just not fair to our parks, communities, supporters, or visitors.
This is just one example of the $12.6 billion in needed infrastructure repairs throughout all of our national parks. Inconsistent public funding following the 2008 recession created immense challenges for our National Parks Service. The situation put the maintenance of these diverse and unique places at risk.
Last year, our national parks experienced a historic number of visitors. That includes more than 1 million visitors to the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park.
According to the National Parks Service, these visitors generated $63.2 million in spending and created 979 jobs. In total, the historic site has pumped nearly $80 million into the local economy.
Our national park sites have been considered “America’s best idea.” It is only right that we pay homage to our history, our heritage, and to these immaculate landscapes that help to distinguish this great nation.
I hope that Tennessee’s congressional members will help pass the National Park Legacy Act of 2017 and ensure these places for our future generations.