|
|||||
| |
By Robin Erb
The Blade (Toledo, OH)
09-30-95
It's a mix of bad news and good news for Battle of Fallen Timbers preservationists.
The battle site near I-475 and U.S. 24 probably isn't worth designation on the list of national parks, according to a letter from Roger Kennedy, director of the National Park Service.
But it's important enough to by-pass a costly and time-consuming study and possibly become one of the park service's "affiliated areas" instead.
An affiliated area is recognized by the park service as nationally significant, but it is managed by local groups rather than the park service.
"We're on our way now," said Maumee Mayor Steve Pauken, who has been working to get the site nationally recognized. "That's about (the most) exciting news we've gotten so far."
The Toledo-owned property in Maumee, now being eyed for a mall development, was the site of the 1794 battle between a coalition of Indian warriors and U.S. troops led by Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne.
The battle, won by federal troops, opened Ohio and the then-Northwest Territory to white settlement.
The national park director's letter was sent this week to U.S. Rep. Ralph Regula (R., O.), chairman of a U.S. House appropriations subcommittee. It informs the subcommittee of the "national significance of events" surrounding Fallen Timbers and neighboring Fort Meigs and Fort Miamis.
More importantly, it commits technical-assistant and other in-house services from the park service to local officials hoping to obtain that designation. That could mean help in mapping out the park, for example, said Rory Robinson, a planner for the service's Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program in Cleveland.
Originally, Mr. Robinson's office, which has been working with local officials, believed the site would need an extensive special resource study before it could be recognized by the service. The study may have taken years because Congress has to approve such expenditures.
But if Congress approves the plan outlined in Mr. Kennedy's letter, the technical assistance and an abbreviated study could be under way in early 1996, Mr. Robinson said.
A proposed mall development by Bryan developer George Isaac and the wrangling over the land between Maumee and Toledo are adding a sense of urgency.
"This poses an obvious threat to the integrity of the battlefield," Mr. Kennedy wrote.
Affiliated areas are becoming increasingly popular, both with a strapped national budget and a growing interest in communities to maintain their own historical sites, said Flo Six, park service spokesman.
Of the 369 or more designated areas of the National Park Service, 54 are national parks, such as Yellowstone National Park, and 23 are affiliated areas. The rest are monuments, memorials, and other historic sites.s
NOTICE: This article, which may be copyrighted, is reprinted with specific permission granted to Heidelberg College. Further reprint rights must be secured from the publisher.
Heidelberg College / Office of College Relations
/ webmaster@heidelberg.edu