Rep. Katko Leads NY Delegation in Calling for the Dept. of the Interior to Move Forward with Fort Ontario National Park Designation

WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. John Katko (NY-24) and U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY)today led members of New York's Congressional Delegation in urging the Department of the Interior to expedite the process of designating Fort Ontario as a National Park.

Rep. Katko and the lawmakers highlighted the historic and local significance of Fort Ontario, including the Fort's role in the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812, as well as its designation 78 years ago as the first and only emergency refugee shelter in the United States for Holocaust survivors. In their request, the lawmakers emphasized the importance of completing the designation process quickly so that members of the community who witnessed Fort Ontario's history firsthand may also see its entry into the National Park System.

In 2018, Katko-authored legislation to commission a feasibility study on designating Fort Ontario as a National Park was signed into law. This legislation directed the National Park Service (NPS) to evaluate the site's national significance and determine its suitability to be a part of the National Park system. Finalizing this study is a prerequisite for the site receiving the National Park designation.

In a letter to Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Rep. Katko and his colleagues stated, "This history is still very much alive in Central New York, and there are still residents in our community that are able to recall their firsthand experiences at Fort Ontario during this definitive time in our nation's history. The Fort first opened its doors as an emergency shelter seventy-eight years ago, however, and we are growing increasingly worried that many of these individuals will not be around to see the permanent commemoration of this history through the Fort's designation as part of the National Park System."

The full text of the letter can be found below.

Dear Secretary Haaland,

In October 2018, the Fort Ontario Study Act was signed into law to commission a special resource study on the prospect of the historic Fort Ontario in Oswego, New York becoming a unit of the National Park System. While we greatly appreciate the work the National Park Service (NPS) has done to conduct the study authorized under this legislation, it is critical to many members of our community that this process be completed in a timely manner, especially for those who witnessed some of the most significant moments of Fort Ontario's history firsthand. For this reason, we respectfully request that the Department of Interior utilize all measures at its disposal to expedite this process and allow for Fort Ontario's designation as a unit of the National Park System as soon as possible.

First constructed in the mid-18th century, Fort Ontario is a unique site in early-American history and served as the location of battles during the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812. The Fort was burned down and reconstructed three separate times over the span of these conflicts, and afterward remained an active military installation into the 20th century.

In 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt signed an executive order designating Fort Ontario as the first and only emergency refugee shelter in the United States for survivors of the Holocaust. Under this order, 982 men, women, and children that had escaped genocide at the hands of the Nazis were transported across the Atlantic to take refuge in the Fort.

For eighteen months, Fort Ontario housed these refugees as they were provided food, education, and medical care during their difficult transition to a new life away from their home countries. Residents in Oswego were some of the first Americans to interact with European refugees and hear firsthand the horrors of the Holocaust, and locals would gather and pass supplies into the Fort while listening to jarring accounts of the conflict in Europe.

This history is still very much alive in Central New York, and there are still residents in our community that are able to recall their firsthand experiences at Fort Ontario during this definitive time in our nation's history. The Fort first opened its doors as an emergency shelter seventy-eight years ago, however, and we are growing increasingly worried that many of these individuals will not be around to see the permanent commemoration of this history through the Fort's designation as part of the National Park System. For this reason, we request your assistance to expedite and complete Fort Ontario's designation as a unit of the National Park Service by all possible means.

Thank you for your time and attention to this request. We look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

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