Important Update From NPS – March 24, 2020
Press Release – Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park Reduces Operations to Mission-Essential Services
In accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s memorandum of March 22, 2020, and consistent with emergency measures implemented in the Commonwealth of Virginia, as of Tuesday, March 24, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park will be performing only “Primary Mission-Essential Functions” and services. These essential functions relate to the health and safety of staff and visitors, protection of park resources, and maintaining access for residents dependent upon park roads. Employees not essential to these functions have been instructed to remain home and, when possible, work remotely.
Visitor centers and other public buildings remain closed. Under this new status, bathrooms will be closed or removed. The park will not collect trash, mow, maintain roads or trails, or have staff available to provide information.
The NPS recognizes the critical role the park’s open spaces play during this emergency, and so the park’s roads, trails, and grounds will remain open. That said, visitors must assume a heightened responsibility for their own safety and well-being when normal levels of staffing are not present. We need the public’s help in abiding the CDC guidelines for social distancing and the Commonwealth’s prohibition of groups of ten or more people.
We also ask that all visitors to the park practice the principles of “Leave no Trace.” Carry out of the park what you carry in; help keep outdoor spaces safe, healthy, and sightly.
These are extraordinary times. The unprecedented steps our society and community are taking in the name of public health will inevitably entail some unwanted physical impacts on the park itself. Grass will not be mowed. The National Cemetery may soon be in a state that at any other time would be unacceptable. If nature intervenes with storms or floods, we may have to close trails, scenic roads, or significant areas of the park. While unpleasant, all of these things are temporary—they can be remedied once the crisis passes. In the meantime, they constitute some of the burden we will all have to shoulder as we work our way, together, through this emergency.
Updates will be posted to the park’s website and social media channels.
https://www.nps.gov/frsp/planyourvisit/conditions.htm
https://www.facebook.com/FredericksburgSpotsylvaniaNMP/
For current information about the disease and information on how to protect yourself, please visit:
