This historic Army post may have won over a most important ally on Wednesday: Cabinet member Ken Salazar, secretary of the interior. Salazar toured the 570-acre base in Hampton before meeting with about 150 citizens, almost all of whom indicated strong support for making Fort Monroe a national park after the Army departs in September.
As head of the federal agency that oversees the National Park Service, and as President Barack Obama’s point man on preserving and protecting the nation’s heritage and natural resources, Salazar could be pivotal in making that happen.
There will be a public meeting tomorrow, July 19, in Hampton about the potential addition of Fort Monroe to the National Park system. Fort Monroe has played a unique role in the the Civil War. We hope people in DC and Virginia will come out to support protecting this site.
There are free buses leaving from The Wilderness Society’s office (1615 M Street NW, Washington DC) at 10:00 a.m. and the James River Bus Lines & Carey Transportation facility (915 North Allen Avenue Richmond, VA) at 4:30 p.m. To RSVP contact [email protected].
If you are unable to attend, you can also submit comments on the potential establishment of a unit of the National Park System at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia to the Park Service at this link: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/commentForm.cfm?documentID=41998.