Battlefield Focus of Park Service’s Visit - A Look at the Land

Battlefield focus of park service’s visit - A look at the land

 BY CHARLES SLAT

The federal government should take possession of land proposed as the River Raisin National Bat¬tlefi eld Park by Oct. 1 and work to form a management plan for the site will start shortly thereafter, a National Park Service official said Thursday.

Ernest Quintana, Midwest re¬gional director for the National Park Service, explored the proposed River Raisin National Battlefield Park, toured the new path linking the battlefield with Sterling State Park, got familiar with the general area and was a guest at a communi¬ty reception during a daylong visit to Monroe.

He said he was impressed with what he saw and the people in¬volved.

“What’s really wonderful here is the warm embrace we’ve been giv¬en,” he said during an interview at The Evening News office.

In other areas where parks have been proposed, park service offi¬cials sometimes have faced opposi¬tion to their plans, what they refer to as “torches and pitchforks.”

Mr. Quintana said that hasn’t been the case in Monroe. “The trust is there and it’s up to the National Park Service to continue to earn and maintain that trust,” he said.

The national park site near E. Elm Ave. and N. Dixie Hwy. is going through all the legal and environ¬mental reviews required before the government can take possession of the property. It’s expected that the transfer of the property will occur before October.

But he said there won’t be much visible change very soon.

“I suspect at first what peo¬ple might see is a site man¬ager — a uniformed pres¬ence there,” he said. “Not a lot as far as the site itself will change.”

That will occur after a management plan for the site is developed — a process that will involve the public.

Mr. Quintana said one of the first tasks of the site man¬ager, or park superintendent, will be to develop a dialogue with the community long be¬fore the management plan¬ning process even begins.

But the management plan can take a long time to im¬plement – sometimes years – and the development of the national park wouldn’t be a cure-all for any local eco¬nomic ills, he said.

“I think we’re going to bring added value, but not begin to lay to rest the issues of reviv¬ing the economy,” he said. He said there will be some jobs and tourism generated, but only the combined impact of the national park, the state park, the Detroit River Inter¬national Wildlife Refuge and other assets together could begin to provide a boost to the economy.

He said he was “amazed and very pleased” that peo¬ple in the community had a vision for a national park years ago and pursued it.

In addition to his tour, he had lunch with a range of local officials and was the guest at a community recep¬tion at Monroe Bank & Trust in the afternoon. He also was presented with a copy of “In¬vaded On All Sides,” the book about the conflict written by Ralph Naveaux, a former di¬rector of the Monroe County Historical Museum.

“To have these leaders of the community come out and greet me shows me how sup¬portive and passionate they are to have this happen,” Mr. Quintana said.

The site for the proposed park was the scene in 1813 of the bloodiest land battle of the War of 1812 between the Americans and the British and their Indian allies.

It was a stunning Ameri¬can defeat, but a massacre of prisoners and wounded the next day made “Remem¬ber the Raisin” a rallying cry that spurred the Americans on in the war.

Last year, Congress passed legislation, driven by U.S. Rep. John D. Dingell, to make the park a national historic battlefield.