Office of the Secretary

For Immediate Release: September 21, 1999

Contact: Tim Ahern (202)-208-5089

*** MEDIA ADVISORY ***

Babbitt Will Visit Manassas To
Discuss Civil War Battlefield Protection

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt will visit the Manassas National Battlefield Park in Manassas, Virginia on Thursday morning, Sept. 23, to discuss the need for congressional approval of guaranteed money for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which is the federal government's chief way to help communities protect open space.

Babbitt will tour the battlefield and an adjoining 9-acre plot of private land, which was part of the fighting and which the National Park Service needs to acquire before it can be protected. He will be accompanied by former Senator Dale Bumpers and by Jim Lighthizer, Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Civil War Trust.

"The Civil War is central to the American story and we need to protect the battlefields so future generations can walk them and feel the power of their history," Babbitt said. "This proposed acquisition is a perfect example of why people need to urge Congress to approve President Clinton's plan for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. That fund has been crucial to preserving our heritage. But many Civil War sites are unprotected and are threatened by the type of development that we see at Manassas. We need to make sure our battlefields aren't turned into shopping centers."

Who: Bruce Babbitt, Secretary of the Interior.

What: Visit to the Manassas National Battlefield Park, west of Washington, D.C.

When: Thursday, Sept. 23, 10 a.m. at the Stone Bridge on Virginia route 29. The bridge spans Bull Run near the border of Prince William and Fairfax counties.

Note: Babbitt will tour the park beginning at 9:15 a.m. Media wishing to accompany him should meet at the Manassas visitor center.

Where: Manassas National Battlefield Park

Directions from Washington - Interstate 66 to exit 47B. Right on Virginia route 234 for one mile to the Manassas visitor center.

For information or background, call: Tim Ahern, Department of Interior, 202-208-5089

Bob Sutton, Mansassas Superintendent, 703-754-1861.

-DOI-