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.

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