Hanover, PA
Article Last Updated: Thursday, July 07, 2005 - 12:05:33 PM EST
Public pans shorter hours at battlefield
National Park Service had considered closing battlefield at sunset.
By CHARLES SCHILLINGER
Evening Sun Reporter
Ghost hunters outnumbered others who commented on the National Park Service proposal to close the battlefield after sunset.
But letters like that of 13-year-old Taylor Amsden made the difference.
The National Park Service reached a compromise to shut down the park three hours early during winter months following a 30-day public comment period that solicited more than 200 letters from Civil War buffs, school children and paranormal investigators.
The majority of those letters disapproved of the plan to shut down the park after sunset.
"My fellow students and I are asking you to let us and the other schools take this (evening) hike and the other things we would like to do," said Taylor, of Farmsburg, Iowa, in a hand-written letter. "This would mean a lot to us because the people who fought at Gettysburg and died for us helped to make us a free country."
Most compelling and surprising were letters from local residents, from schools and from people who travel a far distance to visit the Gettysburg battlefield, said park service spokeswoman Katie Lawhon.
"We didn't know schools capped off their visit with an evening of reflection in the park," Lawhon said.
And to someone who lives close by, the need to use hours after sunset to visit might not be as apparent as for people living farther away, Lawhon said.
"My trips to the park are not short drives. Accordingly, I'd like to spend as much time in the park as I possibly can during each visit," said Steven Dodge, of Ann Arbor, Mich. "The possibility of reducing hours of visitation adversely affects this."
The park service announced the proposal to shut down the park at sunset during an advisory committee meeting in April out of concern for park resources after dark and a lack of adequate safety.
Currently, the battlefield park closes at 10 p.m. and reopens at 6 a.m.
The park service has seen a tremendous increase in the use of the park after dark, and there is not enough manpower to handle that, said Tim Sorber, park protection supervisor.
Areas of concern after dark are the Eternal Light Peace Memorial and Devil's Den, which Sorber described as a "natural hangout for young adults."
People at night climb, spray paint and carve on the rocks, he said.
He said the peace memorial is frequently egged and personnel often find "ritual-like" candles at the memorial.
The park service will now have to find other ways to cut back on the illegal activity at night, Lawhon said, which includes possibly asking for an increase in funding for park protection rangers.
Visitors and the Park Watch Patrol Program - a volunteer group - will continue to help by being another set of "eyes and ears" for the park service, she said.
"If people in the park at night see anything of concern, they should call 911," she said.
The park service chose to limit hours in the winter thinking criminal behavior would thrive during that time because it is quieter.
"I think this is a good compromise," she said. "We tried to balance the issues we had with providing the public access."
A number of letters from Civil War experts discussed the night battles at Gettysburg, but also the peacefulness of the park after dark.
"I love to sit on Little Round Top in the gathering darkness and just meditate and reflect while looking over the fields," said Andy Ward, licensed battlefield guide from Morrisville, Vt.
It was while sitting on a rock on Little Round Top one evening in the darkness that Ward decided to pursue his dream of becoming a battlefield guide, he said.
"For me and countless law-abiding citizens, the Gettysburg battlefield after dark is a very special place," Ward said.
Dale Mallett, asked in his letter how visitors can truly appreciate the story of night fighting around Culp's Hill and East Cemetery Hill if they're no longer allowed to experience those sights in the dark.
"What serious scholar of the battle hasn't wandered through the Wheatfield and the Valley of Death," he asked, "and tried to imagine the scenes the moonlight cast upon those souls who did give 'the last full measure of devotion' during Longstreet's 'three best hours of fighting by any troops on any battlefield?'"
Along with letters, the International Committee of Spiritual Investigators submitted a petition with 350 signatures opposed to the idea.
The ghost hunters were the most opinionated, with one letter to the park service from Edward Ruckman of the Indiana Ghost Trackers, starting out with a large, vivid "Boo to you."
"I know you're probably not a believer in ghosts and things that go bump in the night," he said. "But ghosts are a part of everyday living and Gettysburg is one of the most haunted cities in the United States."
Anne Palagruto, director of the Philadelphia Institute for Paranormal Research, said the park service was underestimating how many people visit Gettysburg because of its "haunted reputation."
"Some people visit to tour the battlefield, but the ones who return over and over are the historians and investigators, both of whom would never cause any harm (to the battlefield)," Palagruto said. "It's unfair to assume that changing the park hours will preserve the park when the people who cause the problems would continue to go there after dark anyway."
The proposed change in park hours would have little if any effect on Frederick Clark of Hanover, but he also thought it would have no effect on the illegal activities.
"In my opinion, such activities take place after the present closing time," he said.
Dodge also said he's not satisfied that eliminating evening visitation does anything to protect the monuments, artillery pieces or markers from vandalism.
"Quite the opposite, it would seem apparent that vandals would be less likely to ply their trade if there are still visitors in the park," he said.
Starting Nov. 1 through March 31, the park will close three hours early with hours from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. It will remain open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. from April 1 through Oct. 31.
The park service veered away from using sunset as a closing time because of letters indicating people were unsure they could pack up their kids in time to leave, Lawhon said.
If people are in the park after 7 p.m., they will get a $75 fine. There will be a grace period from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31.
"We believe this compromise will strike the right balance between allowing for public enjoyment of the battlefield and ensuring that battlefield resources will be preserved for the enjoyment of future generations," said park Superintendent John Latschar.
The superintendent warned the issue might be revisited in the future.
"In the future, we may have to reconsider this issue if incidents and threats continue or increase," Latschar said.
Contact Charles Schillinger at cschillinger@eveningsun.com .
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