What Will Be National Park Site #429?
On November 16 of last year the National Park Service added three new units to its system with the additions of North Country National Scenic Trail, New England National Scenic Trail and the Ice Age Trail National Scenic Trail. This wasn’t publicly announced until December of last year, but the additions marked the 426th, 427th and 428th units of the National Park Service system. I was quite surprised by this move as none of these units were in my top 5 places most likely to be the 426th unit. Legislation had been introduced into Congress to make these parks part of the official system but didn’t seem to be gaining steam. Ultimately, it came down to an administration move by the Interior Department, which is a very rare maneuver to add a park to the system. Ultimately, I was very happy about this development as it adds another park within the borders of my home state of Connecticut (New England National Scenic Trail) into the system. The race is now on for what will be park site #429.
Amache National Historic Site
Amache also ranked #1 on my August list. The park would preserve the Granada Relocation Center in Colorado and would interpret the incarceration of Japanese-Americans during World War II over fears that they would assist the Japanese war effort. It along with Blackwell School and Coltsville are just a couple of procedural events away from becoming official units (legally acquiring the property necessary to be converted to units of the National Park Service could take a couple of years though). However, what gives this park the edge over the other two is the continued efforts by Colorado politicians such as Joe Neguse to keep this area in the news. The active support by local politicians could help in getting past those last few procedural hurdles.
2. Coltsville National Historical Park
Coltsville did not appear on my August list. This park would preserve the history of Samuel Colt and his gun manufacturing legacy. It would be a perfect companion park to the nearby Springfield Armory National Historic Site. The park was congressionally approved in 2014, but has been stuck in administrative purgatory for almost a decade. However, in December of last year, the National Park Service reached an agreement to obtain the necessary buildings to create a visitor center, which was the main sticking point in making this park official. Considering the official establishment of this park is contingent on this agreement being finalized rather than the actual building of a visitor center, it seems we are probably only months away from this becoming an official unit.
3. Julius Rosenwald & Rosenwald Schools National Monument
Julius Rosenwald & Rosenwald Schools ranked at number four in my August list. The proposed park would preserve and interpret the Rosenwald Schools (a series of Schools for African-Amerivcans in rural areas that was established by the Jewish philanthropist, Julius Rosenwald, during the early 20th century). The quickest way to create a new park is through the president using the Antiquities Act to create a national monument. The National Park Conservation Association has made this potential park a major lobbying target. However, they want it to be a National Historical Park, which would take years to establish as an act of Congress is needed and Congress won’t act on this until the feasibility study that was commissioned for the park is completed. That could take years. The National Park Conservation Association was a major influence on President Biden establishing his only national monument in the National Park Service to date. It would not surprise me if they pivot to lobbying him to make this his second.
4. Blackwell School National Historic Site
Blackwell School was ranked as number four in my August list. The drop is due to news from a few months ago that the park (which would preserve and interpret a historic school that segregated hispanic students from the white population in Texas) is experiencing similar administration issues to the ones that Coltsville suffered. While I don’t think Blackwell School will have the decade-long struggle that Coltsville had, it's enough to be concerned. The National Park Service has been doing outreach meetings with the local population so it’s good news that the department is still being active in the area.
5. Desert Storm and Desert Shield Memorial
This park ranked as number three on my August list. The Washington D.C. Memorial will honor those who served in the Gulf War. Ground has already been broken on this new memorial. However, I said on my August list that construction delays were a high probability. The commission behind the memorial is now saying they expect a 2025 opening rather than the original 2024 opening.
