Return to 1863: Gettysburg will restore grassland, biodiversity and historic views to a portion of Cemetery Ridge, the powerful attraction in the center of the battlefield

An older view of grasslands on the Gettysburg battlefield in Pennsylvania (NPS photo)

Gettysburg National Military Park has launched its latest effort to restore endangered grassland, with the goal of restoring 160 acres of Cemetery Ridge to their 1863 appearance and providing improved habitat for birds and native grasses and wildflowers.

The project, which is expected to last three to five years, was launched in early May.

“Herbicide will be the main strategy for removal due to project scale and cost-effectiveness,” park spokesman Jason Martz told the Picket in an email. “There may be potential for some mechanical removal of invasive trees via chainsaws as well.”

A news release said the restoration project near Hancock Avenue will maintain “open views” that define the 1863 battlefield and reflect the appearance of the agricultural landscape present during the Battle of Gettysburg. "Visitors may experience temporary trail closures or see areas that appear sparse during early stages of restoration." 

Restoration area along Hancock Avenue and west of the Pennsylvania memorial  (NPS)

The work is concentrated around the Pennsylvania Monument and the Eternal Light Peace Memorial, located in the area of Pickett’s Charge on July 3, 1863. I asked Martz to describe how those monuments would benefit.

Eternal Light Peace Memorial: As visitors drive north toward Oak Hill, the monument dominates the landscape. Once the native warm season grasses and wildflower mix take hold and replace the non-native cool season grasses, visitors will notice more color from the flowers and will have the opportunity to bird watch as native ground nesting birds return.

North and west of the Pennsylvania Memorial: These areas of heavy fighting on July 2 and 3 are dominated by non-native cool season grasses that ground nesting birds can't take advantage of. “Once the native warm season grasses and wildflowers take hold within the next three to five years, this area will pop with color and will become a haven for ground-nesting birds,” Martz added.

Officials told Fox 43 visitors will notice the enhanced landscape. (At left, file NPS photo of grasslands at Gettysburg)

"The battlefield is what tells the stories," Martz said. "You can read all the books you want. You can watch all the documentaries that you want, but none of them compare to the place.”

The National Park Service’s Eastern Grasslands Initiative is restoring grasslands across 39 sites in the East.

A 2011 article on the park’s blog discussed the importance of such efforts.

“Abundant in the 1800s when settlers had cleared much land for hay fields and pastures, today grasslands face danger from fires, human development, and changes in agriculture technology. Grasslands are important because they protect large amounts of open space and provide wildlife and nesting habitat for specialized species.”

The habitat is especially important to birds such as the Bobolink, Savannah sparrow and the Eastern Meadowlark. 

Kevin Levin, in his Civil War Memory Substack blog, noted the Gettysburg landscape “has been continuously shaped, interpreted and reimagined since the guns fell silent in July 1863.”

Another section of the restoration project (NPS)

Visitors in recent decades have gravitated to Cemetery Ridge and the open fields traversed by Confederate troops during Pickett’s Charge, he wrote last month.

“Every decision about what to clear and what to plant, what to make visible and what to allow to disappear, shapes the story that future visitors will encounter,” Levin wrote. “The rehabilitation of Cemetery Ridge is not simply horticultural. It is an act of historical argument, one that will influence how millions of people understand what remains the most popular Civil War battle and Civil War battlefield.”