General archive

This page is a mainly unedited, mainly chronological collection mainly of aging "NEW" blurbs from the home page. It also contains other odds and ends. After Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, and Bill Cosby pool their resources and make it so that Webmaster Dave Gurganus and Vice President for Communications Steve Corneliussen can quit their day jobs, we'll get fancier and inaugurate better ways to archive material searchably. (Of course, once those three join the effort to preserve and properly enhance post-Army Fort Monroe, this Web site may not be needed much longer anyway.) We don't guarantee the permanent life of links in what appears below.

July 2008: Link to the old FAQs as they were originally written in 2006. (Revised FAQs were posted in July 2008, and will be edited from time to time.)

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Jan. 7, 2010: PLEASE STAND UP FOR PRESERVING IRREPLACEABLE VIEWS AT FORT MONROE. Sam Martin and others at Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park have studied the Army's Historic Viewshed and Cultural Landscape reports, which are part of a complex process conducted under national historic preservation law. CFMNP is preparing detailed comments that elaborate on our two-paragraph overview statement. Friends of Fort Monroe who care about preserving irreplaceable views at Fort Monroe will want to e-mail the Army (monr.post.106public@us.army.mil) by the deadline of midnight, Saturday, Jan. 9, to register agreement with CFMNP. Under an e-mail subject line that says "Historic Viewsheds and Cultural Landscapes," please just sign and send a one-liner asking the Army to please count you as concurring in the Historic Viewsheds and Cultural Landscapes concerns that are being detailed by Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park. YOUR TOTAL INVESTMENT: 60 seconds to send the e-mail message. THE PAYOFF: The Army is methodical. Every single voice counts. Thanks very much.

Oct. 29, 2009: LT. GOVERNOR CANDIDATE JODY WAGNER ENDORSED THE CONCEPT OF A SELF-SUSTAINING FORT MONROE NATIONAL PARK on  Cathy Lewis's "HearSay" today. (More)

Oct. 29, 2009: NATIONAL PARK COMMITTEE MEETS, FRIDAY, OCT. 30 -- AND THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO OBSERVE AND TO COMMENT AT THE END. 10 A.M. to 12:30 at the Chamberlin's Yorktown Room (near the elevator on the second floor). Guests: National Park Service official Terrence Moore and John Reynolds, former NPS deputy director. (Please also see the entry below for Oct. 9.)

Oct. 29, 2009: PLEASE HELP SAVE FORT MONROE BY VOLUNTEERING SOME HOURS IN HAMPTON ON ELECTION DAY. It's not about either party's candidates. It's about gathering signatures for Hamptonians' effort under the city charter to improve Hampton's vision for the planning of post-Army Fort Monroe. That part requires registered Hampton voters, but anybody from anywhere can help with a second task: collecting e-mail addresses of friends of Fort Monroe who want to see it saved. YOU WILL NEVER GET A MORE IMPORTANT CHANCE TO HELP SAVE FORT MONROE FROM THE FORCES THAT -- ACCORDING TO THE CIVIL WAR PRESERVATION TRUST -- CONTINUE TO PLACE THAT NATIONAL TREASURE AT RISK. If you can help, please e-mail Contact [[at]] CFMNP.org. Thanks.

Oct. 24, 2009: PLEASE HELP FORT MONROE BY TAKING 30 SECONDS TO SEND THE ARMY AN E-MAIL MESSAGE BY THURSDAY, OCT. 29 (NOT OCT. 26th) about the Fort Monroe Draft Environmental Impact Statement, or "DEIS." If you'd like details about this enormously technical, phone-book-size document, please see our brief write-up. But in any case, because federal law requires that every voice be counted, you can make a difference for Fort Monroe in 30 seconds -- at zero cost. We've studied this complicated stuff so that you don't have to. Now please help us help Fort Monroe. Please launch this brief e-mail message -- no matter where you live. Here's how: Just send a message to the Army saying three brief things -- one thing about the national park option and two things about what the Army calls the "Wherry Quarter" -- which we call the Endangered Green Heart of Fort Monroe, the land northeast of the moated fortress. Your e-mail message should go to Monr.post.nepapublic@us.army.mil by the end of the day on Thursday, Oct. 29. It would say that you agree with Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park that the Army should rework the DEIS so that it (1) includes and fully evaluates the option for an innovative national park unit, as previously called for by the public (2) properly assesses and classifies Wherry Quarter baseline conditions, and (3) properly evaluates Wherry Quarter reuse impacts. Thanks!

Oct. 22, 2009: SEN. CREIGH DEEDS, CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR, ELABORATES ON HIS COMMITMENT TO FORT MONROE AS A NATIONAL PARK. On Cathy Lewis's "HearSay," he called a self-sustaining Fort Monroe National Park "a great idea" and declared, "I look forward to making it happen." We obviously hope that candidate Bob McDonnell will make the same promise. That's part of why we were disappointed at Friday night's Southern Christian Leadership Conference forum in Hampton, which at least four of us attended in good faith because it was advertised as citizen-based. Unfortunately, the SCLC's co-moderators ignored at least four citizens' requests to probe candidate McDonnell about what Sen. Deeds had said on the previous day. Instead, they asked candidate McDonnell two open-ended questions of their own. Consequently he added nothing to what he has said in the past about Fort Monroe. This all matters because Virginia's next governor will be the most powerful person in history concerning post-Army Fort Monroe. (Read a transcript of the brief "HearSay" Fort Monroe conversation with Sen. Deeds and a list of only some of the questions that citizens asked -- unsuccessfully -- for the SCLC moderators to convey at their citizen forum.)

Oct. 16: FROM FORT MONROE'S FRIENDS AT THE CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION: You’re invited to be part of history as Senator Ben Cardin introduces the most significant federal legislation for the Chesapeake Bay since the passage of the Clean Water Act in 1972 -- in Annapolis on Monday, Oct. 19. (More)

Oct. 15, 2009: NATIONAL PARK COMMITTEE MEETS TOMORROW MORNING, FRIDAY, OCT. 16 -- AND THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO OBSERVE AND TO COMMENT AT THE END. Chamberlin Hotel, Yorktown Room (second floor, near the elevator), 10 to 12:15. (Please also see the entry below for Oct. 9.)  (See the agenda.)

Oct. 4, 2009: ALL ARE INVITED TO A PUBLIC MEETING ON THE FORT MONROE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT, TUESDAY, OCT. 6, AT THE HAMPTON ROADS CONVENTION CENTER, 1610 Coliseum Drive in Hampton, 7-9 P.M. This is an opportunity to ask questions of Army officials and consultants on a very recently released document that's important for the future of Fort Monroe, and which is available both online and in libraries in Hampton (though not in libraries of the other areas where Fort Monroe's actual owners live). We've conducted a preliminary study and we're worried that this "DEIS" -- pronounced as four separate letters -- might fail to engage everything that the law requires. This might harm Fort Monroe. In any case, after we learn more, we'll be asking friends of Fort Monroe to comment to the Army by e-mail during October, much as we did nearly two years ago concerning what's called the "Programmatic Agreement" -- with great success, thanks to you. (This Draft Environmental Impact Statement is an important document in the future of Fort Monroe, as it evaluates the relative environmental impact on the various alternatives for Fort Monroe's future and identifies measures that could be taken to reduce adverse impacts. Our preliminary review suggests that the range of alternatives that are evaluated in the DEIS may be substantially narrower than the law requires, in that the DEIS looks only at alternatives promoted in the Fort Monroe Authority's conceptual reuse plan of 2008. Such narrowness, including failure to explore the impact of a national park unit at Fort Monroe,  could well mean less attention than the law requires for other alternatives. Moreover there are indications the impacts on land use, esthetics, viewsheds, cultural resources, and more -- including in the endangered green heart of Fort Monroe just northeast of the moated fortress -- may be understated.)

Sept. 24, 2009: "FORT MONROE WILL BE AN ISSUE FOR VIRGINIA'S NEXT GOVERNOR," declared Channel 13's news anchor when introducing a two-minute Mike Gooding report. Mr. Gooding's setup noted accurately that the challenge is to make this national treasure self-sustaining without counterproductive overdevelopment. But candidate Creigh Deeds -- possibly unaware of what happened in Hampton last night (please see next item) -- ducked his chance to reconfirm his April commitment to some sort of Fort Monroe National Park, and candidate Bob McDonnell called for "preservation of parts of that parcel" and "of some of the historic sites." "Parcel"? "Parts"? "Some"? Neither candidate mentioned Fort Monroe's enormous value as badly needed public bayfront green space.

Sept. 20, 2009:  WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 23, AT 7 -- HAMPTON CITY COUNCIL PUBLIC HEARING ON CITIZENS’ INITIATIVE PETITION CONCERNING FORT MONROE. Nearly two and a half thousand registered Hampton voters signed the petition. It will be important for citizens, especially Hampton citizens, to attend to show support. And it will be important for Hamptonians who are true friends of Fort Monroe to speak. If you aren't sure what to say, please just express support for a  higher vision for Fort Monroe and for avoidance of any special tax burdens for Hamptonians. It might be wise to remember too that especially since passions abound in this civic discussion, the cause is best aided by engaging issues, not people. (Read more -- and please also see additional related materials on this "What's New" page.)

Sept. 18, 2009: FORT MONROE AUTHORITY INVITES PUBLIC COMMENT ON THURSDAY, SEPT. 24, including concerning the "governance" question of what to recommend to the General Assembly about a new makeup of the authority itself. Unfortunately, despite the Programmatic Agreement's guarantee of meaningful public involvement in decision-making, the authority's Web site doesn't yet spell out exactly what will be considered. We know that what's envisioned is likely to be a miniature version of the present Fort Monroe Authority. This means that even though "Fort Monroe belongs to the American people," as the authority chairman himself has written, the apparent intention is yet again to exclude direct private-citizen representation by anyone except people from Hampton appointed by -- and accountable to -- that one city's council. What's your view of who should be making major decisions about Fort Monroe's future? Now's the time to state it. (See the meeting details and agenda -- the "governance" item is the one in question, though citizens may comment about any issue.)

Sept. 15, 2009: ARMY TO SEEK COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT at an open-house-style gathering Oct. 6 from 7 to 9 P.M. at the Hampton Roads Convention Center. We hope that many friends of Fort Monroe will attend to show support for proper handling of post-Army Fort Monroe, and that they'll also send e-mail comments to the Army (Monr.post.nepapublic@us.army.mil) before the comment deadline in late October. WE'LL SOON SAY -- AND RECOMMEND -- MORE ABOUT THIS IMPORTANT PUBLIC COMMENT OPPORTUNITY, which is comparable in importance to past Army requests for public comments.

Sept. 5, 2009: SEN. CREIGH DEEDS, CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR, REAFFIRMS COMMITMENT TO FORT MONROE AS A NATIONAL PARK. He had originally answered a question from Norfolk Historical Society President Louis Guy, a co-founder of Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park, on the April 20 edition of Cathy Lewis's noontime civic-affairs radio talk show "HearSay." Today he reaffirmed all of that when he told us: "A national park is the best way to go -- it's just a question of how we do it." Virginia's governor substantially controls the Fort Monroe planning. To our knowledge, candidate Bob McDonnell has no specific position on Fort Monroe except for a stated desire to give the issue a good look if he's elected. From extensive observation and not a little bit of contact over the years with both candidates, at CFMNP we believe that each candidate should sit down with us to hear what he will not hear in Richmond or Hampton -- particularly the parts that come from our distinguished advisor and colleague Alec Gould, a Virginian whose 43-year career with the National Park Service culminated in service as superintendent of Colonial National Historical Park in Yorktown. We respectfully urge the candidates to hear us out, if only so that they'll at least understand the full range of options when public questions come their way, from reporters and others, during the next two months. (More)

Sept. 1, 2009 HAMPTON CITY COUNCIL SETS SEPT. 23 FOR PUBLIC HEARING ON CITIZENS’ INITIATIVE PETITION CONCERNING FORT MONROE. Nearly two and a half thousand registered Hampton voters signed the petition. It will be important for citizens, especially Hampton citizens, to attend to show support. And it will be important for Hamptonians who are true friends of Fort Monroe to speak. (Read more today -- and  in the coming days, please watch this page for further announcements.)

Aug. 31, 2009: THE NORFOLK PBS STATION'S FORT MONROE DOCUMENTARY "Kingdom by the Sea" is easily accessed and viewed online. It's a moving, 27-minute masterpiece about the stakes in the planning of post-Army Fort Monroe. WHRO received a "Best Television Documentary" award for the film, which WHRO's Center for Regional Citizenship produced.

Aug. 28, 2009: THE FORT ALGERNOUNE, 1609, CELEBRATION & CONFERENCE, October 16-18, 2009, will celebrate the 400th anniversary of Anglo-America’s first coastal fortification, built at what's now called Old Point Comfort -- the land that Fort Monroe has occupied for nearly half of that four-century period. Because the Civil War Preservation Trust considers this precious land at risk, it's great that the Fort Monroe Authority is sponsoring this conference -- all the better to gauge and understand the preciousness, and then to treat the land accordingly. (Read more.)

August 17, 2009: FRIENDS OF FORT MONROE HAVE A LOT COMING THEIR WAY THIS FALL.  (More)

June 18, 2009: AGENDAS FOR A MORNING MEETING AND AN AFTERNOON MEETING OF THE FORT MONROE AUTHORITY, to be held Thursday, June 25 at the Bay Breeze Community Center on Fort Monroe. The public is welcome.

April 26, 2009: ONE CITIZEN'S FORT MONROE QUESTION FOR VIRGINIA'S GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES: "Last month, for the third year in a row, the Civil War Preservation Trust declared Fort Monroe at risk of inappropriate, counterproductive, financially unnecessary overdevelopment. How instead could Virginians best capitalize on that national treasure's strategic potential to enrich Tidewater and the commonwealth -- not only financially, but culturally, recreationally and environmentally?" (More) What Fort Monroe question would you ask the candidates?

April 20, 2009: SEN. CREIGH DEEDS, CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR, ANNOUNCES HE'S COMMITTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF FORT MONROE AS A NATIONAL PARK. He was answering a question from Norfolk Historical Society President Louis Guy, a co-founder of Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park, on Cathy Lewis's noontime civic-affairs radio talk show "HearSay." Virginia's governor substantially controls the Fort Monroe planning. To our knowledge, no other candidate has a position on Fort Monroe -- and we've asked all four of them, including face to face. Sen. Deeds faces two other Democrats in a June primary. One Republican is running. (More)

March 26, 2009: Schedule for Fort Monroe Authority meetings, 1-4 P.M., Bay Breeze Center, Fort Monroe: Friday, May 15; Friday, June 25 (two meetings, 9:30 and 1); Thursday, July 16; Thursday, Sept. 24; Thursday, Nov. 19. This year Fort Monroe's actual owners may speak only during public comment periods at the ends of meetings. The panel chairman has discontinued the public comment times at the beginnings of meetings. This means that if you have something to say about business that's about to be conducted, you have no way of saying it -- even though, as an American citizen, you're one of Fort Monroe's actual owners. At a recent meeting, Del. Tom Gear, with support from Sen. John Miller, sought to question this decision, but the panel chairman, in what amounted to a departure from parliamentary procedure, in effect forbade further discussion. The Fort Monroe Authority has always claimed to operate according to solid principles of public openness.

March 22, 2009: OFFICIALS CONGRATULATE THEMSELVES CONCERNING THE "PROGRAMMATIC AGREEMENT," BUT IT'S WITHHELD FROM FORT MONROE'S ACTUAL OWNERS -- YOU. Last week both the Daily Press and the Virginian-Pilot reported that the "Section 106" process, required under federal historic preservation law, is nearing completion. The process results in a "programmatic agreement," a document that has some power to preclude injudicious development or harm to precious historic sites once the sites change hands. Although many "consulting party" organizations were involved to some extent early on -- and although the general public participated at one point by making plain that it wants a national park and would disapprove of any land sell-offs -- for over half a year no one in the public has seen the evolution of what is being agreed upon. Both newspapers noted this irony. As Matt Sturdevant of the Daily Press put it, "The authority's executive director, Bill Armbruster, complimented the Army for conducting the process in a careful way and including groups to protect the post for 'generations to come.' However, Mark Perreault of the local grassroots group Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park said that after the consulting groups commented on the agreement this past summer, there was little or no information about the document until an announcement this week that it is being signed." When Fort Monroe's actual owners finally do get to see this agreement, we'll report about it here.

March 22, 2009: THE NORFOLK PBS STATION'S FORT MONROE DOCUMENTARY "Kingdom by the Sea" is easily accessed and viewed online. It's a moving 27-minute masterpiece. WHRO received a "Best Television Documentary" award for the film, which WHRO's Center for Regional Citizenship produced.

SPECIAL NOTE, March 18, 2009: There are several new things to report on this page -- among them, the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot editorial board's reaffirmations concerning the need for a Fort Monroe National Park and Congressman Glenn Nye's recent encouraging words about that. We expect to post new "What's New" material no later than Sunday evening, March 22. Please check back! (The March meeting of the Fort Monroe Authority takes place on Thursday, March 19, at 1 P.M. at the Bay Breeze Center at Fort Monroe.)

Feb. 9, 2009: Read CFMNP's Steve Corneliussen's response to today's Daily Press front page story about the Fort Monroe freedom story. The issues are American history and the threat of unwise, financially counterproductive land development.

Jan. 29, 2009: At 7 P.M. on Wednesday, Feb. 11, Fort Monroe Authority Executive Director Bill Armbruster will present a public lecture on "The Future of Fort Monroe and Old Point Comfort: Planning for Reuse and Development" in the Kaufman Theatre at the Chrysler Museum of Art, 245 West Olney Road in downtown Norfolk. The cost to attend is $5. Refreshments will be served afterwards. Sponsored by the Norfolk Historical Society. For more information, please call 757 333-1086. (Directions)

Jan. 26, 2009: HEAR A LIVELY, FRANK FORT MONROE CONVERSATION among Bill Armbruster of the Fort Monroe Authority, Peter Harnik of the Trust for Public Land, and Steve Corneliussen of Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park. The 27-minute discussion took place in the second half of Cathy Lewis's noontime civic-affairs talk show "HearSay" on the Norfolk NPR station 89.5 FM. It can be heard easily online. Select the audio for Jan. 26 and move the timeline cursor to time 32:50. (Concerning Mr. Harnik, please see also the entry below for Jan. 20.)

Jan. 25, 2009: VIRGINIAN-PILOT REPORTER JULIAN WALKER WROTE: "The 570-acre property is planned for redevelopment as for residential and commercial uses, and preserved as a historic site." True, Mr. Walker is likely unfamiliar with post-Army Fort Monroe. But taken in isolation, his sentence from the Pilot's blurb "Legislators hear of cost of taking over Fort Monroe" would pretty much put us right back where we started a few years ago. (Please see also the Jan. 24 entry on the "What's New" page.)

Jan. 3, 2009: TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND REPORT DECLARES THAT FORT MONROE'S "CONVERSION TO PARKLAND would help reduce the parkland deficit of the entire Hampton Roads area and would also have significant positive spin-offs -- economic and otherwise -- for the entire region." The TPL's Peter Harnik will present the report to the Fort Monroe Authority at the next regular meeting, which starts at 1 P.M. on Tuesday, Jan. 6, at Fort Monroe's Bay Breeze Center. The public is invited and encouraged to come. With funding from many generous friends of Fort Monroe, the TPL report was commissioned by the nonprofit Fort Monroe National Park Foundation. (Full report) (Key excerpt) (Meeting agenda)

-2008-

(12/21) MORE ON THE HAMPTON CITIZENS' INITIATIVE. Hampton televises city council meetings and posts the video online, where you can watch the Fort Monroe parts of last Wednesday's meeting. Using the cursor on the timeline at the bottom of the video screen, you can go to time 5:36 to watch Fort Monroe Authority Executive Director Bill Armbruster thanking the city council for working in "a collaborative way" with the authority. At time 6:16, Mr. Armbruster surprised many in attendance when he referred to the need to "ensure the transition from Fort Monroe back to the city of Hampton in a very smooth and seamless way." What does that mean, exactly?  It's not clear. In any case, the word "back" makes his statement historically inaccurate, in that Hampton has never in the past had jurisdiction over Fort Monroe. The moated fortress, for example, was built over a century before Hampton's boundaries expanded to include Old Point Comfort. At time 11:24, Hampton City Attorney Cynthia Hudson discusses the Hampton citizens' initiative, promising to investigate whether the petition asks for what is "within the council's authority to do under state law" and whether the petition involves any "procedural or substantive defects." Surely true friends of Fort Monroe can have faith that Hampton's leaders will be wiser and fairer about citizen petitions than have been their counterparts in Gloucester County. At time 13:40, Committee of Petitioners Chairman Sam Martin can be seen explaining the Hampton citizens' Fort Monroe initiative very briefly.

(12/18) CHANNEL 13's MIKE GOODING HAS SCOOPED THE WORLD ON THE HAMPTON CITIZENS' INITIATIVE. Mr. Gooding is the first journalist to realize that Hampton citizens are making something new and important happen. After three years of Fort Monroe planning exclusively by a handful of powerful people operating under the profoundly unfortunate assumption that Fort Monroe somehow belongs to Hampton, citizens of that very city are using city charter provisions to take matters officially into their own hands. By seeking to amend an ordinance about Fort Monroe, they seek to move Fort Monroe toward what everybody but a few politicians knows it ought to become: a Grand Public Place for everybody. That's as opposed to becoming a partly privatized place for financially unnecessary and generally unwise development -- including what the present ordinance calls "industrial." (No kidding; that word is in there.) His two-minute video, easily viewed online, is a must-see for all true friends of Fort Monroe.

(12/7) THE NORFOLK PBS STATION'S FORT MONROE DOCUMENTARY "Kingdom by the Sea: Fortress Monroe" is easily accessed and viewed online. It's a 27-minute masterpiece that's crucial to see if you're at all interested in Fort Monroe. WHRO-TV, Channel 15, recently received a "Best Television Documentary" award for the film, which is a production of WHRO's Center for Regional Citizenship.

(12/7) FORT MONROE AUTHORITY MEETING: TUESDAY, JAN. 6, 1 TO 4, at the Bay Breeze Community Center, Fort Monroe. On the agenda -- which we'll post when it becomes available -- we hope to see Peter Harnik of the Trust for Public Land talking about THE HAMPTON ROADS REGIONAL WATERFRONT PARKLAND STUDY commissioned by  the nonprofit educational Fort Monroe National Park Foundation. Many generous citizens among Fort Monroe's actual owners -- you -- paid for this crucially important study, which will be released and posted online soon. Fort Monroe's citizen owners are welcome to attend all Fort Monroe Authority meetings.

(11/18) FORT MONROE AUTHORITY MEETING, THURSDAY, 1 TO 4, Bay Breeze Community Center, Fort Monroe. Fort Monroe's actual owners -- you -- are welcome to attend. Agenda

(10/19) THE FORT MONROE NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION NEEDS YOUR HELP with a special effort: a Hampton Roads regional waterfront parkland study by the internationally respected Trust for Public Land. Please read the foundation's important appeal. 

(8/25) NORFOLK VIRGINIAN-PILOT EDITORIAL BOARD REITERATES ITS CALL FOR CREATING FORT MONROE NATIONAL PARK in another editorial like the one from June 8 (see below on this "What's New" page) that concluded: "But none of those stories will be told as effectively or reach as broad an audience unless the National Park Service is involved in the next stage of Fort Monroe's history, unless preservation groups commit resources to establishing a public trust for its protection, and unless local, state and federal leaders unite in the obvious -- creating Fort Monroe National Park." Will we see discussion and action from Virginia's leaders, including those who seek to represent the congressional district containing Fort Monroe, candidates Nye and Drake?

(8/18) THE PUBLIC IS INVITED: GOVERNOR KAINE TO SIGN REUSE PLAN WEDNESDAY, AUG. 20, AT FORT MONROE. Please see the Fort Monroe Authority's press release. (Also, please note: There will be no August Fort Monroe Authority meeting.)

(8/10) CITIZENS FOR A FORT MONROE NATIONAL PARK ASKS GOVERNOR KAINE TO DISCUSS FORT MONROE'S FUTURE. Please see the letter to the governor from CFMNP President H. O. Malone. And please consider going to the "contact us" page at Governor Kaine's Web site and asking him to make sure to schedule the requested discussion. His staff reliably reads those messages. If a number of Fort Monroe's truest friends ask, you'll be doing great good for our cause. Governor Kaine has often promised us that he'd talk to us about Fort Monroe. Now is the time for him to do it. Thanks.

(7/6) NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE COVERS THE PROSPECTS FOR A FORT MONROE NATIONAL PARK, highlighting the Fort Monroe freedom story of self-emancipating "Contrabands." A key excerpt: "It was at Fort Monroe in May 1861 that the stage would be set for the demise of slavery, almost two years before Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation." The article quotes CITIZENS FOR A FORT MONROE NATIONAL PARK Vice President Gerri Hollins, who founded the Contraband Historical Society, and CFMNP President H. O. Malone. (7/6) THE NORFOLK PBS STATION'S FORT MONROE DOCUMENTARY "Kingdom by the Sea: Fortress Monroe" is easily accessed and viewed online. It's a 27-minute masterpiece that's crucial to see if you're at all interested in Fort Monroe. WHRO-TV, Channel 15, recently received a "Best Television Documentary" award for the film, which is a production of WHRO's Center for Regional Citizenship.

(7/2) CITIZENS FOR A FORT MONROE NATIONAL PARK is asking all friends of Fort Monroe to send comments by e-mail to the Army by July 7. For a quick-and-easy explanation of what's needed, please see the July 2 entry at our Updates archive -- or you might instead want to see our slightly longer explanation.

(6/11) PLEASE VOTE FOR THE FORT MONROE NATIONAL PARK OPTION IN ABOUT.COM'S INFORMAL ONLINE POLL -- and maybe also contribute to Kimberly Lenz's related online discussion there.

(6/8) NORFOLK VIRGINIAN-PILOT CALLS FOR CREATING FORT MONROE NATIONAL PARK in an editorial that concludes: "But none of those stories will be told as effectively or reach as broad an audience unless the National Park Service is involved in the next stage of Fort Monroe's history, unless preservation groups commit resources to establishing a public trust for its protection, and unless local, state and federal leaders unite in the obvious -- creating Fort Monroe National Park."

(6/7) DAILY PRESS OP-ED: CFMNP's Steve Corneliussen proposes that "now is the time to speak up about Fort Monroe's future." Please see June 7 at our Articles & op-eds page.

(6/4) ON NATIONAL PARK QUESTION, PARK SERVICE PUNTS. On June 3, the National Park Service finally issued its long-awaited Reconnaissance Survey, a very light study meant to determine whether Congress should commission a full Special Resource Study of the prospects for park service involvement at Fort Monroe. Their answer boils down to something like this:
    Well, maybe.
They punted. The park service did affirm that Fort Monroe is superbly qualified for national park status, but they recommended deferring the Special Resource Study. They noted that a sensible arrangement at Fort Monroe would probably "require a non-traditional form of management that would rely on a range of partnerships to be successful" -- quite analogous to what we have been saying for two years, focusing on the precedent at San Francisco's Presidio. We think there's an explanation for the park service's hesitancy, and that it lies not with understandably cautious federal bureaucrats, but with Virginia's leaders. Virginia's leaders have scanted the national park option even though Virginia law calls for investigating it -- and even though four nationally respected preservation organizations do too. More will be coming about all of this, but for now, you can hear easily accessed audio of a five-minute discussion about the National Park Service study -- a conversation between CFMNP's Steve Corneliussen and Cathy Lewis on the talk show "HearSay" from the Norfolk PBS affiliate 89.5 FM WHRV. (To start the five minutes, move the timeline cursor to time 7:50.)

(6/4) PUBLIC PARTICIPATION INVITED: THE ARMY WILL BE HOLDING PUBLIC FORUMS in connection with "Section 106" of federal historic preservation law on Saturday, June 7, 10 A.M. in Hampton at the Hampton Roads Convention Center and on the evenings of June 12 in Richmond and June 13 in Washington. Please come out, and please ask others to do so as well. It is not necessary to comment at the meeting, though the Army will welcome it. The Army will also be welcoming comments by e-mail until July 7 -- and we will soon offer a report and recommendations about that.

(6/3) CITIZENS FOR A FORT MONROE NATIONAL PARK COMMENTS ON THE FORT MONROE AUTHORITY'S DRAFT REUSE PLAN. The plan itself appears at FMFADA.com, where online comments will be accepted until June 15. We will be saying more on this subject, probably including in an e-mail message to members of our list, which you can easily join. (We don't use the list often, and we share it with no one.) We will be urging you to comment to the Fort Monroe Authority.

(6/1) KEY OFFICIAL REJECTS DEVELOPMENT-FOR-DEVELOPMENT'S-SAKE. Mike Gooding's recent Channel 13 report, still available online as of June 1, includes Fort Monroe Authority executive director Bill Armbruster saying, "We don't want to do development any more than we feel would be appropriate to make [Fort Monroe] economically sustainable." Amen! Will this fine new principle be incorporated explicitly into the authority's reuse plan?

(5/30) CITIZENS' FORT MONROE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT HIGHLIGHTED ON "HEARSAY." Cathy Lewis not only hosts the WHRV FM 89.5 noontime civic-affairs talk show "HearSay," she heads a regional civic leadership institute. So it's all the more notable that on May 28, she and Daily Press reporter Kimball Payne energetically acknowledged the work that private citizens across the region are doing to ensure a fitting and proper future for Fort Monroe. "Citizens and folks who where interested in the future of that beautiful place have really made their mark on this plan," she said concerning the Fort Monroe Authority's reuse plan. She continued: "I think when the story is told on Fort Monroe, the piece of this that will be very intriguing to study from a civic-engagement perspective is the work of those organizations that have been so active in having a hand in this process, and if you look at issues that have happened across the region in recent memory, I can't think of one where you had more folks involved, more folks who were genuinely committed to doing the hard work of civic engagement to make their thoughts and their feelings known than in this case ... ." To start the 7-minute discussion, available online, move the audio button on the timeline at the bottom of the audio screen to time 6:44, the point in the hour-long broadcast where the discussion began.

(5/29) THE NUMBERS ARE COMING UP ROSES FOR A FORT MONROE NATIONAL PARK. Will the decision-makers continue moving in the right direction? Their consultants are giving them the economic numbers to justify it. Please see the two news articles dated May 29 at Articles & op-eds. We'll soon be posting our comments about the Fort Monroe Authority's new "reuse plan" -- and we'll be submitting them, and asking you to submit your comments to the authority too.

(5/29) PUBLIC PARTICIPATION INVITED: THE ARMY WILL BE HOLDING PUBLIC FORUMS in connection with "Section 106" of federal historic preservation law on Saturday, June 7, 10 A.M. in Hampton and on the evenings of June 12 in Richmond and June 13 in Washington. (More information coming; the Section 106 process is legalistic and complicated, but it's important -- and the key truths are simple.) CITIZENS FOR A FORT MONROE NATIONAL PARK WILL BE COMMENTING SOON ABOUT THESE IMPORTANT PUBLIC DELIBERATIONS INVOLVING FORT MONROE'S ACTUAL OWNERS: YOU. IF YOU ARE NOT ON OUR E-MAILING LIST -- WHICH WE SHARE WITH NOBODY AND WHICH WE ONLY USE OCCASIONALLY -- PLEASE CONSIDER SIGNING UP. Thanks.

(5/29) TWO BRIEF TV NEWS REPORTS ARE AVAILABLE ONLINE: Mike Gooding's report from Channel 13 and Dan Rubin's from Channel 3, which you get by scrolling through the video offerings near the top right of their home page. (Please note that in Dan's report, one line may possibly mislead: "The fort does hold great potential as a tourist destination and a moneymaker, and for some, that's still the problem." In case there's any misunderstanding, Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park in fact advocates a self-sustaining national park, innovatively structured to provide a substantial revenue stream and to stimulate the region's economy in multiple ways. We want to see money made -- to pay for a Grand Public Place, but not to enrich developers. We think the reference was actually to developers, but the point is a crucial one to clarify.)

(5/27) CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE KEITH HUMMEL STRONGLY ENDORSES NATIONAL PARK CONCEPT. Dr. Hummel, of Virginia's First District, responded to an e-mail query from CFMNP, and in quoting it below, we inserted the red font. He wrote:
    As a former Naval Flight Surgeon and strong proponent of historic preservation I consider Ft. Monroe to be a National Treasure.  I would strongly support Ft. Monroe's designation as a National Park.  I am in favor of a development plan which provides initial federal funding but ultimately leads to a self sustaining entity.  
    Ft. Monroe is indeed a national treasure on the order of the Presidio. The taxpayers of the United States have been the stewards of Ft. Monroe for centuries and as such deserve nothing less than the perpetual enjoyment of the entire facility.  
    Please let me know how I might help insure that the full measure of historic, scenic, recreational and environmental aspects of Ft. Monroe are enhanced and preserved for all Virginians and Americans.
Regards
Keith Hummel M.D.
Democratic Nominee, 1st Congressional District of Virginia

(5/22) SEE NORFOLK PBS STATION'S FT MONROE DOCUMENTARY online. A 27-minute masterpiece.

(5/22) PUBLIC PARTICIPATION INVITED:
* FT MONROE AUTHORITY MEETING, WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 1 to 4 P.M., Bay Breeze Center, Ft Monroe (agenda).
* Also on Wednesday, May 28: PUBLIC HEARING ON THE FT MONROE AUTHORITY'S "REUSE PLAN," 6:30 P.M., Bay Breeze Center, Ft Monroe. Links to the Reuse Plan's Introduction and other sections appear in the left column on the Fort Monroe Authority's home page. Public comments will be gathered through June 11.
* THE ARMY WILL BE HOLDING PUBLIC FORUMS in connection with "Section 106" of federal historic preservation law on Saturday, June 7, 10 A.M. in Hampton and on the evenings of June 12 in Richmond and June 13 in Washington. (More information coming; the Section 106 process is legalistic and complicated, but it's important -- and the key truths are simple.)
CITIZENS FOR A FORT MONROE NATIONAL PARK WILL BE COMMENTING SOON ABOUT THESE IMPORTANT PUBLIC DELIBERATIONS INVOLVING FORT MONROE'S ACTUAL OWNERS: YOU. IF YOU ARE NOT ON OUR E-MAILING LIST -- WHICH WE SHARE WITH NOBODY AND WHICH WE ONLY USE OCCASIONALLY -- PLEASE CONSIDER SIGNING UP. Thanks.

(5/12) CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE GLENN NYE, writing in a political blog:  "I understand that a full study of the feasibility of making Fort Monroe a national park has not yet been commissioned. I think a special resource study is a good idea." He's running in the second district, which contains Fort Monroe. At the moment, the National Park Service is completing a small "Reconnaissance Survey" simply to decide whether or not to recommend the Special Resource Study -- a measure that Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park has been calling for since mid-2006.

(5/11) DAILY PRESS EDITORS CALL FOR SENSIBLE PREPARATIONS FOR SEA-LEVEL RISE AT FT MONROE: They write, "It doesn't make sense to put in place anything that's likely to be at risk in another generation." Please see the May 11 entry at Articles & op-eds.

(5/10) KEY CONSERVATION GROUP, WETLANDS WATCH, CALLS FOR SENSIBLE PREPARATIONS FOR SEA-LEVEL RISE, including at Fort Monroe: "The whole low-lying coastal system along the Chesapeake Bay shoreline is going under water ... [including at] Old Point Comfort." Please see the May 10 entry at Articles & op-eds.

(4/30) CONGRESSMAN ROB WITTMAN: "I'd like to see us make sure that Fort Monroe is preserved in a way that the public can enjoy the entire property." (In reply to Steve Corneliussen on Cathy Lewis's "HearSay" on WHRV 89.5; go to time 49:48 on the "audio on demand" for April 30 at the "HearSay" site.) This may be the first congressional-level affirmation that all of Fort Monroe is a National Historic Landmark belonging to everybody.

(4/29) HERE ARE THE DATES OF FUTURE FT MONROE AUTHORITY MEETINGS.

(4/27) PUBLIC INVITED: ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP HEARING, THURSDAY, MAY 1, at the Bay Breeze Community Center, 490 Fenwick Road, Fort Monroe, 6 P.M. According to the Daily Press, there'll be "an opportunity to see and comment on a plan and timeline" and "Fort Monroe's environmental chief, Jennifer Guerrero, will discuss a draft version of the cleanup strategy and [the] proposed timeline."

(4/22) PUBLIC INVITED: FORT MONROE AUTHORITY MEETING, MONDAY, APRIL 28, at the Bay Breeze Community Center, 490 Fenwick Road, Fort Monroe, 1 P.M. Agenda. (See also the dates of future meetings, May through December.)

(4/13) DEVELOP, DEVELOP ... Henry Collar of Newport News published this Daily Press letter to the editor: "I must put in my two cents. Fort Monroe, Deep Creek, Buckroe and others. No one wants to listen to the everyday person-on-the-street. I may be way off base here, but these areas all have a very high 'curb appeal' that any developer would just love to get their hands on to make a sizable personal fortune –– with no real value to the average citizen on the Peninsula. But who am I? I just live here and have seen this happen time and time again."

(3/19) FORT MONROE AUTHORITY MEETING, FRIDAY, MARCH 21, BAY BREEZE CENTER, 1 P.M., PUBLIC INVITED.  Agenda

(3/1) TOP 10 REASONS TO MAKE FORT MONROE A SELF-SUSTAINING NATIONAL PARK. Please see Scott Butler's Mar. 1 op-ed at Articles & op-eds.

(2/18) PLEASE WRITE TO THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE  as requested and explained in the Feb. 18 update message that went to everyone on our e-mail update list (and please join our e-mail list if you are not already receiving occasional update messages).

(2/8) FORT WOOL A CONTINUING STEWARDSHIP CHALLENGE FOR HAMPTON, some of whose leaders -- ready to place city taxpayers at risk -- nevertheless aspire to some sort of city stewardship of Fort Wool's many-times-bigger sister, Fort Monroe. Please see Feb. 8 at Articles & op-eds.

(2/6) WHRO TV-15's FORT MONROE DOCUMENTARY "KINGDOM BY THE SEA," a 27-minute masterpiece, is available online. At Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park, we believe it's a must-see for anybody who cares even remotely about Fort Monroe or the history of liberty itself. ALSO, do you know anybody to send to its Friday, Feb. 29 New York International Independent Film & Video Festival screening? It's important for Fort Monroe for this film to get noticed nationally. (1:50 P.M. at the ImaginAsian Theatre, 239 East 59th St. between 2nd and 3rd Avenues on the Upper East Side.)

(2/4) FORT MONROE AUTHORITY MEETS IN RICHMOND, WEDNESDAY, FEB. 13, 1-3:30 P.M. at the Science Museum of Virginia, 2500 West Broad Street. (Directions) (Agenda)

(2/1) WHRO TV-15's FORT MONROE DOCUMENTARY "KINGDOM BY THE SEA," a 27-minute masterpiece, is available online. At Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park, we believe it's a must-see for anybody who cares even remotely about Fort Monroe or the history of liberty itself. It was shown at the New York International Independent Film & Video Festival and will also appear at Cannes.

(1/25) ARMY RECEIVES HUNDREDS OF PUBLIC COMMENTS SAYING NO PRIVATIZATION, MAKE FORT MONROE A NATIONAL PARK, AND PROTECT THE NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK STATUS OF THE ENTIRE POST. Please see Matt Sturdevant's fine Daily Press article and Channel 13's Dan Rubin's TV report (Please scroll through the video player on the top right for the Fort Monroe report)

(1/23) RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH REPORTS ON FORT MONROE. Please see Jan. 23 at Articles & op-eds.

(1/23) HALF-HOUR RADIO INTERVIEW WITH CFMNP's Steve Corneliussen, 6:30 A.M. this Sunday, Jan. 27, on FM stations Eagle 97.3, 92.9 The Wave and 100.5 Max FM, and also on 1310 ESPN AM. (We'll try to post the audio afterwards.)

(1/20) RALEIGH NEWS AND OBSERVER COLUMNIST CALLS FOR A FORT MONROE NATIONAL PARK. Please see Jan. 20 at Articles & op-eds.

(1/20) ARMY "SECTION 106" MEETING OPEN TO PUBLIC, Thursday, Jan. 24, 1 to 4 P.M., Bay Breeze Community Club, Fort Monroe. The Army has announced three themes that citizens have emphasized by far the most in public responses: no development or privatization, make it a national park, and protect the landmark (i.e., the National Historic Landmark, which is nearly all of the post, not just the moated fortress). Agenda

(1/7) CITIZENS FOR A FORT MONROE NATIONAL PARK PRESIDENT H. O. MALONE REBUTS PRESIDIO CRITICISMS from a Dec. 20 Daily Press letter to the editor.

(1/5&6) THREE DAILY PRESS ARTICLES ON THE FT MONROE CLOSURE-COSTS FIASCO. The fiasco shows yet again that the common-sense solution is to transition Fort Monroe to a Grand Public Place having not only revenue-producing assets but lots of green space -- green space that doesn't cost a large chunk of a billion taxpayer dollars to clean up, as it would for the financially unnecessary development that some advocate. Please see Jan. 5 & 6 at Articles & op-eds.

(1/5) HAMPTON CITIZEN'S OP-ED CRTICIZES LOSS OF PUBLIC ACCESS TO WATERFRONT -- a vivid reminder that the stakes at Fort Monroe are not just about history. Please see Jan. 5 at Articles & op-eds.

(1/5) THE ARMY WANTS YOUR OPINION ABOUT GUIDELINES FOR FORT MONROE'S FUTURE. The deadline is Jan. 9. It doesn't take long. You can do it by e-mail. It really matters. Please see the Jan. 5 entry at the Updates archive. Thanks.

(1/1) ANOTHER LETTER ADVOCATES NATIONAL PARK. Please see Jan. 1 at Articles & op-eds -- and please see below on this home page about submitting your own letter to the editor.

-2007-

(12/13) GOVERNMENT COST ESTIMATE FOR CLOSING FORT MONROE SUDDENLY QUADRUPLES. WHY? What are the chances for further increases?The Daily Press (please see the Dec. 13 entry at Articles & op-eds) was unable to find out from Brian J. Lepore of the Government Accountability Office. Most unclear is the cost of environmental and ordnance cleanup. Still, government estimates continue to say that closing Fort Monroe as planned will still save taxpayers lots of money in the long run. But here's a question that ought to be asked more often: Why are we apparently planning to spend perhaps many hundreds of millions of federal dollars to clean up the post for development that is inappropriate anyway? Surely it costs far less to ensure the safety of land that is not going to be built upon. So why not instead use just a fraction of that federal money to cover transition costs en route to making Fort Monroe into a grand public place with lots of green space, under some sort of permanent federal stewardship?

(12/12) FRIDAY, DEC. 14, 1 P.M.: FORT MONROE AUTHORITY ("FMFADA") MEETS AT RUPERT SARGENT BUILDING, 1 FRANKLIN STREET, DOWNTOWN HAMPTON. The public is welcome to attend and to comment. (Agenda)

(12/7) VIRGINIAN-PILOT REPORTS OVER 150 FROM AROUND TIDEWATER ATTENDED NATIONAL PARK SERVICE PUBLIC MEETING -- and Sabine Hirschauer of the Daily Press published a comprehensive article.

(12/6) WAVY TV-10's OREN LIEBERMANN aired a nice interview piece about the Dec. 6 meeting where National Park Service officials and over 130 people from around Tidewater engaged in a discussion of the possibilities for a Fort Monroe National Park. (See the 2-minute video at WAVY.com.)

(12/6) WHY WERE THE DAILY PRESS EDITORS SO GLOOMY ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE'S MEETING? Please see Dec. 3 at Articles & op-eds for an annotated version of a gloomy editorial about the Dec. 6 National Park Service meeting, which ended up drawing over 130 people from around Tidewater to discuss a possible Fort Monroe National Park. The discussion turned out to justify the kind of enthusiasm CFMNP's Scott Butler had brought to the topic in his very brief Daily Press op-ed -- Dec. 1 at Articles & op-eds.

(12/4) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE WILL HEAR CITIZENS ON FT MONROE'S FUTURE: Please see CFMNP's Scott Butler's very brief Dec. 1 Daily Press op-ed at Articles & op-eds -- and please attend and speak up at the National Park Service's  public meeting, 6:30 P.M., Thursday, Dec. 6, at the Northampton Community Center, located directly behind Jefferson Davis Middle School. (Get detailed directions.) Now is the time for Americans in general -- Fort Monroe's actual owners, from across Tidewater and elsewhere -- to make plain that a self-sustaining Fort Monroe National Park is the answer, not only for the financial enrichment sought by Hampton, but for wider general enrichment in multiple senses starting with the financial one. CFMNP's Louis Guy has offered some additional thoughts concerning the meeting.

(12/3) PUZZLING: DAILY PRESS EDITORS GLOOMY ABOUT NATIONAL PARK SERVICE MEETING. Please see Dec. 3 at Articles & op-eds.

(11/25) WASHINGTON POST CARRIES FORT MONROE OP-ED by Steve Corneliussen of Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park: Park-in-Waiting That Needs a Push. The piece asks people to voice their opinions at the Army's public forum on Thursday, Nov. 29, starting at 6 p.m., at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1785 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington.

(11/25) THE ARMY WANTS YOUR FT MONROE OPINIONS at a public forum on Thursday, Nov. 29, starting at 6 p.m., at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1785 Massachusetts Avenue, Washington -- or you can comment by e-mail any time before January 9 at monr.106public@us.army.mil . Participation by Fort Monroe's true friends is crucial. Section 106 of federal historic-preservation law does not empower the Army to dictate in detail what's to be done with post-Army Fort Monroe, but it does empower the Army to set general guidelines. At CFMNP, we believe the most important point to be made to the Army about those general guidelines is this: In fashioning Fort Monroe's future, we must respect the fact that all of Fort Monroe, not just the moated fortress, is a National Historic Landmark. For more information, please see the BRAC link at www.monroe.army.mil.

(11/14) RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH CARRIES FORT MONROE OP-ED by Steve Corneliussen of Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park: National Treasure Needs Richmond Voices for Preservation.

(11/2) WVEC TV-13's MIKE GOODING ASKS CANDIDATES ABOUT FORT MONROE. Either Tricia Stall or John Miller will join not only the Virginia Senate, but the panel deciding Fort Monroe's future. In brief sound bites, Mrs. Stall warns energetically about the threat of inappropriate development, while Mr. Miller advocates awaiting re-use study results. (Note: While it must be said that Mike Gooding stands out among journalists in treating Fort Monroe as a serious issue, it must be noted that his question factually misrepresented what's historic at Fort Monroe. The entire post, not just the moated fortress, was designated a National Historic Landmark a half-century ago.)

(10/31) WHRO TV-15's FORT MONROE DOCUMENTARY "KINGDOM BY THE SEA," a 27-minute masterpiece, is now available online. At Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park, we believe it's a must-see for anybody who cares even remotely about Fort Monroe, the history of liberty, American history, or Tidewater Virginia.

(10/31) SEN. JIM WEBB SEEKS "DIRECTION" FROM "LOCAL OFFICIALS" CONCERNING FORT MONROE. On Cathy Lewis's noontime talk show "HearSay" today on 89.5 FM from Norfolk, Dr. H. O. Malone, president of Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park, phoned in to ask Virginia Sen. Jim Webb a question. (Read more)

(10/27) OLD POINT COMFORT, FT MONROE, THE SLAVERY ERA, AMERICAN HISTORY: Please see CFMNP's Scott Butler's Oct. 27 Daily Press op-ed at Articles & op-eds.

(10/23) SARA PICCINI'S LATEST FORT MONROE ARTICLE covers the Oct. 15 premiere and panel discussion of the WHRO documentary. Please see Oct. 23 at Articles & op-eds.

(10/23) THE ARMY WANTS YOUR FT MONROE OPINIONS at public meetings: Hampton Oct. 30, Norfolk Nov. 8, Richmond Nov. 15, Washington Nov. 29. Participation by Fort Monroe's true friends is crucial, and CFMNP believes the most important point for you to make at the meetings is this: In fashioning Fort Monroe's future, we must respect the fact that all of Fort Monroe, not just the moated fortress, is a National Historic Landmark. Details

(10/23)  WHRO's FORT MONROE DOCUMENTARY "KINGDOM BY THE SEA" WILL AIR THREE TIMES THIS WEEK. The half-hour film gives many from across the commonwealth a chance to speak about post-Army Fort Monroe. On WHRO-TV15 and WHRO HD 15.1, it will air on Wednesday, Oct. 24 at  8:30 P.M., again on Thursday, Oct. 25 at 9:30 P.M., and yet again on Sunday, Oct. 28, at 2:00 P.M.

(10/21) THE ARMY INVITES YOU TO A "SECTION 106" MEETING ON TUESDAY, OCT. 23 from 1 to 4 at the Bay Breeze Center at Fort Monroe. (Please note that this is not the same as the Fort Monroe Authority meeting on Monday, Oct. 22.) The main topic is the Draft Programmatic Agreement. Please see also our announcement about directly related Army meetings coming up soon for the public.

(10/14) "FORT MONROE UNDER ATTACK" CFMNP's Steve Corneliussen has inserted annotations into our copy of the Daily Press's article on Fort Monroe as a Virginia senate campaign issue. See also Steve's summary of the campaign mailer in question.

(10/11) SIERRA CLUB DISCUSSION OF HAMPTON'S COASTLINES. The public is invited. Sandy Bottom Nature Park, 7:00-8:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 17. The areas to be discussed are Fort Monroe, Buckroe Beach, White Marsh and Grandview. Among the questions: How can citizens help ensure protection in the face of pressures from development? See the Sierra Club's announcement.

(10/7)  WHRO's FORT MONROE DOCUMENTARY "KINGDOM BY THE SEA" WILL AIR THREE TIMES IN OCTOBER. The half-hour film gives many from across the commonwealth a chance to speak about post-Army Fort Monroe. On WHRO-TV15 and WHRO HD 15.1, it will air on Wednesday, Oct. 24 at  8:30 P.M., again on Thursday, Oct. 25 at 9:30 P.M., and yet again on Sunday, Oct. 28, at 2:00 P.M. The public is invited to a premiere showing and a panel discussion with audience Q&A at 7:30 P.M. on Monday, Oct. 15, at the American Theater in Phoebus, the section of Hampton next to Fort Monroe. Admission is free, but seating is limited, so WHRO asks that you register in advance. See WHRO's announcement; see also CFMNP's Sept. 29 announcement in our Updates archive.

(10/7) PRESIDIO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CRAIG MIDDLETON WILL SPEAK AT THE OCT. 22 FORT MONROE AUTHORITY ("FADA") MEETING. Agenda

(9/30) THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF CHESAPEAKE BAY MAGAZINE is well worth finding because of Paul Clancy's fine feature article on Fort Monroe. It's better to see the actual magazine because of the equally fine photos by Steve Earley, but the main text, with sidebar texts appended, is easy to find on the Web via the "Past Table of Contents" link.

(9/19) THE COAST ARTILLERY CORPS CENTENARY CELEBRATION at Fort Monroe, Oct. 6 & 7, will offer living history interpretations and hands-on experiences. Free admission. Read more.

(9/4) PUBLIC WELCOME TO ATTEND -- AND SPEAK AT -- FORT MONROE AUTHORITY MEETING, Thursday, Sept. 20, from 1 to 4 at the Bay Breeze Center at Fort Monroe. See the agenda.

(8/29)  ON CATHY LEWIS'S "HEARSAY," FORMER VIRGINIA GOVERNOR L. DOUGLAS WILDER DISCUSSED FORT MONROE WITH TWO KEY AFRICAN-AMERICAN CULTURAL LEADERS: Gerri Hollins, who presides over the Contraband Historical Society (and is a vice president of Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park), and Sheri Bailey, who leads efforts for Juneteenth, the annual celebration of slavery's end. Gov. Wilder expressed no opinion about what Fort Monroe should come to look like, but he emphasized that in his view, the post should remain completely in the hands of its owners, the public. And he agreed that the Contraband story should be a major American memory instead of a little-known one. The local NPR broadcast on 89.5 FM later included some discussion with CFMNP's Steve Corneliussen about the proposal for a Historic Quadrangle having a Civil War component made up of Fort Monroe augmented by the Mariners' Museum's Monitor Center. For a link to four brief audio segments, please see our Multimedia page for August 29.

(Also: You might want to read the report and analysis that Steve Corneliussen wrote about  this radio discussion.)

(8/20)  A CHARLOTTESVILLE RADIO TALK SHOW HAS HOSTED AND POSTED THREE INTERVIEWS -- SO FAR -- ABOUT FORT MONROE. Please see our Multimedia page for links to audio
* for June 26 with Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources Preston Bryant, chair of the Fort Monroe authority, who never once mentioned the national park option; 
* for Aug. 13 with CFMNP's Steve Corneliussen, who pointed out that omission and explained why and how it seems that the Kaine administration may very well have a preconceived bias about developing Fort Monroe in a narrowly envisioned way, rather than treating it as a national treasure and as a robust economic engine for Virginia's economy; and
* for Aug. 15, when Secretary Bryant briefly responded about the national park option, but ignored the other questions from Aug. 13.
Note that you can post written comments at the pages where the audio is found. True friends of Fort Monroe: in your postings, please encourage the Charlottesville radio host, Coy Barefoot, to continue conducting the Fort Monroe conversation. He is leading in making Fort Monroe the wider issue that it ought to be.

(8/23)  KAINE ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL TO DISCUSS THE GOVERNOR'S LAND CONSERVATION HOPES AT CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION PUBLIC MEETING IN NORFOLK on Saturday, Sept. 8, at 8:30 A.M. at the Norfolk Wellness and Fitness Center, 7300 Newport Avenue. Will Deputy Secretary of Natural Resources Nikki Rovner -- a close colleague of the Fort Monroe authority chairman -- engage the question of conservation of Fort Monroe's threatened green space? Norfolk area friends of Fort Monroe can ask her about that during the Q&A. Read more in the meeting announcement.

(8/22)  MONDAY, AUG. 27: PUBLIC WELCOME TO ATTEND AND TO COMMENT AT FORT MONROE AUTHORITY'S NEXT MEETING -- AT THE HAMPTON CONVENTION CENTER, NOT AT FORT MONROE AS WE WERE PREVIOUSLY SUPPOSING. The meeting begins at 1 in Room 106 and, according to the agenda, is scheduled to last three hours, with time at the beginning and again at the end for brief public comments. This will be a good chance to tell authority members your views about Fort Monroe's post-Army future. The Hampton Convention Center is easy to find, near I-64, next to the Hampton Coliseum.

(8/12)  WHRO PUBLIC TELEVISION CHANNEL 15 FORT MONROE DOCUMENTARY COMPLETE; WILL AIR IN OCTOBER. The half-hour film gives many from across the commonwealth a chance to speak. The film's makers hope they have painted an impartial picture that nevertheless includes one huge bias, one with which all already agree: Fort Monroe is an absolute treasure. More about this telecast when we know more.  

(8/13)  SECRETARY BRYANT INTERVIEWED ON CHARLOTTESVILLE RADIO: FORT MONROE WILL DEFINE THE LEGACY OF GOVERNOR KAINE'S ADMINISTRATION. NUMBER OF SECRETARY BRYANT'S MENTIONS OF THE NATIONAL PARK OPTION FOR THAT LEGACY IN THE 17-MINUTE INTERVIEW: ZERO. This would be less alarming if the secretary, who chairs the Fort Monroe Authority that is mainly controlled by Governor Kaine, had not recently referred to the Washington study of the national park option as an impediment blocking progress. Listen for yourself via a link from our Multimedia page.  

(7/31)  PRESS CONFERENCE WITH PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN THIS SUNDAY AT FORT NORFOLK.  Hear what President Lincoln, portrayed by renowned interpreter George Buss, has to say about the Civil War occupation of Norfolk, the war itself, and the importance of Fort Monroe. Sponsored by The Norfolk Historical Society and the Fort Monroe National Park Foundation. Where: Fort Norfolk, 801 Front Street, Norfolk. When: Sunday, Aug. 5 at 1:00 P.M. Free and open to the public. Picture I.D. required to enter Fort Norfolk. Read the press release.  Here's a map to Fort Norfolk.

(7/30)  THE 9th ANNUAL CONTRABAND SLAVES MEMORIAL CELEBRATION is set for Aug. 11 and 12 from 1 to 4 P.M. at the First Baptist Church of Hampton, 229 North King Street.

(7/24) FORT MONROE PLANNING PANEL MEETING OPEN TO PUBLIC AT FORT MONROE ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, JULY 25. See the Fort Monroe Federal Area Development Authority agenda. NOTE: BECAUSE OF SUMMER VACATIONS AND A WEDDING, THE MAIN PAGE OF THIS CFMNP.ORG WEB SITE NEEDS A BIT OF UPDATING, WHICH OUR ALL-VOLUNTEER GROUP WILL BE DOING IN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO.

(6/26)  VIRGINIAN-PILOT HOSTS ONLINE FORT MONROE DISCUSSION. You can visit their "guestbook" and add your comments about the future of Fort Monroe.

(6/25) CFMNP ran a newspaper advertisement for the June 24, 2007, public reception at the Waterman's Museum in Yorktown.

(6/21) NATIONAL PARK RECONNAISSANCE STUDY REQUESTED.  The new state law about planning post-Army Fort Monroe contains a paragraph asking for a federal national park study. Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources Preston Bryant, who chairs the new "FMFADA" planning panel, has reflected that paragraph's language in duly requesting that Congresswoman Drake ask the Department of the Interior for the study to start. You can read Secretary Bryant's letter to Congresswoman Drake and her subsequent letter to the secretary of the interior. Question for you, and please send comments to Contact[[["at" sign]]]CFMNP.org: Does Mrs. Drake's letter contain any actual mention of the question of the prospects for national park affiliation -- the phrasing from the Virginia law and from the secretary's letter? To what extent does her letter seem to portray the National Historic Landmark as merely the central historic area, rather than as nearly the entire post, as in fact is the case? To what extent does it portray the stakes at Fort Monroe as being history only, rather than as history intrinsically embedded in one of urban, coastal Virginia's last big strategic opportunities to realize Governor Kaine's hopes for more green space in the commonwealth?  NOTE: CONGRESSWOMAN DRAKE'S STAFF TOLD CFMNP THAT THEY LATER FIXED THIS PROBLEM BY SENDING THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR AN AFTERTHOUGHT ADDENDUM THAT INCLUDED BOTH THE NATIONAL PARK PARAGRAPH AND SECRETARY BRYANT'S LETTER.

(6/19)  HOW ABOUT A HISTORIC QUADRANGLE? In a Richmond Times-Dispatch op-ed piece marking the "Juneteenth" celebration of the end of slavery, Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park's Steve Corneliussen argues that we have not properly understood Fort Monroe's Civil War "Contraband" story, and that when we see it more clearly, we'll also see that Fort Monroe has enormous importance in the history of freedom itself. The piece proposes that Virginia's Historic Triangle should become a Historic Quadrangle having Fort Monroe as the fourth corner, linked with the Mariners' Museum's Monitor Center. Please see June 19 at Articles & op-eds.

(6/19) "FORT MONROE INCORPORATED? The state development authority suggests that the key to Fort Monroe's future is finding somebody to pay for it." So say the headline and subheadline on a Daily Press news article that we've posted at Articles & op-eds. There's no mention of an idea that state and national preservation leaders have endorsed: the possibility of an innovatively self-sustaining national park along the lines of San Francisco's Presidio. But then again, reporter Jim Hodges is only being accurate, for the national park idea was seldom mentioned at the June 18 meeting of the new 18-member Fort Monroe planning panel. That "development authority" includes a disproportionate number of private citizens from Hampton -- seven -- as well as five Kaine administration officials. The panel contains zero private-citizen members from outside Hampton -- and three of the panel's four legislator members were absent. True friends of Fort Monroe need to speak up now to insist on a fair and comprehensive hearing for the national park option, in particular its economic advantages over narrower visions.

(6/16)  DELEGATE TOM GEAR CALLS FORCEFULLY FOR A COMPLETELY OPEN FORT MONROE PLANNING PROCESS  in a Daily Press op-ed appearing on the same opinion page with a nice letter from Adrian Whitcomb, a steadfast friend of Fort Monroe. Please see the June 16 entries at Articles & op-eds.

(6/17)  SuperFADA MEETING DETAILED AGENDA: The second Fort Monroe Federal Area Development Authority (FMFADA) meeting will be held at the Bay Breeze Community Center (490 Fenwick Road) at Fort Monroe on Monday, June 18, at 1:00 p.m. The meeting is open to the media and general public. Access to the base is available through the main gate, where visitors should be prepared to produce a driver's license and vehicle registration to enter. Note also that the FMFADA Bylaws Subcommittee will meet at noon. That meeting too is open to press and public.

(6/14) The National Trust for Historic Preservation did not list Fort Monroe as one of America's Most Endangered Historic Places, so we removed the following from the top of the home page, though the "Read more" link remains live:

Old Point Comfort with Fort Monroe has also been nominated to the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of America's Most Endangered Historic Places (Read more)

(6/11) CHANNEL 13's MIKE GOODING INTERVIEWED CONGRESSWOMAN DRAKE ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STUDY requested in a special paragraph in the new state law about Fort Monroe. Please see Multimedia to watch this June 11 video segment. (NOTE PLEASE: Mike Gooding does a great job reporting about Fort Monroe, but it must be stipulated that the National Historic Landmark comprises almost the entire post, not just the moated stone fortress.)

(6/10) CHANNEL 15 WILL TELEVISE ITS FORT MONROE DOCUMENTARY THIS FALL, NOT ON JUNE 20 AS THE STATION ANNOUNCED EARLIER. More when we know more.

(6/6)  HISTORY TOURISM AS REGIONAL EFFORT? Why not make the Historic Triangle into the Historic Quadrangle? Read more.

(6/2) JAMESTOWN AND OLD POINT COMFORT WITH FT MONROE are bookends in slave-era history, argues CFMNP's Scott Butler in a Daily Press op-ed available via the June 2 link at Articles & op-eds -- with a link as well to an interesting comment sent in by Mr. Calvin Pearson of Hampton, who argues that evidence proves that the first ship carrying Africans did not just stop at Point Comfort in 1619, but landed there.

(5/30) PORT FOLIO WEEKLY "SuperFADA" COVERAGE by Sara Piccini -- who is, as has been said, a standard-setter when it comes to in-depth reporting on Fort Monroe's future -- is available via the May 30 link at Articles & op-eds.

(5/28) YOU CAN READ THE BYLAWS OF THE NEW FORT MONROE FEDERAL AREA DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY -- a companion to the memorandum of agreement linked from the May 23 blurb below. Please send observations and comments to Contact@CFMNP.org.

(5/26) DAILY PRESS EDITOR DOWNPLAYS  "MOST ENDANGERED" STATUS AS "NOT SHOUTING NEWS." What's your opinion about that? Read more.

(5/23) A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT ("MOA") BETWEEN THE KAINE ADMINISTRATION AND HAMPTON was hastily approved at Monday's inaugural meeting of the newly reconstituted Fort Monroe Federal Area Development Authority -- the SuperFADA. (For news about the SuperFADA meeting itself, please see the May 22 entry at Articles & op-eds, as well as another entry that will be posted in late May when, as well as another entry that will be posted in late May when, as well as another entry that will be posted in late May when Port Folio Weekly runs Sara Piccini's report.) The MOA is a lengthy agreement between Hampton and the Kaine administration, crafted -- apparently somewhat painfully -- over the course of more than a year. It's based on the continuing, unfortunate presumption that Fort Monroe really belongs mainly to Hampton and not to its actual owners -- all citizens. Though the MOA was not made public or distributed before the meeting, its proponents insisted that it be approved on the spot, even though panel members had not yet read it. Will you please read it and send your observations and comments to Contact@CFMNP.org? Thanks.

(5/21) NEW YORK TIMES PRAISES BUSH ADMINISTRATION NATIONAL PARK FUNDING REQUEST as "$208 million more than last year, and ... among the largest dollar increases proposed in the agency’s 90-year history." Please see May 21 at Articles & op-eds.

(5/20) AGENDA AND DIRECTIONS FOR THE MONDAY, MAY 21, MEETING OF THE NEW PLANNING PANEL AT FT MONROE from 1 to 4 in the Army Community Services (ACS) Building 206. Please attend if you can, for as the agenda implies, the same old unfortunate presumption could continue to dominate: the presumption that Fort Monroe is mainly Hampton 's economic windfall, ripe for narrowly envisioned, short-term, gated-community-without-the-gate planning. Also unfortunately, the public comment period has been segregated to the very end, so that citizens may not speak until after various actions have already been taken. For example, the agenda calls for approving a working agreement, apparently between the city and the Kaine administration, that has not even been made public yet. Here's another example, verbatim from the agenda: "Appoint subcommittee to consider re-engagement of Hampton FADA consultants." It was those consultants who worked with a parochial but powerful handful of Hamptonians last summer to promote transforming potential Fort Monroe green space into a gated community without the gate, despite the clear public desire for expansive green space and for an economically strategic plan to boost the entire region for the long term. Note, please, that to get onto the post, it is mandatory to have a valid car registration and driver's license, and that it is wise to arrive way before 1 o'clock, because the security folks at the gate can only process one car at a time.

(5/19) PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDAR: CFMNP TO HOLD "FRIENDS OF FORT MONROE " EVENT JUNE 24, 4-6 P.M., AT WATERMAN'S MUSEUM ON YORKTOWN 'S WATERFRONT. More information to come.

(5/18) SEN. WEBB ADVOCATES FORCEFULLY FOR CIVIL WAR SITES, BUT REMAINS SILENT ON FORT MONROE . As far as we know at CFMNP, the senator has never commented substantively on Fort Monroe’s future. However, his comments on Civil War battlefields from the April 18 Congressional Record give hope that he will eventually support our patriotic national treasure. He spoke of "sites [that] would have been lost forever to commercial and residential development. Now they have been protected for future generations to enjoy and learn about our Nation's history. They are islands of green space in a seemingly endless sea of commercial sprawl."  Calls to mind Fort Monroe, doesn't it?  So it's ironic, given that the Civil War Preservation Trust has declared Fort Monroe at risk, that this senator and war hero included the following in his comments, but did not mention Fort Monroe: "Just last month, the Civil War Preservation Trust released its list of the 10 most threatened battlefield sites. Among them: Gettysburg; Fort Morgan, Alabama; Marietta, Georgia and three sites in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In 5 years there may be little left to protect." Indeed, Senator! Five years from now is 2012, the year after the Army is slated to leave. So Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park respectfully requests that the senator consider what leadership he can contribute toward ensuring that our patriotic Civil War national treasure at Old Point Comfort -- green space and all -- is treated with the respect it deserves, and that it is substantially saved from, as he put it, being "lost forever to commercial and residential development."

(5/17) DAILY PRESS EDITORIALIZES ABOUT NEW PLANNING PANEL'S FIRST MEETING. Please see Articles & op-eds.

(5/16) FT MONROE POST COMMANDER EXCLUDES PRESS FROM PUBLIC MEETING. And the meeting was important. At one point, attendees even discussed Hampton's renewed insistence that somehow it was the public that actually called for last year's plan to fill the potential green space at Fort Monroe with upscale houses. In fact, that plan was produced by an out-of-state consulting firm paid with federal money and acting on the instructions of a powerful handful of Hamptonians. Concerning the public's actual wishes, please see Scott Butler's first and second white paper reports from 2006. Concerning Col. Jason Evans's exclusion of the press from the recent meeting, please see Articles & op-eds for May 16.

(5/15) ARMY TO CELEBRATE CONTRABAND STORY, THURSDAY, MAY 24, 6 TO 8 P.M. AT FORT MONROE, though without any involvement by the Contraband Historical Society or its president, Gerri Hollins, who is also a vice president of Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park. See an annotated announcement.

(5/13) CONGRESSWOMAN DRAKE'S BROCHURE ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE RECONNAISSANCE STUDY is great to see, though it mistakenly calls only "a portion" of Fort Monroe a national historic landmark. In fact, most of Old Point Comfort has carried that high designation for half a century.

(5/11) READ A PITHY RECENT LETTER FROM MR. RALPH RUEDY OF STAUNTON TO CONGRESSWOMAN DRAKE.

(5/11) GOV. KAINE APPOINTS TWO TO NEW FORT MONROE PANEL: Catharine M. Gilliam, Virginia Program Manager for the National Parks Conservation Association, and Dr. Rex M. Ellis, Vice President for the Historic Area at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. The Senate has added Hampton Sen. Mamie Locke to the panel as well. (Apparently Speaker Howell has not yet named his appointee.) Please see Articles & op-eds for a pair of May 10 news reports. A press release quotes the governor calling for "an economically sustainable future for Fort Monroe that protects its special qualities." Precisely!  The release also says the panel "will hold its first meeting Monday, May 21 at 1:00 p.m.   ... at the Army Community Services Building 206 Conference Room at Fort Monroe ." According to the Virginian-Pilot, that meeting will be open to the public.

(5/6) CFMNP PRESIDENT H. O. MALONE'S RECENT LETTER "RETHINKING THE FUTURE OF FORT MONROE" appears on our Vision for Fort Monroe page.

(4/30) IN AN INSIDE BUSINESS OP-ED, CFMNP's SCOTT BUTLER presents the economic good sense of a Fort Monroe National Park. Please see Articles & op-eds for April 30.

(4/13) NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION PRESIDENT ADVOCATES PRESIDIO MODEL FOR FORT MONROE. Please see NTHP President Richard Moe's letter to the editor on our Articles & op-eds page.

(4/3) "A MONUMENT TO JAMES MONROE'S ROLE AS THE GREATEST FIGURE IN THE CREATION OF NATIONAL DEFENSE IN THE EARLY YEARS OF OUR REPUBLIC." Read an eloquent statement to the National Park Service from John Pearce, Director, James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library, University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, Virginia.

(4/2) NATIONAL PARK VETERAN ALEC GOULD ADVOCATES THE PRESIDIO MODEL  in a Daily Press letter. Mr. Gould is a member of CFMNP's advisory board. Please see Articles & op-eds.

(3/31) HIGHLY ENCOURAGING WORDS FROM GOVERNOR KAINE appeared in a blurb at the very top of the Daily Press's front page: "On the future of Fort Monroe: Kaine says his highest priorities are preserving the historic character of the base while also encouraging recreation and open space." And a March 27 press release quoted the governor saying, "Fort Monroe is a national treasure that must be preserved, protected, and easily accessible to the public." This is progress. Two years ago, no Virginia leaders were calling Fort Monroe a national treasure or highlighting recreation and green space along with history. Let's work with Governor Kaine to keep things going in the right direction.

(3/30) HAMPTON CITY COUNCIL VENTS TOWARD CFMNP's H. O. MALONE. Please see a pair of Daily Press articles, annotated by Steve Corneliussen.

(3/28)  HERE'S THE NATIONAL PARK PARAGRAPH FROM THE NEW LAW THAT GOVERNOR KAINE SIGNED ON MARCH 23: In formulating a reuse plan for Fort Monroe, the Authority shall give due regard to (i) the site’s 400 years of public ownership, (ii) its status as a National Historic Landmark, and (iii) its unique natural resources and outdoor recreational opportunities located at the confluence of Hampton Roads and the Chesapeake Bay. The Authority shall request the U.S. Congressional Representative in whose district Fort Monroe is located to seek a reconnaissance survey from the U.S. Department of Interior to help the Authority evaluate whether Fort Monroe should become affiliated with the National Park System to help manage and preserve the historic and natural resources at Old Point Comfort.

(3/27) CHANNEL 13's MIKE GOODING INTERVIEWS CFMNP's STEVE CORNELIUSSEN about the new planning panel for post-Army Fort Monroe.

(3/21) NATIONAL PARK SERVICE "LISTENING SESSION" MONDAY, MARCH 26, 4 TO 6 P.M. IN RICHMOND. This is a great chance for citizens to advocate for a Fort Monroe National Park. Comments will also be accepted online through April 2. (More)

(3/20) PORT FOLIO WEEKLY COVER ARTICLE "Defending the Fort": Sara Piccini -- a standard-setter when it comes to in-depth reporting on Fort Monroe's future -- investigates the national park option. Please see Articles & op-eds.

(3/19) DEPUTY ASSISTANT TO GOVERNOR WILL PRESENT "UPDATE ON FORT MONROE REUSE" SATURDAY AT TOWN HALL MEETING IN HAMPTON. Marc Follmer is slated first on Del. Jeion Ward's agenda for Saturday, March 24, from 12 to 1:30, West Hampton Community Center, 1638 Briarfield Rd. In considering whether your attendance will help Fort Monroe, please recall how effectively you discussed Fort Monroe with Congresswoman Drake when many gathered with her at the Hampton Library earlier this year. (More)

(3/19) DAILY PRESS PROFILES CFMNP's Steve Corneliussen's Fort Monroe efforts. Please see Articles & op-eds.

(3/14) CIVIL WAR PRESERVATION TRUST DECLARES FORT MONROE AT RISK. Please see Articles & op-eds.

(3/13) DAILY PRESS: "Reuse process restarting: Gov. Kaine has until March 26 to sign the bill creating a new state authority that will be in charge of Fort Monroe's future." Please see Articles & op-eds.

(3/12) SIERRA CLUB PANEL DISCUSSION:  "The Case for a Fort Monroe National Park." 7:00-8:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 21, at Sandy Bottom Nature Park, Visitors Center Conference Room, 1255 Big Bethel Road, Hampton. (More)

(3/8) DAILY PRESS LETTER TO THE EDITOR says, "There is a fundamental conflict of interest with Hampton having a major or even a significant role in the decision on what should be done with Fort Monroe. ...  The issue should be the nation's interest in the preservation of a truly unique historical and recreational site for the nation and for Virginia." Please see Articles & op-eds.

(3/7) PRESIDENT BUSH'S HISTORIC BOOST TO NATIONAL PARKS, described in a National Park Service press release, has inspired a letter to the editor from Catharine Gilliam, Virginia program manager for the National Parks Conservation Association. The New York Times reported that the president said, "I hope the citizens' groups who are concerned about the parks beat a hasty trail to the Congress and remind the Congress about what we have done, and what we need to do as good stewards of the parks.'' Now, what was that question again about how, especially during the Bush era, the U. S. couldn't even afford to consider a new national park at Fort Monroe?

(3/5)  HERE'S THE NATIONAL PARK PARAGRAPH FROM THE BILL THAT'S AWAITING THE GOVERNOR'S SIGNATURE: In formulating a reuse plan for Fort Monroe, the Authority shall give due regard to (i) the site’s 400 years of public ownership, (ii) its status as a National Historic Landmark, and (iii) its unique natural resources and outdoor recreational opportunities located at the confluence of Hampton Roads and the Chesapeake Bay. The Authority shall request the U.S. Congressional Representative in whose district Fort Monroe is located to seek a reconnaissance survey from the U.S. Department of Interior to help the Authority evaluate whether Fort Monroe should become affiliated with the National Park System to help manage and preserve the historic and natural resources at Old Point Comfort.

(2/25)  RESULTS FROM THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY: NATIONAL PARK OPTION OFFICIALLY RECOGNIZED IN LAW SENT FOR GOVERNOR'S SIGNATURE! Please see Articles & op-eds.

(2/23)  VERY IMPORTANT LETTER TO THE EDITOR from Nathan Lott, Executive director, Virginia Conservation Network.  Please see Articles & op-eds.

(2/22)  THREE ANSWERS TO VIRGINIAN-PILOT EDITORIAL. Letters from CFMNP's Mark Perreault, National Park Service career veteran Ron Wilson, and retired military historian David L. Rosmer. Please see Articles & op-eds.

(2/21)  GOVERNOR KAINE'S UNWISE FORT MONROE INTENTIONS ARE MADE DISAPPOINTINGLY CLEAR in this summary of the long-secret, and presumably still not signed, memorandum of agreement between the Kaine administration and the city of Hampton. Bottom line: For Governor Kaine, Fort Monroe is not a national treasure requiring a serious, visionary look at all the possible options; it's just business as usual. You can also read CFMNP's annotated version of the summary.

(2/19)  CFMNP's H. O. MALONE ANSWERS DAILY PRESS EDITORIAL. Please see Articles & op-eds.

(2/16)  MIXED GOOD AND BAD NEWS IN EDITORIALS FROM BOTH TIDEWATER DAILIES, as well as an error or two of plain fact in the Pilot's editorial. Please see Articles & op-eds..

(2/14)  CFMNP's LOUIS GUY SOUNDS THE ALARM IN VIRGINIAN-PILOT OP-ED concerning the Kaine-Williams bill in the General Assembly. Please see Articles & op-eds..

(2/12) CHANNEL 13's MIKE GOODING CONTINUES REPORTING THE STARK FORT MONROE CHOICE FACING VIRGINIANS THIS WEEK. Please see the Feb. 9 and Feb. 12 entries at Multimedia.

(2/11)  CFMNP's MARK PERREAULT RESPONDS TO THE KAINE ADMINISTRATION'S VISION FOR FORT MONROE. Please see the Feb. 10 entry in Articles & op-eds for links to a CFMNP-annotated copy of the governor's cabinet officers' Feb. 10 op-ed, to Mark's Feb. 11 response letter, and to a one-page handout showing legislators how Del. Tom Gear's bill beats the bill offered by Sen. Williams and Gov. Kaine.

(2/11)  COMMON DEBATE MYTHS DEBUNKED. Wouldn't a national park cost too much? Didn't the National Park Service already say it doesn't want Fort Monroe? CFMNP's Scott Butler has begun a list of Myths vs. realities.

(2/10): IN A DAILY PRESS OP-ED, CFMNP's SCOTT BUTLER DISCUSSES THE NATIONAL PARK OPTION'S PROSPECTS. Please see Articles & op-eds.

(2/10):  GOV. KAINE REITERATES THAT HE BELIEVES FORT MONROE BELONGS TO HAMPTON, NOT YOU.  Please see the Feb. 10 "special update" message in the Updates archive.

(2/9) CHANNEL 13's MIKE GOODING ASKED CFMNP's Steve Corneliussen to summarize the differences between the Kaine-Williams bill to donate Fort Monroe to Hampton for narrow purposes and Del. Tom Gear's bill to treat Fort Monroe as a strategic economic and quality-of-life asset for the region and the state. You can bet Steve answered! Watch for yourself on streaming video from Channel 13.

(2/8):  CFMNP's GERRI HOLLINS DISCUSSES FORT MONROE AND THE CONTRABAND STORY WITH TAVIS SMILEY AND CORNEL WEST ON CATHY LEWIS's "HearSay" on 89.5 FM. Gerri, president of the Contraband Historical Society, said of the Contrabands that "in liberating themselves, they liberated our nation." Please see Multimedia.

(2/8) LOUIS GUY DEBUNKS SEN. WILLIAMS'S FORT MONROE BILL AND OP-ED. Norfolk Historical Society President Louis Guy, who is also CFMNP's treasurer, recently helped nominate Old Point Comfort with Fort Monroe as one of America's Most Endangered Historic Places. (Please see the "NEW" blurb for Jan. 26, below.) Louis's Daily Press letter shows a good bit of what's concerning him -- and many others. Please see Articles & op-eds.

(2/7) PRESIDENT BUSH GIVES HISTORIC BOOST TO NATIONAL PARKS. Read the National Park Service's press release. The New York Times reported that the president said, "I hope the citizens' groups who are concerned about the parks beat a hasty trail to the Congress and remind the Congress about what we have done, and what we need to do as good stewards of the parks.'' Now, what was that question again about how, especially during the Bush era, the U. S. couldn't even afford to consider a new national park at Fort Monroe?

(2/7) THE DEBATE IS FINALLY CLEAR -- WHICH MEANS WE CAN WIN. Del. Tom Gear's Fort Monroe bill has passed the House of Delegates 70-26. Now Virginia's General Assembly has some choices to make. Please see the Feb. 7 "special update" in the Updates archive .

(2/3): DAILY PRESS EDITORIAL BOARD CONTINUES TO SHOW THE WAY FOR GOV. KAINE AND SEN. WILLIAMS in an editorial headlined "More on Monroe: The governor's approach won't solve the basic problem." The editorial debunks denials that giving Fort Monroe to a special Hampton-favoring panel -- as the Kaine-Williams bill seeks to do -- would be the same as donating Fort Monroe to Hampton. Please see Articles  & op-eds. (Also: It's puzzling that the editorial makes no mention of Del. Tom Gear's bill, which would establish a group like the one advocated at the editorial's end. Please see the second half of the "special update" for Feb. 2, posted on the Updates archive page.)

(2/2):  FORT MONROE AND CFMNP FEATURED IN "STORY OF THE WEEK" AT PRESERVATION ONLINE FROM THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION. It's gratifying to see this recognition of Fort Monroe's national importance, even if the article misses the mark slightly on one or two of the political complexities.

(2/2):  GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS -- AND PLEASE HELP BY CALLING OR E-MAILING  VIRGINIA DELEGATES: On Thursday, Feb. 1, some good things happened. First, a full-page Daily Press editorial called strongly on Governor Kaine to consider his legacy before choosing a new course for Fort Monroe. Second, Cathy Lewis's  noontime talk show "HearSay" on WHRV FM 89.5 engaged the editorial and the possibilities for that new course.  Third, beside the editorial appeared an important letter from Dr. H. O. Malone, president of CFMNP, commenting on the national park option for that new course. But most importantly, a committee approved Del. Tom Gear's HB3180 and sent it to the floor of the House of Delegates. If this bill becomes law, it will enable stakeholders from across the commonwealth to have a say in Fort Monroe’s future. This bill is the best choice for a new course for Fort Monroe. But there was also some bad news: Sen. Marty Williams's bill (SB1392), offered in coordination with Governor Kaine, passed 37-0 -- please note that vote count -- and was sent to the House. This Kaine-Williams bill charts a wrong new course for Fort Monroe. HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO: Please see the Feb. 2 "special update" on the Updates archive page. It tells how to contact members of the House to support Del. Gear's bill. Please act right away.

(1/31):  CFMNP's STEVE CORNELIUSSEN DISCUSSES FORT MONROE AND THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY ON CATHY LEWIS's new commercial radio show on AM 850. Please see Multimedia.

1/29) HEAR TONY MACRINI'S HOUR-LONG WNIS 790 AM INTERVIEW WITH CFMNP's H. O. MALONE AND MARK PERREAULT.  Hear also Gov. Kaine's discussion of Fort Monroe with Cathy Lewis on a recent noontime "HearSay" on WHRV 89.5 FM. Please see Multimedia.

(1/27):  FORT MONROE NATIONAL PARK SUPPORTERS TURNED OUT, SPOKE UP AND MADE THEIR CASE AT CONGRESSWOMAN THELMA DRAKE'S "town hall meeting" at the main Hampton library. Del. Tom Gear and Hampton City Councilman Charlie Sapp were there -- in fact, Mrs. Drake remarked on the presence of three levels of government. Del. Gear's associate Manny Puma also participated. National park supporters urged Mrs. Drake to support a crucially needed National Park Service study. The atmosphere was sometimes just a bit heated, but always constructive and friendly. Del. Gear's House district contains Fort Monroe. He strongly advocates that study. He discussed developments in the General Assembly, where he hopes to see all the options for Fort Monroe considered seriously.

(1/26) "OLD POINT COMFORT WITH FORT MONROE" NOMINATED TO BECOME ONE OF AMERICA'S MOST ENDANGERED HISTORIC PLACES. With a special -- and very moving -- letter of support from the most recent past commander of the post, Col. Perry Allmendinger, U. S. Army, Ret., and with a letter as well from President Louis Guy on behalf of his Norfolk Historical Society, the Norfolk Preservation Alliance today made the nomination to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

(1/25) GREAT NEWS: DAILY PRESS EDITORIAL: "WHAT'S NEEDED: A BETTER PLANNING GROUP, NOT COVER FOR A BAD DECISION." Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park will be respectfully requesting that Governor Kaine, members of his administration, Senator Marty Williams, the Virginia Senate leadership -- and indeed all in both houses of the General Assembly -- closely consider what these editors are saying.

(1/23) TERRIBLE NEWS: GOV. KAINE SEEKS "EARLY TRANSFER" TO HAMPTON TO "SPEED THE PROCESS OF REDEVELOPING FORT MONROE." After months of mostly silence and lots of secrecy, Virginia Governor Tim Kaine has finally revealed his choice for this national treasure that is being inherited by all Virginians. He has chosen profoundly unwisely. But at least we now finally know where we stand. Read a Daily Press article hurriedly annotated by CFMNP's Steve Corneliussen. True friends of Fort Monroe -- as well as people who simply want the best for Hampton Roads and Virginia -- will be hearing more soon.

(1/18):  IN VIRGINIAN-PILOT OP-ED, CFMNP'S STEVE CORNELIUSSEN ASSESSES FT MONROE'S PROSPECTS IN RICHMOND.  Some signs are hopeful. Please see Articles & op-eds..

(1/17):  NATIONAL PARK VETERAN RON WILSON explains the benefits of a Fort Monroe National Park in a Daily Press letter. Please see our Articles & op-eds page.

(1/12):  DELEGATE TOM GEAR OFFERS LEGISLATION SEEKING NATIONAL PARK FEASIBILITY STUDY! Please see Articles & op-eds for Jim Hodges's Daily Press news article, and Multimedia for a 1 meg audio of the 41-second-long news report aired by WHRV 89.5 FM. for Jim Hodges's Daily Press news article, and Multimedia for a 1 meg audio of the 41-second-long news report aired by WHRV 89.5 FM.

(1/31):  LOUIS GUY ASKS FRIENDS OF FORT MONROE TO CALL OR CONTACT POLITICIANS ON THURSDAY MORNING, FEB. 1. Please help ensure that Del. Tom Gear's bill passes. It would enable all stakeholders from across the commonwealth to have a say in Fort Monroe’s future. Please see the Jan. 31 update in the Updates archive (and if you like that idea, please sign up for future updates via the "Subscribe" link below on this page).

(1/9): MORE HAMPTON HIGH-HANDEDNESS ABOUT PUBLIC BAYFRONT GREEN SPACE. Some volunteer Hampton civic leaders called the Green Space Ladies have been trying for a long time to fend off City Hall-imposed, popularly despised condo-ization at Buckroe Beach, which for more than a century has been a treasured part of Virginia's public bayfront, just north of Fort Monroe. Last night they suffered a setback, but the fight is by no means over. You can read today's announcement about it from Sandra Canepa. What she says is important for people to act on -- and is also important for Fort Monroe's true friends to know about.

(1/9):  IN SECRET MEETING, GOVERNOR KAINE'S ADMINISTRATION MOVES TO CONTINUE ATTEMPTED HANDOVER OF FORT MONROE TO HAMPTON. Please see our Articles & op-eds page.

-2006-

(12/13): CFMNP's DR.  JAMES STENSVAAG REPLIES in the Daily Press to a recent op-ed advocating unskeptical faith in the bureaucratic process whereby the Pentagon and Hampton are trying to make Fort Monroe into Hampton's exploitable economic plum. Please see our Articles & op-eds page.

(12/11): NORFOLK PRESERVATION ALLIANCE COMMENTS ON HAMPTON'S REUSE PLAN. "A national treasure ... that operates on so many different levels and in such a compact and accessible location, that it almost defies comparison." Yet Hampton's plan "sees Fort Monroe’s potential largely as another upscale residential community, whose principal purpose is to produce tax revenues for Hampton." In fact, however, "the economic benefits to Hampton of turning the 570 acres into a grand public place of national importance will dwarf those of a so-called 'development of national importance.'"

(12/10): CFMNP's DR. SCOTT BUTLER's SECOND WHITE PAPER ANALYZES HAMPTON'S JULY AND NOVEMBER PUBLIC MEETINGS ABOUT FORT MONROE.  We've been asking the right question: A Fort Monroe National Park, or a Hampton "redevelopment" project? Unfortunately, despite Hampton's longstanding claims of openness in the city's process for attempting to take Fort Monroe for Hampton's own economic exploitation, the city permitted no public discussion following the Nov. 20 public meeting. Virginians concerned about the fate of this patriotic national treasure were asked instead to write their comments on large tablets. Dr. Butler's latest "white paper" report summarizes CFMNP's views on the present state of Hampton's takeover attempt. Still, at CFMNP we continue to hope that the powerful handful of people driving Hampton's process will soon join other Virginians -- including the editorial boards of both Tidewater daily newspapers -- in advocating a higher-level steward for Fort Monroe.

(12/8): WVEC CHANNEL 13 REPORTER MIKE GOODING INTERVIEWS CFMNP'S STEVE CORNELIUSSEN as well as Hampton Mayor Ross Kearney, and in the process offers Tidewater its first truly serious commercial TV news report on the post-Army Fort Monroe question. Please see our Multimedia page for a brief discussion and a brief, annotated transcript.

(12/5): SARA PICCINI PROFILES CFMNP IN PORT FOLIO WEEKLY.  Back in February -- before most journalists questioned Hampton's Fort Monroe ownership pretensions -- one local daily washed its hands of WHRO's televised meeting on the post's future. It buried a few paragraphs on the obituary page under the headline "In Hampton, questions about future of fort linger." Linger? In a Port Folio article a few days later, Sara Piccini conveyed a clearer picture. "The meeting made it clear," she wrote, "that fundamental questions about Fort Monroe’s future remain." Nearly a year later, more Virginia journalists have learned she was right. They -- and you -- can read Ms. Piccini's Feb. 27 "Life After BRAC" and her Dec. 5 "Drafting a Future for Fort Monroe."

(12/3): A "STRONGER AND MORE DIVERSIFIED ECONOMY," PREDICTS A NEW ECONOMIC REPORT, WILL EMERGE ON THE VIRGINIA PENINSULA THANKS TO THE POST-ARMY TRANSFORMATION OF FORT MONROE. But first we have to struggle with some serious near-term problems, the report says. Our "Articles & op-eds" page introduces both the new report and today's Daily Press editorial about it. The editorial invites discussion. At CFMNP we welcome that discussion and plan to join it ourselves -- as we hope other true friends of Fort Monroe will do. This is an opportunity to show why Virginia should make Hampton into a destination city -- and the Historic Triangle of Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown into a Historic Rectangle.

(12/2): FT MONROE "CONTRABAND" CIVIL WAR FREEDOM STORY TO BE HIGHLIGHTED DEC. 2 IN HAMPTON BY  PROF. ROBERT ENGS, U. PENNSYLVANIA, and others. Read the flyer announcing the event and an op-ed by CFMNP's Steve Corneliussen arguing that this story is important not just for Fort Monroe's past, but for Virginia's future -- and not only for cultural reasons, but for making Hampton a heritage tourism destination.

(11/30): PBS NEWSHOUR REPORTS ON SAN FRANCISCO'S PRESIDIO. Please see our Multimedia page for an audio link, a low-resolution video link suitable for modem/dialup, and a high-resolution video link suitable for broadband.

(11/19): TV DISCUSSION OF FORT MONROE: See CFMNP Treasurer Louis Guy -- who is also president of the Norfolk Historical Society -- and others on Channel 13's "On the Record" via our Multimedia page page

(11/19): HAMPTON RE-INTRODUCES PLANS FOR "REDEVELOPING" FORT MONROE WITH UPSCALE RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION in a public meeting, Monday, Nov. 20, 7 P.M. at the Hampton Roads Convention Center, 1610 Coliseum Drive. IS IT A GATED COMMUNITY WITHOUT THE GATE, WITHIN A NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK DISTRICT? (more)

(11/18): HAMPTON'S PLANS PUT CITY TAXPAYERS AT RISK. Kevin Grierson, of Hampton's Fort Monroe planning committee, wrote in the 18 November Daily Press that the "city is doing the best it can to deal with the likelihood that it will bear the financial responsibility for stewardship of Fort Monroe." Why, then, doesn't the city simply seek instead for an appropriately high-level steward for this national treasure? Read the exchange between Mr. Grierson and CFMNP's Scott Butler on our Articles & op-eds page.

(11/22): PLEASE E-MAIL GOVERNOR KAINE AND ASK HIM TO CONSIDER THE NOV. 22 DAILY PRESS EDITORIAL CAREFULLY -- and please see our "Articles & op-eds" page to read the editorial and to find out how to e-mail the governor.

(11/21): HAMPTON'S FORT MONROE PLANS DRAW RESPONSES. CFMNP's Scott Butler wrote a brief response to the Nov. 20 event that re-introduced plans for what Hampton would do to Fort Monroe if Virginia, or at any rate Richmond, actually gives Hampton control a few years from now when the Army leaves. Please see that and the Daily Press's report about the event on our "Articles & op-eds" page.

(11/20): FT MONROE "CONTRABAND" CIVIL WAR FREEDOM STORY TO BE HIGHLIGHTED DEC. 2 IN HAMPTON BY  PROF. ROBERT ENGS, U. PENNSYLVANIA, and others. Click HERE for more information.

(11/17): HAMPTONIANS' FORT MONROE VIEWS SOUGHT SATURDAY AFTERNOON: Virginia Delegate Jeion A. Ward will hold a town-hall meeting 2:30-3:30 Nov. 18 at the West Hampton Community Center, 1638 Briarfield Road.

(11/4): QUIP FROM THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT'S EDITORS: "[I]f U.S. officials can find the millions to do seawall repair [at Fort Monroe], why can’t they locate the thousands to study whether to turn the fort into a national park when the Army moves out by 2011?"

(11/2): CFMNP'S SCOTT BUTLER ANSWERS SEN. WILLIAMS AND GOVERNOR KAINE'S ASSISTANT ROBERT CROUCH in a letter to the Virginian-Pilot. Please see our "Articles & op-eds" page.

(10/28): FORT MONROE MUST BE KEPT WHOLE, writes CFMNP Vice President Mark Perreault in a letter to the editor. He's commenting on the Virginia attorney general's legal opinion holding that even more of post-Army Fort Monroe will revert to Virginia than had been thought. Please see our "Articles & op-eds" page.

(10/27): SEN. MARTY WILLIAMS SAYS FORT MONROE MUST GO TO HAMPTON because "the city cannot afford to be losing out on economic development," and Governor Kaine's assistant Robert Crouch is quoted as negatively pre-judging, in effect, the results of the standard resource study that's needed in Washington concerning Fort Monroe as a self-sustaining national park. True friends of Fort Monroe will want to see these politicians' troubling statements in the Oct. 27 Virginian-Pilot article linked from our "Articles & op-eds" page.

(10/20): HAMPTON MAYOR DEFENDS UPSCALE RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT AT HEART OF FORT MONROE GREEN SPACE in a continuation of an op-ed-page debate with CFMNP's Steve Corneliussen. Please see our "Articles & op-eds" page.

(10/19): VIRGINIAN-PILOT OP-ED BY CFMNP'S LOUIS GUY: "Fort Monroe National Park: The Clock Is Ticking." Please see our "Articles & op-eds" page." page.

(10/19): REP. THELMA DRAKE DISCUSSES FORT MONROE with talk-show host Cathy Lewis. Here's one key excerpt from the transcript we made of the interview's Fort Monroe portion:  "What I’ve told the group who came to see me about Fort Monroe as a national park is since it is state-owned property I think it is very important that the state have this discussion, and the state ask."

(10/16): VIRGINIAN-PILOT  ADVOCATES  FORT MONROE AS CAMPAIGN ISSUE. Key lines from this editorial: "Hampton, or any city, is unsuited for the task of leading this project." "[N]one of the candidates for U.S. Senate or the 2nd Congressional District, in which the fort is located, have taken a position." Please see our "Articles & op-eds" page.

(10/14): THE RIFT BETWEEN HAMPTON AND RICHMOND over Fort Monroe's future calls out for discussion by the candidates in this fall's campaign, says an op-ed by CFMNP's Steve Corneliussen. For that and for news articles about the rift, please see the Articles & op-eds page.

CIVIL WAR PRESERVATION TRUST ENDORSES NATIONAL PARK. With a membership of over 70,000, the CWPT is the nation's largest organization devoted to preserving Civil War battlefields. Following a visit by CFMNP's Mark Perreault and Sam Martin, the CWPT adopted a resolution supporting establishment of a national park at Fort Monroe.

(August 06) HEAR (ONLINE) RADIO INTERVIEWS WITH CFMNP REPRESENTATIVES. Please see our multimedia page.

(August 06) Should Fort Monroe become a national park? The Newport News Daily Press has published its follow-up to the editorial-page survey on that question. The results are extremely gratifying. "The great majority -- 80 percent -- favor national park status," the editors wrote. "Overwhelmingly, the arguments of park advocates centered around the fort's historic significance and natural assets and were grounded in a belief that a national treasure requires and deserves a national-level steward." Please see the Aug. 2 entry on the "Articles & op-eds" page.

(August 06) CFMNP's SCOTT BUTLER's WHITE PAPER ANALYZES HAMPTON'S JULY PUBLIC PLANNING MEETINGS ABOUT FORT MONROE.  (This updates and extends the earlier "recap" that Scott posted.) We were asking the right question: A Fort Monroe National Park, or a Hampton "redevelopment" project?

(July 06) A national park at Fort Monroe? Or a Hampton redevelopment project? People still ask for our half-page Daily Press ad (PDF format) -- paid for through the generosity of many of you -- that CFMNP ran urging people to participate in Hampton's July 2006 public Fort Monroe planning meetings.

(5 July 06) In a lengthy, comprehensive editorial, the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot has endorsed the idea of a congressionally mandated study of the prospects for a Fort Monroe National Park.

(7 June 06, and continuing) Virginian-Pilot informal poll: 86% of over 2600 people say yes to a Fort Monroe National Park. (And you can still vote if you go to the Pilot's article about CreateFortMonroeNationalPark.org.)

(13 April 06) Read a CreateFortMonroeNationalPark.org board member's letter requesting congressional action. The vital first step toward a Fort Monroe National Park requires congressional authorization for a National Park Service study.

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