VIRGINIA BATTLEFIELD
PRESERVATION CONFERENCE

—Please register for the conference by 5 p.m., April 13—

Conference Agenda

Registration Form:  Word Doc

Conference Press Release

         

Manassas, Virginia
April 17-18, 2011

Hosted by Prince William County in collaboration with the
Virginia Department of Historic Resources,
Preservation Virginia (Northern Virginia Chapter),
National Park Service, American Battlefield Protection Program,
Prince William County-Manassas 150th Committee, and
Prince William County Convention and Visitors Bureau

Conference Objectives:

• To make local governments in Virginia aware of the recently updated 2009 Civil War Sites Advisory Commission report and the challenges and opportunities for battlefield preservation in Virginia today.
• To provide information about available tools, resources, and strategies that can be adopted locally for preserving battlefield lands.
• To acquaint attendees with the ways local governments, private organizations, and property owners are using these tools to assist battlefield preservation across the Commonwealth.
• To learn how communities are tapping into the economic benefits that battlefield preservation can bring to a community.
  

Why is this conference important?

• There are 122 nationally significant battlefields in Virginia – the largest number of any state in the nation.
• Today, 576,000 acres of Virginia’s original one million acres of battlefield land retain sufficient integrity to warrant preservation; yet less than 100,000 acres of battlefield lands have been preserved in perpetuity to-date.
• Virginia is a model of successful Civil War battlefield stewardship, yet over 75% of Virginia’s Civil War battlefields lack a local advocacy (or “Friends”) group. There is a tremendous opportunity for grass roots action on behalf of these “unclaimed’ battlefields.
• Opportunities for concerted action on the part of private property owners and land conservation groups are especially ripe at 27 battlefields where all documented battlefields are pristine, privately owned, and unprotected by easements.
• Now is the time to work cooperatively to preserve Virginia’s Civil War battlefields as a lasting legacy of Virginia’s Sesquicentennial Anniversary of the Civil War and as economic and educational assets to our Commonwealth.
  

The Louis and Whitney Pound Tracts fall within the core of the Brandy Station Battlefield, site of the largest cavalry engagement of the Civil War and the opening of the Gettysburg Campaign. The two abutting tracts are located along U.S. 15/29, just north of Brandy Station, Culpeper County. The privately owned tracts have been under easement with DHR since 2008, protecting 49-plus acres of battlefield open space, agriculture, and habitat.

Who should attend this conference?

• Elected and appointed officials
• Members of city and county historical commissions
• Local government staff
• Battlefield friends groups
• Citizens concerned about preserving Virginia’s significant Civil War legacy
  

Note on Stipend Eligibility

• To encourage attendance by local government officials, one stipend (complimentary registration plus lodging) will be provided to eligible representatives of Virginia’s Certified Local Governments or jurisdictions with CWSAC-recognized battlefields. An e-link to the listing of these jurisdictions is provided below.
• Eligible Jurisdictions.

Special Features

• Guided tours of First and Second Manassas Battlefields led by National Park Service interpreters.
• Sunday dinner with keynote remarks by Virginia Speaker of the House William Howell, Jr., and Mitch Bowman, Executive Director, Virginia Civil War Trails.
• Presentations from staff of the National Park Service, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, the Civil War Trust, and Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation on tools and resources that can be used for effective battlefield preservation efforts.
• Panel presentations and case studies from local officials and leading Virginia battlefield preservationists on proven strategies for success in protecting and preserving Virginia’s battlefields and associated sites.
  
  

For More Information

For assistance with stipend eligibility questions, please contact Ann Andrus, Virginia Department of Historic Resources, at (804) 367-2323, ext. 133, or Ann.Andrus@dhr.virginia.gov.

For more information on the conference, or if you have special needs, please contact John Lassiter, Prince William County, by phone at (703) 792-7359 or via e-mail at jlassiter@pwcgov.org.

Where to Stay

Four Points by Sheraton*
10800 Vandor Lane Manassas, VA 20109-2367
(703) 335-0000 (reservations)

www.fourpointsmanassas.com

Maps and directions are on-line.

$83 + tax

*=This is the conference hotel and offers a special conference rate. When making the initial reservation, please indicate that you are registered for the Virginia Battlefield Preservation Conference. Conference attendees are not obligated to stay at this hotel. However, the lodging stipend cannot exceed the rate offered by this hotel ($83 + tax). This stipend will not cover incidental expenses.

Reimbursement Policy: Prince William County will reimburse those eligible to receive the lodging stipend. This requires that eligible parties remit payment for accommodations and then submit the paid receipt (indicating that $0 is due) to Prince William County for processing. We will process the reimbursement request promptly.

Conference Agenda 

Registration Form: 

Note: Your conference registration fee includes a continental breakfast, beverage service throughout the day, a Manhattan style deli lunch and afternoon snack.