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The meeting  was organized along four program tracks (cultural resources,
natural resources, education, and leadership).  Clearly, the conference was
designed to develop a vision of the NPS's 21st century role in the life of
the nation and to inspire and invigorate the Service, its partners and the
public about this vision.  Based on feedback from conference participants,
the lofty goals appear to have been largely met.

Early on, a  glitzy 18-minute film produced by the Harpers Ferry Interpretive
Design Center inspired the participants to think about the challenges of the
future.  The first day of the conference (perhaps indicative of the new
emphasis on the relative importance of historic and cultural resources to the
Service) focused nearly exclusively on issues relating to cultural resource
stewardship.  Participants could attend up to 35 sessions some of which
addressed topics relating to preservation policy and technology, cultural
resource interpretation, urban revitalization, the
importance of historical context, memory and history at historic sites, as
well as sessions dealing with archeology and collections management.

The track on cultural resources was highlighted by a keynote address by
historian Dr. John Hope Franklin, Professor Emeritus of History at Duke
University and the newly appointed Chair of the National Park System Advisory
Board. Franklin's comments focused on history as a contributor to the civic
good.  He emphasized the usefulness of the study of history and that the
preservation of historic sites make a better society. Professor Franklin's
comments may be accessed via
<http://www.nps.gov/discovery2000/culture/keynote.htm>

3. WORLD WAR II MEMORIAL GETS APPROVAL
On September 21, Washington D.C.'s National Capital Planning Commission voted
7 - 5 to approve the final design for the controversial World War II memorial
that supporters hope to see constructed between the Lincoln Memorial and the
Washington Memorial on the National Mall. The meeting lasted ten hours and
more than a hundred witnesses including veterans, representatives of civic
and preservation groups, and residents voiced their opinions. After the vote,
opponents vowed to attempt to stop the project from moving forward through
court action.

The WW II memorial site was approved in 1995 but major objections only
surfaced in 1997 when the design was unveiled.  Most recently, the
President's Advisory Council on Historic Preservation slammed the
controversial memorial in a letter to Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. The
Council stated that construction of the memorial on the site contemplated
"has serious and unresolved adverse effects on the preeminent historic
character of the National Mall."  The panel called the design (a sunken
replica of the existing Rainbow Pool surrounded by a plaza and 56 columns)
incompatible with its historic setting and a violation of the open feeling of
the Mall. In his own letter, Babbitt answered the Advisory Council's
objections and vowed to move forward with the project.  It is estimated that
the $100 million project will take some 2 years to complete - supporters hope
to dedicate the memorial on Memorial Day, 2003. The groundbreaking ceremony
has been scheduled for November 11, 2000 (Memorial Day); President Clinton
has been invited to attend the ceremony.

4.   NEWS BITS AND BYTES:
Item #1: MEGA-MARK-UP - During a recent mega-mark-up, the Senate Energy and
Natural Resources Committee moved out of Committee a number of bills
including H.R. 4063 - Congressman Miller's (D-CA) legislation that seeks to
establish the Rosie the Riveter-World War II Home Front National Historical
Park in Richmond, California and S. 2950, Senator Campbell's (R-CO) bill to
establish the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site in Colorado. Both
bills have been discussed previously in this newsletter (see NCC WASHINGTON
UPDATE, vol 6., #28, August 16, 2000).

In addition, the Senate Energy Committee moved S. 2885 -  Senator Warner's
(R-VA) legislation that establishes the "Jamestown 400th Commemoration
Commission."  The 16-member federal commission is being created  to ensurea
suitable national observance of Jamestown's 400th anniversary in 2007.  This
legislation received a hearing on September 14 and garnered the full support
of the National Park Service. For more information on the various Jamestown
commemoration activities see: <http://www.Jamestown2007.org>

Item #2: Nixon Tape - On September 21, the Advisory Committee on Preservation
of the National Archives and Records Administration issued its findings
regarding technological advances in the recapturing of sound from audio
records as it relates to the famous "18 minute gap" in the Nixon White House
tape recordings that figured so prominently in the Watergate hearings.  The
Committee found "We know of no available non-destructive technique that will
extract the signal that was erased... [furthermore] it is highly unlikely
that one can recover the erased speech from the tape."

Item #3: Museum Groundbreaking - President Clinton was on hand in
Philadelphia on September 17 to put his signature on a metal girder that will
form the foundation of a newly planned museum - the National Constitution
Center.  The museum was authorized by Congress in 1988 and is being
constructed in order to increase the public's awareness and understanding of
the Constitution. Financed by both government and private funds, the $105
million museum will be built in the heart of Philadelphia's historic
district.  It is scheduled to be finished in time for the 215th
anniversary of the original signing of the Constitution on September 17, 2002.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  * * * * *
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