CDSG Newsletter
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CDSGThe Newsletter The Coast Defense Study Group, Inc. — August 2017 Chairman’s Message CDSG Meeting and Tour Calendar Alex Hall Please advise Terry McGovern of any additions or changes at [email protected] Summertime is a busy time for those of us who work in parks, historic sites, and museums. Our coastal fortifications, which we 2018 CDSG Conference love to study and visit, often fit into one or more of these categories. April 25-27, 2018 Although I am very glad our annual conferences are either in the fall Columbia River, OR/WA or spring for good reasons, we miss out experiencing these locations Mark Berhow, [email protected] as most of the public visitors do, as parks, places to recreate, and to learn of the role forts played in local area history and beyond. 2018 CDSG Special Tour Since the last newsletter, I made an overnight trip to Fort Knox, in August 11-19, 2018 Prospect, Maine. This was my first time that far up Maine’s coastline Switzerland and only the second time visiting a fort by motorcycle (Fort Adams Terry McGovern, [email protected] being the first). Only a CDSG conference can get better than that for me! I arrived later in the afternoon and got some nice pictures 2019 CDSG Conference of the main work, exploring the casemates and stopping to watch Chesapeake Bay, VA a bit of a Shakespeare play being put on that evening on the parade Terry McGovern, [email protected] ground. I met David on the operations staff of the Friends of Fort Knox and learned a bit about the work they have done and their 2019 CDSG Special Tour relationship with the State of Maine and running Fort Knox. The Manila Bay, the Philippines next morning I returned and opted for the fort tour given by Kathy, Andy Grant, [email protected] also of the friends group, who was enthusiastic, but admitted this was her first season giving tours of Fort Knox. She had notes on the Other Meetings and Tours fort with her and it was a learning and sharing experience for both of us. I was impressed with the work that has been accomplished September 1-3, 2017 to restore and preserve Fort Knox to date. Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Festung Annual Conference I share this experience because our members are a great asset in Ingolstadt - Germany getting the word out about the CDSG. Meeting site caretakers, Andrea Theissen, [email protected] while explaining to another patron what the CDSG on your hat stands for, you can support CDSG just by visiting a site and enjoy- September 1-4, 2017 ing a “day out,” as the Brits like to say. Interested in a more formal Fortress Study Group Annual Conference role? Our site representative program coordinated by Norman Portsmouth Scarpulla serves to provide an established conduit between CDSG Alistar Graham Kerr, [email protected] and site managers. Contact Norman to see how you can help. * * * * * September 4-7, 2017 Result of 2017 CDSG Election Fortress Study Group Overseas Tour Terry McGovern Alderney, Channel Islands Alistar Graham Kerr, [email protected] The CDSG teller reports the election of Danny Malone as the next CDSG director. Alfred Chiswell’s term will end on October September 4-7, 2017 1, 2017, and Danny’s term will begin at that time and run for the ICOFORT Annual Conference next three years. Therefore, the directors for the next year will be Northern Norway Alex Hall, Tom Batha, and Danny Malone. They will select the Milagros Flores, [email protected] Chairman of the Board for the coming year as well as the Chairmen for all the committees. The CDSG Board of Directors thanks both September 14-18, 2017 Danny Malone and Robert Grimm for their willingness to serve Assn Saint-Maurice d'Etudes Militaries Tour the CDSG in this role. Next year’s Nomination Committee will be Soisson, France Alfred Chiswell (chair), Quentin Schillare, and Norm Scarpulla. Pascal Bruchez, [email protected] The CDSG Newsletter - August 2017 Page 2 September 21-24, 2017 October 2018 Association Vauban Tour International Fortress Council Annual Meeting Rhine River, Germany Czech Republic Marc Gayda, [email protected] Kees Neisingh, [email protected] October 7 & 14, 2017 May 2019 Menno van Coehoorn Excursion Fortress Study Group Overseas Tour Nijmegen, Netherlands The Low Countries Frits van Horn, [email protected] Alistar Graham Kerr, [email protected] October 19-21, 2017 September 2019 International Fortress Council Annual Meeting Fortress Study Group Annual Conference Julich, Germany Dover Kees Neisingh, [email protected] Alistar Graham Kerr, [email protected] November 14, 2017 October 2019 Menno van Coehoorn Meeting International Fortress Council Annual Meeting Maastricht Netherlands Switzerland Frits van Horn, [email protected] Kees Neisingh, [email protected] September 2018 Fortress Study Group Annual Conference Northwest England Alistar Graham Kerr, [email protected] * * * * * The Preservation and Interpretation page on the CDSG web- Preservation Committee Report site now has content on it but I am still working to add to that Gordon Bliss, Chair with more information and examples of preservation in action. If you have an example that you think deserves to be on the most The CDSG has joined the Preserve Plum Island Coalition that is endangered or outstanding preserved lists, please let me know attempting to prevent Plum Island NY, the site of Fort Terry, from with details and pictures. We will rotate content on those lists. being sold – likely for development – and making it a preserve. If you have a Preservation issue or question, or for further infor- This includes preserving the coast defense structures on the island. mation on any of the items I’ve mentioned, contact the Preserva- The requirement that it be sold was part of the original legislation tion Committee Chair, Gordon Bliss, at [email protected]. that is moving the Animal Disease Center to Kansas and was to * * * * * help pay for that move. Since then, other funding is paying for the Request to CDSG Membership new lab so the original reason for the sale has become moot. Most Terry McGovern of the other members of the coalition are nature-oriented groups. Many of these groups can be valuable allies in helping to preserve The CDSG Representative and Outreach Committee is work- coast defense sites. If you have a local site that is undeveloped ing on gathering the current contact information for all the coast and not already part of a park or preserve, it is likely that there defense site owners in the USA. We need this information for are local groups that would like to see that kept undeveloped to our outreach efforts to both inform site owners on the value of preserve nature. If those groups are also willing to keep the coast protecting these sites for future generations as well as to encourage defense structures in place and at least allow them to be stabilized them to become members of the CDSG. Please send us the con- if possible, then the CDSG is willing to lend its support and can tact information (site name and location, owner’s name, address, provide information and documentation about the site. telephone number, and email address, primary contact person, On other preservation fronts it has been a slow summer for and website name (if any) for your local coast defense sites (this news. Vegetation removal at Fort Adams continues with volun- is could be a fire control station or an entire fort, as our database teer work at Battery Talbot and on parts of the main fort and its will be organized based on ownership, i.e. one entry per owner). outerworks – unfortunately vegetation does keep coming back and Please send this information toTerry McGovern (tcmcgovern@ the area here has gotten quite a bit of rain this year. On a brief att.net) and Norman Scarpulla ([email protected]). Thanks visit to Fort Monroe in June, I did not see any obvious changes for your assistance. from last year in the Casemate Museum or on the fort itself. It still looked pretty well kept and there were a fair number of people doing various activities around the fort. The CDSG Newsletter - August 2017 Page 3 * * * Perhaps improve the website, make publications orderable online Summary of the 2017 Member Survey and/or downloadable rather than on a mailed CD/DVD, more Responses representation at sites to steer people to website for more info; Increased emphasis on recruiting and fostering new members; Three questions were posed to our membership via our 2017 Coast Defense Site owner database needed; Preservation and election ballot to give members an opportunity to provide feed- membership; Do more lobbying and fundraising to support back to our Board of Directors. Here is a sample of responses. All historic presentation; Membership Growth – Get today’s site responses were provided to the board for their review. owners to join; Consider expanding more from the core brick/ stone/concrete; I would like to see more active participation by The first question was “How would you rate the CDSG’s cur- the membership; Continue what we do and focus on building rent publications and activities.” Sample responses are: Adequate membership and site representative program; Require each - Need to know more about printing and sales trends; Current member to recruit one new member each year; The CDSG has publications are good. If possible would be neat to have available failed to reach out to the owners of former coast defense sites - we reprints of older manuals related to Coast Artillery, such as old need to educate those owners on the historic value and need to Signal Corp and Ordnance Dept.