Antietam National Battlefield seeks input on plan to improve park landscape management strategies

The National Park Service (NPS) is preparing a Landscape Management Plan and Environmental Assessment (EA) for Antietam National Battlefield. The plan will define the framework for the treatment of the battlefield landscape and describe specific guidelines and tasks aimed to maintain and enhance the park's historic character. The public is invited to attend a virtual public meeting on Oct. 21, and to submit comments electronically or by mail from Oct. 21 through Nov. 21, 2021.

Antietam National Battlefield is located in a rural area of south Washington County, Maryland and was established in 1890 to commemorate the bloodiest single-day battle in American history on September 17, 1862. Antietam is considered one of the best-preserved Civil War areas in the National Park System, attracting approximately 350,000 visitors annually. The farms and farmlands in and near the battlefield appear much as they did on the eve of the battle in 1862 and the terrain and landscape directly affected the outcome of the Battle of Antietam.

The purpose of this Landscape Management Plan is to develop comprehensive, sustainable land use strategies that will preserve significant landscape elements and integrate natural and cultural resource values, including a framework to:

- Sustainably manage agricultural uses and forests;
- Protect critical viewsheds from surrounding development;
- Restore historic viewpoints, currently obstructed by overgrown vegetation;
- Protect witness trees that were standing at the time of the Battle of Antietam;
- Stabilize eroding shorelines and trails;
- Advance watershed stewardship goals;
- Increase resiliency to climate change impacts; and
- Improve opportunities for park visitors to learn about the battle's events and significance.


How to comment: 

Public participation is vital to the planning process. There are several ways to get involved.


Attend the public meeting:

A virtual public scoping meeting will be held on Oct. 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. Click the link below to join the meeting and view the meeting presentation live.

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_OWZkOTAxODMtNDQyYi00MzkzLTlkMzEtN2IwMjlkNTQ5Zjgx%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2216ed5ab4-2b59-4e40-806d-8a30bdc9cf26%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%2251be6f1b-2349-4ca2-97ee-f0452262bbef%22%7d

Audio for the meeting will be available via computer through the above website link or by dialing (877) 286-5733 (Conference ID: 902 759 352#). A recording of the meeting and meeting presentation materials will also be available for viewing at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/antilandscape after Oct. 21.

Comment Online:

You are invited to provide written comments and identify any issues or concerns about the project from Oct. 21 through Nov. 21. through the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website on this page. See link to the left to comment.

Comment by Mail:

Written comments may also be mailed to the address below. Mailed comments must be postmarked by November 21, 2021 to receive consideration to the mailing address below.

The 30-day public comment period is the first step in the EA and Section 106 processes the NPS is conducting in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA).

Document Content:

October 25, 2021 Landscape Management Plan Presentation   (33.3 MB, PDF file) Video recording of October 25, 2021 public meeting    Disclaimer: Links within the above document(s) were valid as of the date published. Note: Some of the files may be in PDF format and can be viewed using the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. You may download a free copy of from Adobe Systems.