Friday, July 13, 2012

Sealaska Heritage Institute Receives $31,718 Battlefield Preservation Grant

National Park Service supports preservation efforts


WASHINGTON - The Sealaska Heritage Institute has received a grant of $31,718 from the National Park Service's American Battlefield Protection Program (ABPP) to delineate the extent of the 1869 Battle of Wrangell, map out the course of the battle, and raise public awareness about the little known conflict. "We are proud to support projects like this that safeguard and preserve American battlefields," said Jon Jarvis, Director of the National Park Service. "These places are symbols of individual sacrifice and national heritage that we must protect so that this and future generations can understand the struggles that define us as a nation."

This grant is one of 27 National Park Service grants totaling $1.35 million to preserve and protect significant battle sites from all wars fought on American soil. Funded projects preserve battlefields from the Colonial Indian Wars through World War II and include site mapping (GPS/GIS data collection), archeological studies, National Register of Historic Places nominations, preservation and management plans.

Federal, state, local, and Tribal governments, nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions are eligible for National Park Service battlefield grants which are awarded annually. Since 1996 more than $14 million has been awarded by ABPP to help preserve significant historic battlefields associated with wars on American soil. Additional information is online at www.nps.gov/history/hps/abpp. 




Photo credit: Oversize cabinet card photograph showing a view of the Chief Shakes house at Wrangell, Alaska, photo by S.R. Stoddard, 1892. PO049-72; Richard Wood Collection, Sealaska Heritage Institute Archives.

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