The Department of the Interior recently published a special print issue of its magazine, People, Land and Water, to commemorate America’s 400th anniversary. A PDF file of "America's 400th Anniversary" is now available at www.peoplelandandwater.gov.

The special issue spotlights Historic Jamestowne, part of Colonial National Historical Park in Virginia, as well as the new Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.

The front cover of the issue shows an aerial view of Historic Jamestowne with an inset of the Godspeed, a replica of one of the ships that reached Jamestown in 1607, bringing passengers for the first permanent English settlement in America.

The magazine includes excerpts from Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne’s speech (page 3) at Jamestown on May 13, 2007. In addition to the well publicized anniversary events that included President George W. Bush and Queen Elizabeth II, “Partnerships Preserve Jamestown” (page 5), it also covers other events that continue around the nation this fall.

The centerfold of the magazine contains a poster with photos of these events (pages 16-17).

“Colonial National Historical Park: Protecting the Historic Triangle,” (page 6). describes how “America’s birthplace” has become the birthplace of everything from bald eagle chicks to state of the art historical, archeological and interpretive programs.

“A Parkway from Then to Now” (page 30) portrays the Colonial Parkway, which connects the points in the Historic Triangle that connect the beginning and the end of Colonial America.

In “Partners Across Time,” the executive director of APVA Preservation Virginia describes how the National Park Service manages Historic Jamestowne in cooperation with her organization (page 9).

Other National Park Service partners include the state of Virginia, the Jamestown 2007, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Indian tribes, African American groups and a number of nonprofit conservation organizations. The top executives of two of the latter—the Trust for Public Land and The Conservation Fund are contributors to this issue.  They were leaders in preserving Anniversary Park (page 22) and the new Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail (page 12).

“The differences between the 350th and 400th anniversaries of Jamestown were stark,” says an editorial overview of the issue. “In contrast to previous commemorations, the 400th anniversary gave prominent roles to Native Americans and African Americans. The 2007 organizers called it a ‘commemoration’ rather than a ‘celebration’ in recognition that all people did not share in the blessings of Jamestown.”

Chief Steve Adkins of the Chickahominy Tribe of Virginia answers the question of “why” Indians would get involved in the commemoration of English settlement. (page 10) even though their ranks were reduced by 90 percent by the end of the 17th century. Today there are eight state-recognized tribes in Virginia.

“The African American Imprint on America” (page 18) is authored by the co-chairs of the Jamestown 2007 African-American advisory council, while an NPS volunteer at Jamestown portrays a man who was taken from a slave ship from Angola in 1619.

“Digging into the Mysteries of Jamestown” (page 23) describes how archeologists at Jamestown discover “time capsules” in each layer of soil.  In addition to the well publicized discovery of the site of Jamestown fort, archeologists continue to uncover new clues to history there. The NPS and APVA collections now include more than 3 million artifacts.

“The Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network” and “The Wildlife Legacy of Jamestown, Virginia (pages 28-29) underscore the importance of the Department of the Interior and its agencies in preserving both the history and the natural resources of the region.

The culmination of the 400th Anniversary will come in September 2007.  First, on Sept. 8, a crew that has been retracing Captain John Smith’s 1608 voyage in the Chesapeake (page 14) will return to Jamestown.  Then, on Sept. 16-18, theWorld Forum on the Future of Democracy, an international gathering of scholars and government leaders, will be held in Jamestown and Williamsburg on (see www.JamestownDemocracy.org).  The honorary forum chairs are former Presidents H.W. Bush and William J. Clinton and former British Prime Minister Lady Margaret Thatcher.

Organizers of America's 400th Anniversary call the sail to Jamestown the “journey that changed the world.” The journey has not ended. It has been a 400-year-long journey toward making the promise of democracy real for everyone. Like any journey, it's had its ups and downs. And if the journey is at least as important as the destination, we've learned that we need to be partners along the way.