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Sunday Circle Talk at Ferry Hill Plantation

By Staff | Jun 20, 2014

The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park (C&O Canal NHP) welcomes visitors to the Sunday Circle Talk at Ferry Hill Plantation (Ferry Hill Place) on Sunday, June 29, from 2 to 3 p.m.. During the discussion, retired National Park Service Ranger and wilderness lecturer Ed Zahniser will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the 1964 Wilderness Act and describe how it is intertwined with the history of the C&O Canal NHP.

“In the middle of the last century, many of the same folks advocating for what would become the Wilderness Act nationally were also arguing locally for the preservation of the C&O Canal along the Potomac River,” Ben Helwig Supervisory District Ranger said. “The 50th Anniversary of the Wilderness Act is a great time to tell this story.”

Ed Zahniser’s life has been rooted in wilderness protection. As the son of Howard Zahniser – the pioneer of the 1964 Wilderness Act – Ed Zahniser witnessed his father take an active role in the formation of the Wilderness Act and saw his father’s passion concerning the environment as a member of the Wilderness Society. Ed enjoyed a 36-year career for the National Park Service Publication Group, writing and editing handbooks for parks such as the C&O Canal NPS, Yosemite National Park, and Yellowstone National Park. In May 2014, Ed Zahniser received the US Department of the Interior Distinguished Service Award, the highest career employee honor awarded by the Department of the Interior. Since 1992, Ed has lectured about wilderness preservation, public lands values, and related topics in more than 50 venues nationwide.

The Sunday Circle Talks at Ferry Hill Plantation are free of charge, and visitors are encouraged to bring a lawn chair for the event.

Ferry Hill is a 19th century plantation house overlooking the scenic C&O Canal NHP and is located on the Maryland side of the Potomac River Bridge from historic Shepherdstown, WV. Ferry Hill Place will be open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays until Labor Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tours are offered every Saturday at 2 p.m. Ferry Hill Place is open free of charge.

For more information on Ferry Hill Plantation, please contact the C&O Canal NHP Williamsport Visitor Center at 301-582-0813 or visit www.nps.gov/choh.