[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Page 16421]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       FORT MONROE NATIONAL PARK

  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, today marks the start of an exciting new 
chapter for Fort Monroe in Hampton, VA. I welcome the President's 
decision to use his authority under the Antiquities Act to protect this 
special place by declaring it a national monument and the country's 
396th National Park unit. A National Park Service presence will ensure 
that we can properly preserve this historic, natural and recreational 
resource for the benefit of present and future generations.
  On this important occasion, I recognize the effort that has gone 
towards establishing a National Park unit at Fort Monroe. I have been 
fortunate to work with a bipartisan, Federal, State and local group 
that includes Senator Jim Webb, Congressmen Scott Rigell, Bobby Scott, 
Rob Wittman and Randy Forbes, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and his 
administration, the Fort Monroe Authority, the city of Hampton and 
Mayor Molly Ward, State and local elected officials, conservation 
partners such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the 
National Park Conservation Association, individual advocates and 
citizen groups including the Citizens for a Fort Monroe National Park, 
and many others who have been committed to this effort. I thank 
Secretary Salazar and the National Park Service for their work and 
their visits to Hampton this summer to hear firsthand the overwhelming 
public support that exists for this new National Park Service site. Now 
that we have solidified a National Park Service role, it is critically 
important that the city, the region, and the Commonwealth continue to 
work together to make the most of this tremendous opportunity to 
showcase Fort Monroe's incredible place in our nation's history. I look 
forward to continued progress at Fort Monroe.

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