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Public Scoping Newsletter


Newsletter and Press Release

The National Park Service (NPS) proposes to mitigate continued erosion of the bluff adjacent to the Texas State Memorial and railroad redoubt within Vicksburg National Military Park in order to stabilize the site. The purpose of the project is to prevent further erosion while protecting the memorial and fortification.

Vicksburg National Military Park was established on February 21, 1899, to protect areas associated with the siege and defense of Vicksburg, Mississippi. There are 22 state memorials within park boundaries, of which 5 are state memorials on former park property and 1 is a state memorial on Grant's Canal. The Texas State Memorial is one of the 22 state memorials within the park's boundaries and is located above an eroding bluff, adjacent to the Kansas City Southern rail line. The railroad redoubt was a Confederate earthen fortification built to protect the Southern Railroad of Mississippi, a vital entrance to the city. The fortification and the memorial are threatened by chronic erosion of the bluff. The entire battlefield area is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The proposed project area consists of the eroding slope north of the memorial and fortification. The slope is approximately 316 feet long and ranges from between 15 and 24 feet tall. The project would include tasks to prevent damage to the historic resources from future erosion.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the NPS is preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) to evaluate these proposed actions. The EA will address the project background, the purpose and need for the proposed actions, a determination of environmental issues and potential impacts resulting from the alternatives considered (including the no action alternative), and public involvement and agency coordination.

At this time, the NPS is announcing a 30-day public scoping period to solicit public comments on this proposal. During this scoping period, the public is invited to identify any issues or concerns they might have with the proposed project so that the NPS can appropriately consider them in the preparation of the Environmental Assessment.
 
Comment Period: Closed        Jan 24, 2017 - Feb 25, 2017
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