STATEMENT OF KAREN TAYLOR-GOODRICH, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, VISITOR AND
RESOURCE PROTECTION, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON
ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES, CONCERNING S. 2359, A BILL TO ESTABLISH
THE ST. AUGUSTINE 450TH COMMEMORATION COMMISSION, AND FOR OTHER
PURPOSES.

# JUNE 17, 2008

Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the
opportunity to appear before you today to present the views of the
Department of the Interior on S. 2359, a bill to establish the St.
Augustine 450^th^ Commemoration Commission, and for other purposes. The
Department has no objection to the concept of an Advisory Commission but
we would like to work with the Committee to address a few suggested
amendments and concerns with this bill as noted in the testimony.

St. Augustine, Florida is the oldest European city in the United States.
The area was first visited by Ponce de Leon in 1513, but it was Pedro
Menéndez de Avilés, who on September 8, 1565, established the first
settlement. This came 21 years before the English settlement at Roanoke
Island in Virginia Colony, and 42 years before the successful
settlements of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Jamestown, Virginia. In 1586,
St. Augustine was attacked and burned by Sir Francis Drake. In 1668, it
was plundered by pirates and most of the inhabitants were killed. In
1702 and 1740, it was unsuccessfully attacked by British forces from
their new colonies in the Carolinas and Georgia. The most serious of
these came in the latter year, when James Oglethorpe of Georgia allied
himself with the Alachua band of the Seminole tribe and conducted the
Siege of St. Augustine during the War of Jenkin\'s Ear. Although
initially repulsed at St. Augustine, the forces under Oglethorpe
defeated the Spanish counter-attack at the Battle of Bloody Marsh on St.
Simons Island, one of the Sea Islands of Georgia.

The British ultimately gained control of St. Augustine in 1763 and it
remained loyal to Britain during the Revolutionary war. It was briefly
returned to the Spanish in 1784 because of a provision of the Treaty of
Paris. The Spanish who had left during British control came back and
tried to return the city to its former appearance but were thwarted by
the decline of Spanish fortunes everywhere.

The Spanish sold Florida to the United States of America in 1821. St.
Augustine prospered during the Seminole war of the 1830s due to its
military involvement in the war. The city eventually developed good road
systems and the population grew. In 1883, oil tycoon and Florida
railroad pioneer Henry Flagler visited the city. He was so impressed
that he invested in St. Augustine\'s restoration and development of the
city as a winter resort. Flagler contributed some of the city's grandest
architecture, such as the Alcazar hotel (now the Lightner Museum), and
the Ponce de Leon Hotel (now Flagler College). Today, the heart of St.
Augustine retains the distinctive plan of a 16th century Spanish
Colonial walled town, much of which has been preserved or restored. The
numerous remaining colonial buildings in the historic district present
an impressive array of architecture from 1703 to 1898.

The National Park Service preserves, maintains, and interprets the
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, an imposing star-shaped
citadel that dominates the landscape in the center of the historic area
of St. Augustine. The Service also preserves the related coquina
watchtower known as Fort Matanzas National Monument near the Matanzas
Inlet approximately 14 miles south of the Castillo. The State of
Florida, the city of St. Augustine, and the University of Florida
collectively own and operate additional significant resources related to
the history of St. Augustine.

S. 2359 and an identical bill in the House of Representatives, H.R.
4258, would establish a 16-member commission to include one employee of
the National Park Service having experience relevant to the historic
resources relating to the city of St. Augustine and its commemoration,
the Mayor of St. Augustine or the Mayor's designee, one employee of the
State University System of Florida, and five nonresidents of the State
of Florida who have an interest in, support for, and expertise
appropriate to the commemoration. The commission members would be
appointed by the Secretary of the Interior based, in part, on
recommendations of the St. Augustine City Commission, the Governor of
Florida, and the Congress.

The duties of the Commission would include:

1\) the planning, development, and execution of programs and activities
appropriate to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the founding of St.
Augustine, Florida;

\(2\) the general facilitation of St. Augustine commemoration-related
activities throughout the United States;

\(3\) the encouragement of civic, patriotic, historical, educational,
religious, economic, and other organizations throughout the United
States to organize and participate in anniversary activities to expand
understanding and appreciation of the significance of the founding and
continuing history of St. Augustine;

\(4\) coordination and facilitation of scholarly research on,
publication about, and interpretation of, St. Augustine for the
education of the public; and

\(5\) the assurance that the 450th anniversary of St. Augustine provides
a lasting legacy and long-term public benefit for the United States by
assisting in the development of appropriate programs and facilities to
accommodate those programs.

The Department does have four suggested amendments for S. 2359.

First, we suggest that Section 2(b)(4) (Purpose) be revised to include a
specific reference to the experiences of Native Americans as follows:
"(4) assist in ensuring that the St. Augustine 450th anniversary
observances are inclusive and appropriately recognize the experiences of
all peoples in St. Augustine\'s history, ***including indigenous peoples
who inhabited the area prior to the Spanish arrival and certain western
tribes who were incarcerated at the Castillo (then known as Fort Marion)
during America's westward expansion in the late 19^th^ century***".

Second, we recommend amending section 6 to include two additional
members, after the Secretary receives recommendations from the
leadership of the Seminole and Miccosukee tribes of Florida.

Third, we are concerned that the designation of some specific members of
the commission may not be in conformance with the Appointments Clause of
the Constitution. We would like to work with the committee to revise the
language to address this concern.

Fourth, we recommend that the duties of the Commission be limited to
serving in an advisory capacity and leaving the execution of programs
and activities to Federal agencies under existing authorities.

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my prepared remarks. I would be pleased to
answer any questions you or any members of the Subcommittee may have.