July 17, 2007

                     For Immediate Release

 NEW FACES AT SAND CREEK MASSACRE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE

The Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site is pleased to announce additions to its staff.  Recently, Ms. Ellen Conroy joined the park as a seasonal ranger.  In August, Mr. Alden Miller will be coming to the site as Superintendent.  Alexa Roberts, currently Superintendent at Sand Creek, will become Superintendent of Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site and Superintendent for the Southeast Colorado group of parks which includes Bent’s Old Fort, Sand Creek Massacre and Capulin Volcano National Historic Sites. Roberts will remain actively involved at Sand Creek and will continue to reside in Eads.

 Ms. Conroy, who hails from Custer, South Dakota, previously worked for the National Park Service at several sites, including Jewel Cave National Monument.  Ellen can be found at the park every Friday, Saturday and Sunday where she assists with many interpretive services and resource projects.  Ellen’s background includes a variety of educational and job experiences that should serve the public well during her season at the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site. 

 Alden Miller, currently Chief of Interpretation and Education at Sitka National Historical Park, Alaska, will be moving to the Eads area later this summer, and brings a wealth of knowledge to Sand Creek. A National Park Service veteran, Miller worked at San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Oklahoma City National Memorial and the Washita Battlefield National Historic Site prior to his work in Alaska.    Miller and his wife Betsy have two daughters who will be enrolling in Eads schools for the upcoming semester.

A new Chief of Operations and Resources Management is also expected to be announced in the near future.

 In other park news, long-range management planning for the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site will begin later this summer. These plans will help provide a foundation for future management, interpretation, resource preservation, and facilities at the park.  Opportunities for public involvement with these plans will be announced during the coming months.  The National Park Service thanks all those who provided comments on the Interim Management Plan and Environmental Assessment under which the park is currently operating.  The plan is available for review at the Sand Creek Massacre NHS Administration Office located at 910 Wansted.

 Currently the park is open every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 9:00 am through 4:00 pm. The park is closed Monday through Thursday. Visitors are encouraged to take advantage of the park’s 7/8 mile walking trail, culminating with ranger-led history talks at the monument above Sand Creek.  The park has been open for seven weekends and is receiving between seventy-five and one hundred visitors each weekend.

 For information about the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, please call the park at 719.729.3003 or 719.438.5916, or visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/sand/ for updates and additional park news.