Member Highlight: Civil War Trust
One of the joys of being a coalition of over 230 members is the opportunity to see how our collective mission can be shared among a diverse set of organizations. One may not immediately guess that the Civil War Trust would be a member of the Coalition, but their work towards land preservation and safeguarding green spaces makes them a perfect fit. We spoke to Paul Coussan of the D.C. organization to get a better idea of how The Civil War Trust and the Choose Clean Water Coalition may have more in common than one might think.
Photo courtesy of the Civil War Trust.
Tell us about your organization and your mission:
The Civil War Trust is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization devoted to the preservation of America’s hallowed battlegrounds. Although primarily focused on the protection of Civil War battlefields, the Trust also seeks to save the battlefields connected to the Revolutionary War and War of 1812. Through educational programs and heritage tourism initiatives, the Trust seeks to inform the public about the vital role these battlefields played in determining the course of our nation’s history. To date, the Trust has saved more than 47,000 acres of core battlefield in 25 states, including thousands of acres within the Chesapeake Bay Watershed – at Gettysburg, Fredericksburg, Malvern Hill, Appomattox, Antietam, Monocacy, Cold Harbor and Manassas to name just a few.
What is one of your current projects you are the most excited about?
The Trust has long been at the forefront of creating online educational resources for the study of Civil War, Revolutionary War and War of 1812 battlefields. We are constantly rolling out new resources – animated battle maps, battle apps for smart phones, videos and web content – to aid heritage tourists, educators and students about these wars. We also continue to preserve key battlefields from the first century of our nation’s history, at Revolutionary War sites throughout the Southern Campaign, at War of 1812 battlefields in New York, and in Civil War Battlefields throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed, from Manassas, to Monocacy. Additionally, the Trust is working with the Culpepper, Virginia, community and the Commonwealth’s General Assembly to create a Brandy Station and Cedar Mountain State Park. In addition to interpretive trails and other outdoor activities, we hope to include kayaking along the Rappahannock River as a key recreational component of the park.
What issue area do you hope to focus on more of in the future?
While the Trust remains laser focused on our mission to preserve Civil War, War of 1812 and Revolutionary War Battlefields, we focus a great deal of our efforts on education and interpretation. We are constantly creating new platforms to educate about these wars and how they shaped and continue to shape the nation we are today. Through our new Generations programs, the Trust encourages families to visit battlefields together, and for adults to bring their children and grandchildren to explore a battlefield together. The Trust is also exploring new ways to market these battlefields to encourage visitors young and old to explore these sites. America’s battlefields - when properly preserved, interpreted, and promoted — provide unparalleled opportunities to inspire new generations of American citizens. We are engaged in finding new ways to inspire more Americans to connect with, learn from, and experience firsthand the authentic places where history happened.
What do you hope to gain from being a member of the Coalition?
The Trust has a long history of working with partner groups across the spectrum, from historic preservation groups like the National Trust for Historic Preservation, to land groups like the Trust for Public Lands, to clean water groups like the Choose Clean Water Coalition. Through these partnerships, the Trust is able to help identify ways in which these organizations can work together to achieve similar goals – preserving our history, safeguarding our green spaces, protecting our environment. In its efforts to preserve historic open space for use as outdoor classrooms, the Trust seeks to build partnerships across the spectrum to preserve the open spaces where Americans fought and died to make the nation we are today, while ensuring these sites are accessible and open to the public to give everyone an opportunity to explore these outdoor classrooms.
For more information about the Civil War Trust, contact Paul Coussan.