I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2278

To establish the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Corridor 

in the State of Alaska, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 22, 2003

Mr. YOUNG of Alaska introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Resources 

A BILL

To establish the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National 

Heritage Corridor in the State of Alaska, and for other 

purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Kenai Mountains5 Turnagain Arm National Heritage Corridor Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) The Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm 

9 transportation corridor is a major gateway to Alaska 

10 and includes a range of transportation routes used 
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1 first by indigenous people who were followed by pio2 neers who settled the Nation’s last frontier. 

3 (2) The natural history and scenic splendor of 

4 the region are equally outstanding; vistas of nature’s 

5 power include evidence of earthquake subsidence, re6 cent avalanches, retreating glaciers and tidal action 

7 along Turnagain Arm, which has the world’s second 

8 greatest tidal range. 

9 (3) The cultural landscape formed by indige10 nous people and then by settlement, transportation 

11 and modern resource development in this rugged and 

12 often treacherous natural setting stands as powerful 

13 testimony to the human fortitude, perseverance, and 

14 resourcefulness that is America’s proudest heritage 

15 from the people who settled the frontier. 

16 (4) There is a national interest in recognizing, 

17 preserving, promoting, and interpreting these re18 sources. 

19 (5) The Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm re20 gion is geographically and culturally cohesive be21 cause it is defined by a corridor of historic routes—

22 trail, water, railroad, and roadways through a dis23 tinct landscape of mountains, lakes, and fjords. 

24 (6) National significance of separate elements 

25 of the region include, but are not limited to, the 
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1 Iditarod National Historic Trail, the Seward High2 way National Scenic Byway, and the Alaska Rail3 road National Scenic Railroad. 

4 (7) National Heritage Corridor designation pro5 vides for the interpretation of these routes, as well 

6 as the national historic districts and numerous his7 toric routes in the region as part of the whole pic8 ture of human history in the wider transportation 

9 corridor including early Native trade routes, connec10 tions by waterway, mining trail, and other routes. 

11 (8) National Heritage Corridor designation also 

12 provides communities within the region with the mo13 tivation and means for ‘‘grass roots’’ regional coordi14 nation and partnerships with each other and with 

15 borough, State, and Federal agencies. 

16 (9) National Heritage Corridor designation is 

17 supported by the Kenai Peninsula Historical Asso18 ciation, the Seward Historical Commission, the Sew19 ard City Council, the Hope and Sunrise Historical 

20 Society, the Hope Chamber of Commerce, the Alas21 ka Association for Historic Preservation, the Cooper 

22 Landing Community Club, the Alaska Wilderness 

23 Recreation and Tourism Association, Anchorage 

24 Historic Properties, the Anchorage Convention and 

25 Visitors Bureau, the Cook Inlet Historical Society, 
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1 the Moose Pass Sportsman’s Club, the Alaska His2 torical Commission, the Girdwood Board of Super3 visors, the Kenai River Special Management Area 

4 Advisory Board, the Bird/Indian Community Coun5 cil, the Kenai Peninsula Borough Trails Commis6 sion, the Alaska Division of Parks and Recreation, 

7 the Kenai Peninsula Borough, the Kenai Peninsula 

8 Tourism Marketing Council, and the Anchorage Mu9 nicipal Assembly. 

10 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are—

11 (1) to recognize, preserve, and interpret the his12 toric and modern resource development and cultural 

13 landscapes of the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm 

14 historic transportation corridor, and to promote and 

15 facilitate the public enjoyment of these resources; 

16 and 

17 (2) to foster, through financial and technical 

18 assistance, the development of cooperative planning 

19 and partnerships among the communities and bor20 ough, State, and Federal Government entities. 

21 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

22 In this Act: 

23 (1) HERITAGE CORRIDOR.—The term ‘‘Herit24 age Corridor’’ means the Kenai Mountains-
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1 Turnagain Arm National Heritage Corridor estab2 lished by section 4(a). 

3 (2) MANAGEMENT ENTITY.—The term ‘‘man4 agement entity’’ means the 11 member Board of Di5 rectors of the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm Na6 tional Heritage Corridor Communities Association, a 

7 non-profit corporation, established in accordance 

8 with the laws of the State of Alaska. 

9 (3) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The term ‘‘manage10 ment plan’’ means the management plan for the 

11 Heritage Corridor. 

12 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

13 the Secretary of the Interior. 

14 SEC. 4. KENAI MOUNTAINS-TURNAGAIN ARM NATIONAL 

15 HERITAGE CORRIDOR. 

16 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the 

17 Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Cor18 ridor. 

19 (b) BOUNDARIES.—The Heritage Corridor shall com20 prise the lands in the Kenai Mountains and upper 

21 Turnagain Arm region generally depicted on the map enti22 tled ‘‘Kenai Peninsula/Turnagain Arm National Heritage 

23 Corridor’’, numbered Map #KMTA–1, and dated August 

24 1999. The map shall be on file and available for public 

25 inspection in the offices of the Alaska Regional Office of 
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1 the National Park Service and in the offices of the Alaska 

2 State Heritage Preservation Officer. 

3 SEC. 5. MANAGEMENT ENTITY. 

4 (a) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.—To carry out the 

5 purposes of this Act, the Secretary shall enter into a coop6 erative agreement with the management entity. The coop7 erative agreement shall be prepared with public participa8 tion and shall include information relating to the objec9 tives and management of the Heritage Corridor, including 

10 the following: 

11 (1) A discussion of the goals and objectives of 

12 the Heritage Corridor. 

13 (2) An explanation of the proposed approach to 

14 conservation and interpretation of the Heritage Cor15 ridor. 

16 (3) A general outline of the protection measures 

17 to which the management entity commits. 

18 (b) LIMITS.—Nothing in this Act authorizes the man19 agement entity to assume any management authorities or 

20 responsibilities on Federal lands. 

21 (c) DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF

22 PLAN.—Representatives of other organizations shall be in23 vited and encouraged to participate with the management 

24 entity and in the development and implementation of the 

25 management plan, including but not limited to: The State 
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1 Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation; the State Divi2 sion of Mining, Land and Water; the Forest Service; the 

3 State Historic Preservation Office; the Kenia Peninsula 

4 Borough, the Municipality of Anchorage; the Alaska Rail5 road, the Alaska Department of Transportation; and the 

6 National Park Service. 

7 SEC. 6. AUTHORITIES AND DUTIES OF MANAGEMENT ENTI8 TY. 

9 (a) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after 

11 the Secretary enters into a cooperative agreement 

12 with the management entity, the management entity 

13 shall develop a management plan for the Heritage 

14 Corridor, taking into consideration Federal, State, 

15 borough, and local plans. 

16 (2) CONTENTS.—The management plan shall 

17 include, but not be limited to—

18 (A) comprehensive recommendations for 

19 conservation, funding, management, and devel20 opment of the Heritage Corridor; 

21 (B) a description of agreements on actions 

22 to be carried out by public and private organi23 zations to protect the resources of the Heritage 

24 Corridor; 
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1 (C) a list of specific and potential sources 

2 of funding to protect, manage, and develop the 

3 Heritage Corridor; 

4 (D) an inventory of the known cultural and 

5 historic resources contained in the Heritage 

6 Corridor; and 

7 (E) a description of the role and participa8 tion of other Federal, State, and local agencies 

9 that have jurisdiction on lands within the Herit10 age Corridor. 

11 (b) PRIORITIES.—The management entity shall give 

12 priority to the implementation of actions, goals, and poli13 cies set forth in the cooperative agreement with the Sec14 retary and the management plan, including assisting com15 munities within the region in—

16 (1) carrying out programs that recognize impor17 tant resource values in the Heritage Corridor; 

18 (2) encouraging economic viability in the af19 fected communities; 

20 (3) establishing and maintaining interpretive 

21 exhibits in the Heritage Corridor; 

22 (4) improving and interpreting heritage trails; 

23 (5) increasing public awareness and apprecia24 tion for the natural, historical, and cultural re-
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1 sources and modern resource development of the 

2 Heritage Corridor; 

3 (6) restoring historic buildings and structures 

4 that are located within the boundaries of the Herit5 age Corridor; and 

6 (7) ensuring that clear, consistent, and appro7 priate signs identifying public access points and sites 

8 of interest are placed throughout the Heritage Cor9 ridor. 

10 (c) PUBLIC MEETINGS.—The management entity 

11 shall conduct 2 or more public meetings each year regard12 ing the initiation and implementation of the management 

13 plan for the Heritage Corridor. The management entity 

14 shall place a notice of each meeting in a newspaper of gen15 eral circulation in the Heritage Corridor and shall make 

16 the minutes of the meeting available to the public. 

17 SEC. 7. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY. 

18 In accordance with the terms and conditions of the 

19 cooperative agreement, upon the request of the manage20 ment entity, and subject to the availability of funds, the 

21 Secretary may provide administrative, technical, financial, 

22 design, development, and operations assistance to carry 

23 out the purposes of this Act. 
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1 SEC. 8. SAVINGS PROVISIONS. 

2 (a) REGULATORY AUTHORITY.—Nothing in this Act 

3 shall be construed to grant powers of zoning or manage4 ment of land use to the management entity. 

5 (b) EFFECT ON AUTHORITY OF GOVERNMENTS.—

6 Nothing in this Act shall be construed to modify, enlarge, 

7 or diminish any authority of the Federal, State, or local 

8 governments to manage or regulate any use of land as pro9 vided for by law or regulation. 

10 (c) EFFECT ON BUSINESS.—Nothing in this Act shall 

11 be construed to obstruct or limit business activity on pri12 vate development or resource development activities. 

13 SEC. 9. PROHIBITION ON THE ACQUISITION OR REAL PROP14 ERTY. 

15 The management entity may not use funds appro16 priated to carry out the purposes of this Act to acquire 

17 real property or interests in real property. 

18 SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

19 (a) FIRST YEAR.—For the first year $350,000 is au20 thorized to be appropriated to carry out the purposes of 

21 this Act, and is made available upon the Secretary and 

22 the management entity entering into a cooperative agree23 ment under section 3. 

24 (b) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro25 priated not more than $1,000,000 to carry out the pur26 poses of this Act for any fiscal year after the first year. 
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1 Not more than $10,000,000, in the aggregate, may be ap2 propriated for the Heritage Corridor. 

3 (c) MATCHING FUNDS.—Federal funding provided 

4 under this Act shall be matched at least 25 percent by 

5 other funds or in-kind services. 

6 (d) SUNSET PROVISION.—The Secretary may not 

7 make any grant or provide any assistance under this Act 

8 beyond 15 years from the date that the Secretary and the 

9 management entity enter into a cooperative agreement.

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