Appomattox County Board of Supervisors
333 Court St.
Appomattox, VA 24522
Chair Hinkle, Vice-Chair Jones, and members of the Appomattox County Board of Supervisors,
We, the below undersigned organizations, write to you today regarding CUP250870, Rifleman’s Resort. We are a collection of national park and battlefield preservation non-profits dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation’s most special, and often somber, places. This letter is intended to express our potential concerns with the Rifleman’s Resort proposal, and encourage you to proceed with caution around potential negative impacts to one of our nation’s most important historic sites.
The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks (the Coalition), represents over 4,800 current, former, and retired employees and volunteers of the National Park Service. Collectively, their membership represents over 50,000 years of national park management and stewardship experience. Recognized as the Voices of Experience, the Coalition educates, speaks, and acts for the preservation and protection of the National Park System, and mission-related programs of the National Park Service (NPS). The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) is a nonprofit membership organization founded in 1919. It is the leading voice of the American people in protecting and enhancing our National Park System. With more than 1.9 million members and supporters nationwide, including more than 50,000 members and supporters in Virginia alone, NPCA and its members and supporters work to protect and preserve our Nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for present and future generations. The American Battlefield Trust (ABT) is a nationwide nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of America’s hallowed ground from the American Revolution, American Civil War, and War of 1812. ABT has saved more than 61,000 acres, more than 30,000 of which are in Virginia.
As you are well aware, Appomattox County is home to the Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park (the Park), the site where the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia took place on April 9, 1865. This historic surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in the McLean House precipitated the capitulation of other Confederate forces and led to the end of the Civil War, the bloodiest conflict in American history. Beyond its historic importance, the Park also serves as an economic engine for Appomattox County and the surrounding areas. In 2024, the Park welcomed more than 83,000 visitors. Those visitors contributed an estimated $5.9 million to the local economy and supported a total of 62 jobs.
The proposed Rifleman’s Resort is approximately 5.25 miles from the boundary of the Appomattox Courthouse National Historical Park. While this may seem like a reasonable distance, we have significant concerns about the potential noise impacts this proposed Conditional Use Permit may have on the Park and the tens of thousands of visitors it welcomes annually. Depending on the terrain, tree cover, elevation, wind, and relative humidity, high-caliber rifles, such as a .50-caliber rifle, can be heard from upwards of 10 miles away. The proposed Rifleman’s Resort would host shooting competitions, where thousands of rounds could be discharged on a single weekend. If audible from the Park, the barrage of constant gunfire would fundamentally alter how visitors connect with and reflect upon the profound events that transpired here, diminishing the Park’s ability to provide the quiet reverence this hallowed ground deserves.
While the visitor experience and character of the Park is of the utmost importance, the National Park Service is also responsible for the cultural and natural resources protected by these special designations. As surrounding population and visitation increases and human development expands, noise management is critical for maintaining the quality of natural habitats in addition to enhancing the human experience.
Shooting ranges also pose the potential, if not properly mitigated, for significant lead pollution to enter into the surrounding environments. From leaching into ground and surface waters to ingestion by sensitive wildlife species, lead pollution has the potential to extend far beyond the physical boundary of the shooting range itself.
Our organizations offer a set of proposed solutions that the Board and the Applicant should consider to alleviate some of our concerns:
- Require sound dampening measures, such as berms and additional vegetative buffers, to reduce noise before it travels beyond the range’s borders.
- Conduct a spatial analysis assessment of noise pollution as a way to visualize the spatial relationship between the gun range and the surrounding areas, including the Park.
- Prevent human, wildlife, water and soil exposures to lead by following Best Management Practices, delineated in the Environmental Protection Agency manual titled Best Management Practices for Lead at Outdoor Shooting Ranges, linked below.
- Pursue comprehensive noise modeling and impact studies to fully assess the potential noise impacts on the Park and its visitors and at-risk species (birds, amphibians, and especially raptors like the Bald Eagle) during sensitive breeding periods.
- Mandate strategic placement of rifle ranges at the farthest point possible from the battlefield, with shooting directed away from the Park in a northeasterly direction.
- Consult directly with the National Park Service on mitigation solutions, including operational restrictions during peak Park visitation days and NPS-approved noise modeling methods and experts, and a list of at-risk species and necessary consultation measures.
Appomattox Courthouse is where our nation was brought back together, ending 4 years of tremendous bloodshed and suffering. People from all over the world come to the Park every year to learn about and reflect upon that history and sacrifice. Those people participate in discussions with Park Rangers and historians, hike the fields and forests, and look and listen for birds and other wildlife.
As you consider this Conditional Use Permit, we urge you to proceed with caution. Consult directly with the National Park Service staff that have dedicated their lives to telling the important story of the end of the Civil War. Listen to concerned community members, historians, and battlefield experts to fully understand and mitigate the potential impacts to this important site. Thank you for your consideration of our concerns.
Sincerely,
Kyle Hart
Senior Mid-Atlantic Program Manager
National Parks Conservation Association
202-400-1193 | kh***@**ca.org
Max Hokit
State and Local Government Affairs Associate
American Battlefield Trust
(202) 367-1861 | mh****@**********ds.org
Emily Thompson
Executive Director
Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks
(202) 819-8622 | em************@********ps.org
*The Best Management Practices for Lead at Outdoor Shooting Ranges (PDF) (103 pp, 2.4MB) manual provides owners and operators of outdoor rifle, pistol, trap, skeet and sporting clay ranges with information on lead management at their ranges. The manual explains how environmental laws are applicable to lead management and presents a number of successful best management practices available to the shooting range community. These practices have been proven to effectively reduce lead contamination. Since each range is unique in both the type of shooting activity and its environmental setting, site-specific solutions are not provided in the manual. Rather, range owners or operators may use the manual to identify and select the most appropriate best management practices for their range. The manual does not address range layout or design to meet range safety or competition requirements. It is also not intended for closing ranges. Range owners/operators are directed to other comprehensive reference materials available on that subject from the National Rifle Association of America, National Shooting Sports Foundation and other shooting associations.