2006 Annual Report October 2005 – September 2006 Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation ... to preserve, conserve, and interpret the legacy of the Civil War in the Shenandoah Valley... Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District and Commission Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-333) esource Protection nterpretation & Education I R Management & Partnerships Visitor Services & Tourism Visitor Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION ... to create partnerships... to preserve, conserve, enhance, and interpret the nationally significant battlefields and SENATE John Warner related sites associated with the Civil War in the Shenandoah Valley... George Allen Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES and Commission Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-333) Frank Wolf, 10th District Bob Goodlatte, 6th District Eric Cantor, 7th District 2006 BOARD OF TRUSTEES October 2005 – September 2006 Kris C. Tierney, Chairman Irvin E. Hess, Vice Chairman Susie M. Hill, Secretary Beverley H. Fleming, Treasurer ETTER FROM THE HAIRMAN John P. Ackerly III L C James S. Barnett Lawrence D. Bowers Jr. It has been a great privilege for me to serve as chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Foundation this past year. This has been the culmination of three years on Vincent F. Callahan Jr. Faye C. Cooper the Battlefields Commission helping to write the management plan for the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District and the six years on the John D. Crim II Claude P. Foster Foundation’s Board. As I conclude my time on the Board I have every confidence that incoming chairman, Dr. Irvin Hess, will provide stable leadership and bring Kay D. Frye abundant enthusiasm to the Foundation’s work as a result of his tremendous interest and commitment to its purposes and vision. James Roderick O. Graves W. Jackson Helm Jr. Richard R. G. Hobson During 2006 the Battlefields Foundation made considerable progress toward implementing the District’s Management Plan. It protected nearly 600 acres of battle- Donovan E. Hower Kathleen S. Kilpatrick field land through donated and purchased easements and purchase of land in fee. We have now added more than 1,200 acres to the protected battlefield lands in Allen L. Louderback the National Historic District. The Foundation has also added to the body of knowledge about the Civil War in the Shenandoah Valley, hosted a successful sympo- Nicholas P. Picerno Alexander L. Rives sium, and made significant strides toward completing an interpretive plan for the historic sites in the District. We also launched a marketing program that will assist Phillip C. Stone James L. White in making the Valley’s economy even stronger through increased heritage tourism. These accomplishments have not been achieved without considerable effort, Doreen S. Williams diplomacy, compromise—and at times a little head clunking. It is truly satisfying to see the planning efforts of the Battlefields Commission coming to fruition. Patricia L. Zontine 2006 STAFF In addition, 2006 saw a substantial increase in the number of individual and organizational donors who support the Foundation’s work. Their contributions supple- Howard J. Kittell Executive Director ment and further our congressional appropriation and grants from the Commonwealth of Virginia. We are grateful for this collective generosity and trust in the John D. Hutchinson V, AICP Foundation’s stewardship of financial resources. Program Manager for Resource Protection Elizabeth Paradis Stern Program Manager for Public & Lastly, I want to thank all of the current and past Government Relations Nancy R. Long trustees who have given of their time, talent, and Office Manager resources to help the Battlefields Foundation VOLUNTEERS move forward, the Foundation’s capable staff, John Adamson Diane Klein Larry Allamong Robert K. Krick and the many individuals who have volunteered Julie Armel Don Lafever their time and skills to advance our plan for the Bill Austin James Lawrence Jr. Bill Bedall Richard Lewis National Historic District. Philip Bigler D. Michael Liskey Brenda Black Troy Marshall James K. Bryant II William Miller With sincere best wishes, Suzanne Chilson David Myers Jean Clark Jonathan Noyalas Gary Cunningham Don Pierce Kris C. Tierney Earl Downs Dave Pridgeon Chairman of the Board of Trustees Gary Ecelbarger James I. Robertson David A. Edwards Steve Shenk Ben F. Fordney Liz Sherrer-Lewis Robert Frye W. Cullen Sherwood Meriwether German Byron Smith Zenaida Hall Dan Smith Scott Harris Nancy Sorrells John Heatwole Sergei Troubetzkoy Nancy Hess Laura Wahl Jeremy Hilliard Jeffry Wert National heritage area board members and staff—including SVBF Chairman Kris Tierney, Executive Director Howard Kittell, Program Deborah Hilty Diann Jacox Manager Elizabeth Stern, and Office Manager Nancy Long—joined National Park Service Director Fran Mainella at a Capitol Hill press Maral Kalbian conference in July to release the NPS Advisory Board report on heritage areas in the U.S. Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District “...this community-based approach emphasizes Valley hospitality and showcases the National Park Service Advisory personalities, stories, and attractions of five Board Report different areas centered on the battlefields . .” In July, the NPS Advisory Board –Shenandoah Valley Battlefields and the National Geographic National Historic District Society issued a report to Management Plan Congress on the value of National Heritage Areas and cited the Battlefields Foundation and the National Historic District as one of the model National Heritage Areas in the United States. National Heritage Areas The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District is one of the nation’s 37 National Heritage Areas. National Heritage Areas are parts of our country’s landscape that have been recognized by the United States Congress for their unique contri- butions to the American experi- ence. A heritage area may be developed around a common theme or an industry that influenced the culture and history of that region and our country. —National Park Service V I R G I N I A 1 RESOURCE PROTECTION The federal legislation creating the National Historic District Fisher’s Hill battlefield identifies ten Civil War battlefields to be preserved. The law and (Shenandoah County - 15 acres) the District’s Management Plan mandate voluntary protection of Following the recommendations made by these battlefields as well as other cultural and natural resources. local landowners in the Fisher’s Hill and Tom’s Brook Battlefields Preservation Plan, the Foundation purchased this parcel atop Flint Hill adjacent to a 22-acre property purchased by the Foundation in 2001. More than 600 acres preserved at seven battlefields Tom’s Brook battlefield (Shenandoah County - 109 acres) In Fiscal Year 2006, the Battlefields Shenandoah County asked the Battlefields Foundation protected more than 600 acres at Foundation to consider purchasing the seven battlefields, bringing to 1,201 acres the property to ensure its protection as total area protected by the Foundation since envisioned in the landowner-directed its inception six years ago. As of November Fisher’s Hill and Tom’s Brook Battlefields Preservation Plan. In July, the Foundation 2006, the Foundation is working with 30 purchased the land, which also lies additional landowners on projects that could adjacent to the county farm and park. preserve an additional 3,000 acres at the Valley’s battlefields. The Battlefields Foundation’s preservation work this year demonstrated its use of a variety of land protection tools, including purchasing the land itself, purchasing a conservation easement, New Market battlefield (Shenandoah County - 69 acres) and the donation of a conservation This purchase links the New Market Battlefield easement by a landowner to the State Historical Park, owned by the Virginia Foundation, as well as the use of Military Institute, with land purchased by the Battlefields Foundation in 2005, bringing the public and private funds. total protected area at New Market to almost LEGEND FOR SMALL MAPS 500 acres, the largest contiguous protected battlefield area in the Valley. 2 Resource Protection Preservation Guidelines The Battlefields Foundation uses the following guidelines in its preservation work: • focus on the core battlefield area; • work only with willing Achieving a “Reasonable Solution” for landowners; • hire an independent Improving Interstate 81 appraiser to determine In November 2005, the Foundation’s Board of Trustees joined market value; Second & Third Winchester governments and organizations throughout the region battlefields in endorsing the “Reasonable Solutions” • pay real property taxes on (Frederick County - 48 acres) every acre owned by the Winchester developer Stephenson six-point plan for improving Interstate 81, Associates donated the first of three which bisects seven battlefields in the Valley. Foundation. easements in the core of the Second At its October 2006 meeting, the Virginia & Third Winchester at Stephenson’s Commonwealth Transportation Board Depot so the land can be interpreted for the community and the nation. endorsed many of the principles articulated in the “Reasonable Solutions” plan. Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.), one of the architects of the valley program, called it a “huge success.” Port Republic battlefield (Rockingham County - 220 acres) “I have not heard any complaints, absolutely In August, the Battlefields Foundation made Cedar Creek