Change is constant. Change is good. Nowhere are these concepts more evident than on the Gettysburg battlefield. It has been happening since 2000, when the tower came down, and 'the 5 year plan' started. 7 years later, it's still going strong!
Like a lot of folks, I had my doubts. Will they follow it through to completion? How far will they go? Will they keep up with it, or merely allow the underbrush take over? All legitimate questions.
Tree-huggers aside, the clearing of trees continues. Please note that though I do believe in conservation, and all sorts of other environmental issues, Gettysburg is not the place for such things. It is a National Military Park, not your basic national park, where people go to see trees, and wildlife, and so forth, though they are in abundance here. Gettysburg is where you go to remember struggle, honor sacrifice, and respect heroism. Making it look like it did at the time of the battle is the thing to do, and this endeavor should continue.
Very rarely do I get blown away by such things. I'm here almost everyday, and I do try to get out on the field quite often. But, I've been away from it for a few weeks, so I decided to make the trek to the Devil's Den area. Boy, was I blown away! I knew trees were being removed, and the area had changed. I wasn't quite ready for the sights I was now seeing, however.
You can see the Emmitsburg Road from the Triangular Field? You can see the Devil's Den from the Emmitsburg Rd. ? Incredible, to say the least! The words and photos don't do it the justice it deserves. It clearly is a view that must be seen to be appreciated, a view of a landscape that hasn't looked this way in, most likely, well over 100 years! I can only imagine what it will be like when completed!
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