PARK HEADLINES
February 9, 2001
Here
are the five new units that have been added to the National Park System:
The first three on the list were created by the 106th U.S. Congress and
the last two were created under the Antiquities Act by President Clinton during
his administration.
First
Ladies National Historic Site in Canton, Ohio, was established to preserve
and interpret the role and history of First Ladies in American history. The site
will consist of two properties: 331 Market Avenue South, the home of First Lady
Ida Saxton McKinley, and 205 Market Avenue South, the City National Bank
Building. The site will be managed through a cooperative agreement with the
National First Ladies Library, a nonprofit corporation.
Rosie
the Riveter/World War II Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond,
California, was created to commemorate the mobilization of the workforce on the
home front during World War II, while specifically recognizing the contributions
of women and minorities to this effort. The park will consist of five sites in
the city of Richmond where the original buildings still stand that housed
employees and provided services to those working at the shipyards. The park also
will include various areas along the waterfront of Richmond where a World War II
Home Front Education Center will be established.
Great
Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is located in the San Luis Valley of
Colorado. It was formerly a National Monument established by Presidential
proclamation in 1932 and was authorized to be designated a National Park by the
Secretary of the Interior with the acquisition of sufficient diverse lands.
Plans are for the acquisition of part of the existing Baca Ranch as well as
lands west and south of the existing NM to provide for a 108,000-acre NP. A new
42,000-acre National Preserve was established on the date of enactment of the
new law. The preserve is adjacent to the existing NM and consists of lands
formerly administered by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Rio Grande
National Forest.
The Virgin
Islands Coral Reef National Monument is located in the submerged lands off
the island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The island of St. John rises
from a platform that extends several miles from shore before plunging to abyssal
depths in the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean. The platform contains a
multitude of species that exist in a delicate balance, interlinked through
complex relationships that have developed over tens of thousands of years. The
National Monument designation furthers the protection of the scientific objects
included in the Virgin Islands National Parks. The monument contains all the
elements of a Caribbean tropical marine ecosystem and several threatened and
endangered species. Humpback whales, pilot whales, four species of dolphins,
brown pelicans, roseate terns, least terns, and the hawksbill, Leatherback, and
green sea turtles all use portions of the monument.
Governor's
Island National Monument is located on Governor's Island, New York, between
the confluence of the Hudson and East rivers. It served as an outpost to protect
New York City from sea attack. The monument is part of a larger 1985 National
Historic Landmark District designation and contains two important historical
objects: Castle William and Fort Jay. Between 1806 and 1811, these
fortifications were constructed as part of the First and Second American Systems
of Coastal Fortification. Both Castle William and Fort Jay represent two of the
finest types of defensive structures in use from the Renaissance to the American
Civil War. The monument also played important roles in the War of 1812, the
American Civil War, and World Wars I and II. During the past 200 years,
Governors Island was managed by the U.S. Army and the U.S. Coast Guard but is no
longer needed for military purposes.
