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[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Leri Melissa Thomas Papers, 1926-1995 (bulk 1988-1992), SC 0156, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.
Leri Thomas donated the collection to Special Collections in September 1998.
In order to streamline the process of applying collection numbers, Special Collections staff completed a large-scale renumbering campaign in 2017-2018.
In 1979, Leri Melissa Thomas moved to Madison County within five miles of Shenandoah National Park. In the late 1980s, when the park inaugurated a study of its surrounding lands, she became a leader in the private property rights movement that protested the potential expansion of the park. She contacted government officials at all levels and publicized the public concern over the park's Related Lands Study (also known as Adjacent Lands Study) and other activities. Among her neighbors were descendants of people who had been dispossessed by the park in the 1920s and 1930s, when the park was first established.
This collection is composed of one box of files documenting the relationship between Shenandoah National Park (SNP) and residents and officials in several counties adjoining the park, especially Madison, Augusta, and Rockingham Counties, 1926-1995. The documents, which are mostly photocopies, constitute a wide variety of materials, including newspaper clippings, newsletters, correspondence, memos, reports, maps, minutes of meetings, and surveys. Some materials were obtained from SNP and other federal agencies by Ms. Thomas through Freedom of Information Act requests. She has made notes on and/or highlighted many of the materials.
This collection is arranged topically into thirteen folders.
Some originals are retained by the donor.
Shenandoah Park Oral History Collection, 1964-1999, SdArch SNP, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.
Letters, memos, laws, minutes of meetings, newsletters, reports, and other documents on the adjacent lands study conducted by SNP.
Forms containing survey information for Madison and Rockingham counties.
Letters and other documents concerning SNP acquisitions, and the role of The Conservation Fund in securing those acquisitions.
Letters, memos, surveys, maps, etc., related to SNP interest in the Gore Tract in Madison County.
Documents related to SNP interest in the Rose River Tract in Madison County.
Documents related to SNP interest in the Light property in Madison County.
Documents concerning the Park's interest in several tracts of land in Page County.
Documents concerning Park boundaries and concurrent jurisdiction.
Newsletters and other documents concerned with private property issues in general and specifically as related to SNP, including the pamphlet Us vs. NPS, co-authored by L. Thomas.
Documents concerning formation of an advisory committee to SNP of the eight bordering counties.
Miscellaneous articles related to SNP.
Letters describing several incidents in or near SNP.
A 15 p. report by L. Thomas entitled, "The floods of 1995: a case study of Madisonian attitudes and experiences in the wake of flood relief efforts," which links attitudes and behaviors in response to floods to those concerning SNP. Includes some biographical information on L. Thomas.