Tule Lake Segregation Center circa 1946
TULE LAKE, CALIF. — The National Park Service released the “Tule Lake Unit General Management Plan and Environmental Assessment” for public review and comment on Nov. 3. The plan provides long-term guidance for how the NPS will develop and manage the unit, as well as how the stories of the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II will be told at Tule Lake.
The NPS will hold public workshops from November-January to present the management plan and receive comments on it. These workshops will further a public dialogue, which began in 2013, about how to effectively protect the site and educate the public about this chapter in American history.
The Tule Lake Unit preserves the site of the Tule Lake Segregation Center, which was one of the 10 camps were more than 120,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated during World War II. Designated in 2008 by President George W. Bush, the purpose of the Tule Lake Unit is to preserve, study and interpret the history and setting of the incarceration of Japanese Americans at Tule Lake.
Between 1942-46, more than 29,000 people of Japanese ancestry were incarcerated there, and two-thirds of those incarcerated were U.S. citizens.
“The NPS is thrilled to be preserving the plan to the public, and especially to those who experienced the World War II incarceration at Tule Lake or were impacted in the Klamath Basin community. This moment changes the narrative for Tule Lake. It pivots us to the future of what the site will look like and the lessons visitors will learn about Tule Lake’s unique and long-contested history. We’re eager to hear what the public thinks about the National Park Service’s plan for the Tule Lake Unit, and we hope people will attend the meetings and engage in a discussion about Tule Lake’s future,” said Lawrence Whalon, superintendent of the Tule Lake Unit and Lava Beds National Monument.
The NPS will hold 13 public workshops at locations in California, Oregon, Washington, New York and online.
Information about the Tule Lake Unit plan is available at parkplanning.nps.gov/TuleLakeGMP. Comments may be submitted online or sent to tule_superintendent@nps.gov. The public comment period closes on Feb. 10. For more information, visit nps.gov/tule or Facebook at facebook.com/TuleLakeNPS.
