Wonderful news in the endless, and usually losing, battle to protect rural land and historic (and historical) landscapes from the insatiable maw of "development." --Jurretta Heckscher Congress Makes Long Stretch Between Va., Pa., a 'Heritage Area' By Sandhya Somashekhar Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, April 30, 2008; 1:08 PM Congress voted yesterday to designate a 175-mile corridor stretching from Monticello to Gettysburg -- an area dubbed by historians as the Journey Through Hallowed Ground -- as a national heritage area. The region encompasses presidential homes, Civil War battlefields and other historical sites along routes 15 and 231 in Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Local activists and legislative leaders for three years have been seeking the designation, which they hope will boost tourism and bring in federal grants. "By designating this corridor as a national heritage area, the route will be celebrated, honored and shared with our children, grandchildren and generations to come," Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.), one of the main proponents of the legislation, said in a statement. The House of Representatives voted 291 to 117 last night to grant the designation; it passed the Senate earlier this month. If signed by President Bush, the Journey Through Hallowed Ground will become the nation's 38th national heritage area. For more information, go tohttp://www.hallowedground.org/content/view/396/57. ______________________________________ To subscribe, change options, or unsubscribe please see the instructions at http://listlva.lib.va.us/archives/va-hist.html