View of the East Woods at Antietam from the 44-acre “epicenter tract” restored in 2017.
Urge Congress to Reauthorize Battlefield Acquisition Grants
Protection of America’s battlefields is the preservation of our nation’s history. If these grounds are lost, we will also lose the opportunity to use the power of place to share the pivotal history and stories that unfolded at these sites. When preserved and interpreted, these lands serve as outdoor classrooms to educate both current and future generations of Americans about some of the most fundamental moments in our country’s past.
Unfortunately, only a fraction of these hallowed grounds are preserved for Americans to visit and explore. Urbanization, suburban sprawl, and poorly planned commercial and residential development are encroaching on these significant battlefields.
Recognizing the importance of saving these lands, commissions created by Congress recommended the establishment of matching grant programs to save priority Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and Civil War battlefields outside existing National Park Service boundaries. For a quarter-century, the American Battlefield Protection Program’s (ABPP) Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant Program (BLAG) has been the primary mechanism by which public-private partnerships have endeavored to set aside these important landscapes.
During that time, Congress has appropriated more than $250 million in federal funding — money that has been matched many times over by private donations and state and local monies to allow organizations like the American Battlefield Trust and its allies to save more than 36,000 acres of battlefield land throughout the nation.
This funding stream is more important than ever as land prices skyrocket across battlefield states due to the explosion of data centers and related development financed by deep-pocketed developers who can pay staggering amounts per acre and drive up land prices as never before.
That’s why the American Battlefield Protection Program Amendments Act (S.3524) is so important: It reauthorizes the American Battlefield Protection Program’s (ABPP) Battlefield Land Acquisition Grant Program (BLAG), allowing Congress to continue allocating funding for this important work through 2035, past the end of the Revolutionary War’s 250th anniversary commemoration.
The legislation also includes minor refinements to BLAG’s two sister programs: the Battlefield Interpretation Grant Program and the Battlefield Restoration Grant Program. It creates efficiencies by combining the appropriation for the two programs while lowering the barrier for local friends groups to participate by decreasing the non-federal match requirement.
Finally, the bill directs NPS to study the feasibility of expanding eligibility for BLAG grants to sites from the French and Indian War and the Mexican-American War, as those conflicts have already been mapped with historic boundaries established.
How Can You Help
Use this form to reach out to your federal legislators, urging them to become cosponsors of this important bipartisan legislation.
