Lately, there has been a great debate in this country about ways to defend America’s coastline from terrorist attacks. Although, in many regards, it seems that we have forgotten that coastal defense is nothing new to the people of the Jersey Shore.

Take for example Sandy Hook. We should not forget that for a very long time the narrow peninsula known as Sandy Hook (located at the extreme northern point of the Jersey Shore) was an important site for defending New York City.

For over two hundred years, Sandy Hook played a significant role in defending New York City and its environs from distant and combative countries, such as England, Spain, and Germany. Although it seems hard to believe today, throughout the 1800s and early 1900s, different European countries wanted nothing better than to strike New York City and inflict serious damage to a primary economic center in America. Indeed, it seems like history is currently repeating itself by way of terrorist groups.

For many decades, the hook’s unique location at the entrance to New York Harbor made it difficult for enemy nations to strike NYC. Invaders had to sail well within the range of American cannons, gun batteries, and guns located on the hook in order for enemy ships to attack the New York metropolitan area.

After the War of 1812, due to the hook’s remoteness from major towns and cities, the US Army used the location as an important test area for newborn military weapons. Everything from rifles and pistols to gigantic 16-inch caliber cannons were tested at Sandy Hook.

On October 30, 1895, Fort Hancock was formed and from 1900 through World War II, the fort had between 400 to 800 people living at Sandy Hook at any one time. Population peaked in 1945 when as many as 18,000 people were living in tents, barracks, and officer’s houses within the fort.

In 1972, the United States government created the Gateway National Recreation Area to provide parkland around New York Harbor, which is the largest urbanized piece of coast in the world. In December 1973, the US Army deactivated Fort Hancock and the National Park Service accepted possession of Sandy Hook, except for the US Coast Guard Station. From that day forward, Sandy Hook became a public recreation area.

Today, however, instead of trying to honor the spirt of Fort Hancock and the important contribution that thousands of people offered to the protection of the USA, our National Park Service (NPS) has plans to commercialize the north end of Sandy Hook - the historic Fort Hancock area.

What the NPS and Wassel Reality propose is the creation of a corporate or business park along the already over-commercialized Jersey Shore. Plans include the development of corporate training centers and conference centers for business people and buildings devoted to private lodging and food services for business people. The plan also calls for anywhere between 400 to 1,000 additional vehicles to enter the park on a current bustling and fast-paced singular road – Hartshorne Drive.

When you ask people from the National Park System why the federal government is not renovating Fort Hancock, the familiar answer they offer is that the government is unwilling at this time to foot the approximately $75 million to rehabilitate the 30 or so buildings that need to be immediately patched up.

To this day, however, I do not understand why it has taken so long for the NPS to bestow a restoration plan for Fort Hancock? The NPS has occupied Fort Hancock for close to 30 years before any principal refurbishing plans were presented to the public. During those decades important buildings at Fort Hancock could have been restored or at least properly maintained. Instead nothing was done and the burden to restore Fort Hancock has been passed onto our generation.

It is very sad to believe our federal government would treat a National Historic Landmark this way.

Perhaps the commercialization of our national parks is fine for some places. The Wassel Reality folks frequently compare the proposed redevelopment of Fort Hancock to the redevelopment of Faneuil Hall in Boston. Although I like Faneuil Hall and visit it often when I vacation in Boston, it contains tacky retail shops to pick up cheap t-shirts and low-priced souvenirs. It is also a busy marketplace with over 70 shops, 14 restaurants, 40 fast-food stalls, and a comedy nightclub. Should we suspect this same sort of undue regard for profit at Fort Hancock, where many people gave up time, energy, and in some cases their lives to defend America’s coastline?

We do not have a lack of retail stores, office space, or restaurants along the Jersey Shore. There is simply not a need for more businesses along our coastline. Any new commercial establishments should be aimed to existing towns or communities. What the Jersey Shore has an extreme shortage of is open space and peaceful, noncommercial landscapes. This is what our federal government should not lose sight of. Our public lands and national parks belong to the people, not to the highest bidder.

Fort Hancock and Sandy Hook belong to the public. It is situated in an environmentally sensitive area that is habitat to a variety of endangered and threatened species, such as ospreys and piping plovers. Fort Hancock is the people’s property and it should never be managed by a single developer with the power to transform honored public property into a commercial zone.

Please urge your federal elected officials to push for the National Park Service to organize an independent group made up of local citizens, public officials, and scholars to conduct a fair and unbiased study to determine the best way to preserve Fort Hancock that is harmonious with the character of Sandy Hook. Let us try to maintain Fort Hancock as an area largely devoted to public education about our valuable local ecology and history, and a home to non-profit environmental groups. 

Below are web site addresses to some federal political leaders for you to contact:

Senator Jon Corzine
Senator Frank Lautenberg
Congressman Frank Pallone Jr.
Congressman Rush Holt