Manhattan Project National Historical Park formally established

A memorandum of agreement was reached between the U.S. Departments of Energy and Interior that formally establishes the Manhattan Project National Historical Park, the two departments announced Tuesday.

The National Park Service (NPS) and the Department of Energy (DOE) will be taking on the preservation and protection of the site associated with the project at Los Alamos, New Mexico, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and at the Hanford Site in Washington.

These sites will we open to members of the public; the NPS will be providing historical and visitor information alongside assistance in preserving each site.

“Through the preservation and interpretation of the Manhattan Project, the National Park Service will share with the world the story of one of America’s most transformative scientific discoveries that fundamentally altered the course of the 20th Century,” Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell said. “Visitors will soon be able to see the contributions of more than 600,000 Americans who played a role in this significant chapter in history. The park will also serve as a reminder that these actions and discoveries must be handled with great care for they can have world-changing consequences."

Both Jewell and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz signed the agreement. The agreement itself stems from its legal establishment within the National Defense Authorization Act of 2015.