SARBANES
TOURS FORT WASHINGTON AND FORT FOOTE
Senator Paul Sarbanes appeared quite receptive to suggestions
from about a dozen area citizens for upgrades to Fort Washington Park and
Fort Foote Park during a two-and-a-half-hour tour of the facilities on
Tuesday, November 30. Joining the Senator were National Park
Service Director Bob Stanton and other regional and area Park Service officials.
The event proved to be an excellent opportunity for members of the
Trails Coalition to seek high-level support for the Prince George's County
portion of he planned Potomac Heritage Trail. Jim Hudnall made
sure everyone got a copy of a conceptual map
of the proposed trail, and we discussed how the planned Potomac trail
could link the parks to the regional trail system and help transform
the parks into major destinations for hikers and bikers.
In his opening remarks to the group, Senator
Sarbanes noted that Congress had appropriated $150,000 for planning for
the Potomac Heritage Trail and specifically mentioned the planned trail
segment between Oxon Cove and Piscataway National Park. He also noted
that a congressionally mandated study of a proposed Star-Spangled Banner
Trail, to cover the British invasion route during the War of 1812, should
include the site of Fort Washington, where the original Fort Warburton
was destroyed by outnumbered Americans to keep it from British hands.
Sarbanes called Fort Washington "a magnificent facility" that should not
be neglected.
At Fort Forte, Senator Sarbanes was shown
evidence that very little preservation and almost no restoration was taking
place. The overgrown fort and building foundation rubble could barely
be discerned beneath a thicket of trees and weeds. The Senator was
clearly distressed to see the trash that had been dumped down a steep bluff
from a parking area. Joe Henson made a strong case for improvements
at the park, particularly the potential for water-borne tourism.
It was also pointed out that the path to the old wharf area at the park
would be an excellent route for the Potomac Heritage Trail, which could
bring tourists from National Harbor about half a mile to the north.
The large number of regional and local Park
Service officials on hand for the event allowed the Trails Coalition members
to make some important new contacts. Bill Clark, the site director
for Fort Washington, Fort Foote, and Piscataway National Park, expressed
great interest in the Potomac Heritage Trail and believed that potential
problems with the trail entering park areas with entrance fees (specifically
Fort Washington and the Colonial Farm) could be worked out. Support
from Park Service officials is vital for the project, because more than
half the route would cross Park Service property. We invited local
Park Service representatives to attend the next meeting of the Bicycle
and Trail Advisory Group (BTAG) Subcommittee on the Potomac Heritage Trail.
The meeting will be Friday, December 3, at 8:30 a.m. in the Battersea Room
of Harmony Hall Regional Center.
Web pages on the proposed Star Spangled Banner
National Historic Trail are:
For information on Fort Washington, visit: Fort Washington Park
PISCATAWAY
CREEK TRAIL FUNDING
In my previous description of the M-NCPPC budget proposal,
I overlooked a surprising new item: $300,000 in FY02 (beginning July
1, 2001) for construction of the Piscataway Creek Trail. Most or all of
the land for this trail is already parkland. It would run from Piscataway
National Park to Cosca Regional Park. I do not yet have any details
about what segment of the trail this funding is for, but I will pass that
information along when I get it.
December, 1999
Mark Holt
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