Vicksburg Park Bill Shrinks Federal Land by 10 Acres to Make Room for State Welcome Centers

The Vicksburg National Military Park Boundary Modification Act is pretty straightforward: it tells the Secretary of the Interior to hand over just over 10 acres of federal land inside the Vicksburg National Military Park in Mississippi to the State of Mississippi. This land transfer comes at no cost to the state, which plans to use the parcels for public facilities like welcome centers and museums.

The Land Swap: Trading Park Land for Visitor Centers

This bill dictates that the National Park Service (NPS) must transfer two specific parcels of land. The first is about 3.66 acres intended for a welcome center, and the second is about 6.48 acres slated for an interpretive center or museum. Once the transfer is complete, the official boundary map of the Vicksburg National Military Park must be updated to show that these 10.14 acres are no longer federal park land (Sec. 2). Essentially, the bill takes land out of the federal park system to allow the state to build better visitor infrastructure right next to the park.

What This Means for Park Visitors and Land Management

For the average person driving up to Vicksburg, this bill should eventually mean a smoother, more informative entry experience. The State of Mississippi gets prime real estate, free of charge, to build facilities that enhance the visitor experience—think better parking, updated exhibits, and clearer directions. This is a win for tourism and local infrastructure, as these facilities can be built without the state having to buy expensive land.

However, there’s a catch for those who care about federal land preservation. The bill permanently reduces the size of the National Military Park by 10.14 acres. While the state intends to use the land for public benefit—a welcome center is clearly a public use—it technically removes that acreage from the protection and jurisdiction of the National Park Service. The bill does allow the Secretary of the Interior to set “reasonable rules for the transfer,” which gives the federal government some say in the process, but the outcome is fixed: the land leaves federal hands.

The Big Picture: Precedent and Protection

This type of legislation, where federal land is given to a state for public infrastructure, isn't unheard of, but it does raise questions about managing protected areas. The Vicksburg park is a crucial historical site, and shrinking its boundaries—even by a small amount—sets a precedent. For preservation advocates, any reduction in protected land is a concern, regardless of the intended use. The state gets a valuable asset, and visitors get better centers, but the NPS loses a small slice of its jurisdiction. It’s a trade-off between modern visitor amenities and the strict preservation of historic park boundaries.