Fort, Trail chosen for premier national program

Historic preservation at Fort Monroe and expansion of access to the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail are among 100 projects nationwide that are part of the America's Great Outdoors program.

"Under the America's Great Outdoors Initiative, we are listening to the people of Virginia and communities across America and working with them on locally-based projects that will conserve the beauty and health of our land and water and open up more opportunities for people to enjoy them," Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said.

"We commend Secretary Salazar and his team for choosing to support both Fort Monroe and The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic trail with the America's Great Outdoors program. Both have great potential to reconnect people with the great outdoors and provide cultural and economic benefits to local communities," said Joel Dunn, executive director of the Chesapeake Conservancy.

Fort Monroe and Old Point Comfort in Hampton have played significant roles in America's history, dating back to the arrival of the first English colonists. Settlers of Jamestown built a fort at the site in 1609, and the first enslaved Africans in Virginia arrived at the fort in 1619. More than two centuries later, Gen. Benjamin Butler, the commander of Fort Monroe as the Civil War began, issued a decision that called the "Contraband Decision" that provided a pathway to freedom for thousands of enslaved people who reached the fort, and was a forerunner to President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. The fort was an active Army post until Sept.15, 2011.

The local community and a bipartisan group of elected state officials, including the governor, local congressional delegation, and both senators, favor creating a national park to preserve these important lands and their history. Virginia proposes to develop, in concert with the National Park Service, a first-class historic and natural destination that integrates significant youth education focused on both environmental and outdoor recreation. The proposal would stabilize the walls and moat around the ort, enhance water access to Chesapeake Bay, and develop a youth-training initiative. Virginia also proposes to restore natural landscapes and habitat along the bay front for waterfowl.

With its proximity to Newport News and Norfolk, Fort Monroe provides a close-to-home outdoor space for urban residents of the area, aligning with AGO goals.

The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail follows the historic water routes of Smith's exploration of the Chesapeake. The trail stretches up and down both sides of the Bay and up most of the major rivers. It connects with 16 national wildlife refuges, 12national park areas, and three national trails. It offers opportunities for tourism, environmental and cultural education, conservation, and recreation. This multi-dimensional utility makes the Captain John Smith trail a model for a new system of National BluewayTrails.

The Department of Interior can provide technical and financial assistance to expand recreation access to the Captain John Smith National Historic Trail and to develop interpretative signage. The department also plans to designate the entire multi-state trail as a National Blueway Trail. While Interior cannot commit to federal financial support due to budgetary constraints, a department press release said "Secretary Salazar is committed to doing everything possible to advance each project in the coming year through whatever means available."

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