Out of ammunition: when privately held land inside a national park draws the eye of a developer, the character of these special places can quickly be lost. And if the Park Service doesn't receive the funds to purchase the land, the results could be tragic.(Valley Forge National Historical Park)

National Parks, March, 2008 by Fernandez. Kim

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You're tracing the footsteps of the Continental Army across Valley Forge National Historical Park, soaking in the history, picturing what went on there. Your feet stumble on the same bumps and grooves that Washington's men trod upon during the Revolutionary War. You pause for a moment to drink in the beauty of the Schuylkill River, where hungry soldiers caught American shad swimming upriver in spring. Engrossed in thought, you come to the top of a small hill, look up, and find yourself facing the brick walls and insulated windows of a ... conference center. And a hotel. And a massive parking lot.

Ridiculous, right? Think again. Barring a successful lawsuit to stop it, a development just like that will be built on a 78-acre parcel...

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