69–006 

110TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session 110–391 

HOPEWELL CULTURE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK 

BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT ACT 

OCTOBER 22, 2007.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State 

of the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. RAHALL, from the Committee on Natural Resources, 

submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 2197] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Natural Resources, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 2197) to modify the boundary of the Hopewell Culture 

National Historical Park in the State of Ohio, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. 

PURPOSE OF THE BILL

The purpose of H.R. 2197 is to modify the boundary of the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in the State of Ohio. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

The Hopewell Culture was a pre-European civilization now best 

known for the numerous mounds and earthworks, often built in 

geometric patterns, found throughout the Ohio Valley. This moundbuilding culture flourished between 200 B.C. and 500 A.D. at the 

center of a vast trade network that brought raw materials from 

much of the continent to Ohio: copper from the Great Lakes, mica 

from the southern Appalachian Mountains, seashells from the Gulf 

of Mexico and volcanic obsidian from the Rocky Mountains. 

Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, located in south-central Ohio near Chillicothe, Ohio, grew out of the former Mound 

City Group National Monument, which was created in 1923 by 

presidential proclamation. Congress expanded the monument in 

1980 (Public Law 96–607), adding a portion of the nearby Hopeton 

Earthworks. 


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In 1992, Congress further expanded the park, expanding the 

boundaries of the Hopeton Earthworks unit and adding the High 

Bank Works, the Hopewell Mound Group and a portion of the Seip 

Earthworks. That law (Public Law 102–294) also renamed the park 

to reflect the name given to a culture formed by a broad network 

of economic, political and religious connections among different Native American groups. 

The current park boundary encompasses 1,174 acres (947 acres 

are federally owned and the National Park Service has another 8 

acres under easement) in five sites scattered along Paint Creek and 

the Scioto River. 

H.R. 2197 would add two tracts, the 177-acre Spruce Hill Works 

unit and a 180-acre addition to the existing Seip Earthworks unit. 

The Spruce Hill site was recently purchased by a coalition of archaeologists and Native American groups who intend to protect the 

site until it can be added to the park. The site includes a stone 

rampart enclosing 140 acres on top of an irregularly shaped hill; 

the fortress-like structure may have been defensive or ceremonial. 

Finely crafted objects have been found at the site, as have structures that may be ancient smelting furnaces. The site was added 

to the National Register of Historic Places on Feb. 23, 1972. The 

site also includes natural areas including an Appalachian hardwood forest, open fields that are home to rare Grasshopper and 

Henslow’s sparrows, and white oak wetlands that shelter salamanders, wood frogs and wood ducks. 

The Seip Earthworks consists of earthworks shaped in squares 

and circles and three connected burial mounds. Objects found during excavations of the largest mound in the early 1900s include a 

stone effigy pipe, a trumpeter swan effigy of tortoise shell, copper 

objects, textiles, and flint tools. The park currently owns 168 acres 

of the earthworks; and more of the site is protected as part of the 

Seip Mound State Memorial. The proposed addition includes a 

large elliptical mound and the remains of workshops used to create 

ceremonial objects. 

Of the 180 acres to be added to the Seip Earthworks unit, 69 

acres are already owned by the National Park Service but lie outside the congressionally established boundary of the park. The bill 

would adjust the boundary to reflect that and include 39 acres 

owned by the Ohio Historical Society as well as two parcels that 

may be acquired from willing sellers. 

COMMITTEE ACTION

H.R. 2197 was introduced on May 7, 2007, by Representative 

Zachary Space (D–OH). The bill was referred to the Committee on 

Natural Resources, and within the Committee to the Subcommittee 

on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. On June 14, 2007, 

the Subcommittee held a hearing on the bill. On October 10, 2007, 

the Subcommittee was discharged from further consideration of the 

legislation and the Full Natural Resources Committee met to consider the bill. The bill was ordered favorably reported, without 

amendment, to the House of Representatives by unanimous consent. 


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COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Regarding clause 2(b)(1) of rule X and clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII 

of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee on 

Natural Resources’ oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in the body of this report. 

CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY STATEMENT

Article I, section 8 of the Constitution of the United States 

grants Congress the authority to enact this bill. 

COMPLIANCE WITH HOUSE RULE XIII 

1. Cost of Legislation. Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of 

the House of Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison by the Committee of the costs which would be incurred in carrying out this bill. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B) of that Rule provides 

that this requirement does not apply when the Committee has included in its report a timely submitted cost estimate of the bill prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. 

2. Congressional Budget Act. As required by clause 3(c)(2) of rule 

XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 

308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, this bill does not 

contain any new budget authority, spending authority, credit authority, or an increase or decrease in revenues or tax expenditures. 

3. General Performance Goals and Objectives. This bill does not 

authorize funding and therefore, clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the 

Rules of the House of Representatives does not apply. 

4. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate. Under clause 

3(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and 

section 403 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has received the following cost estimate for this bill from the 

Director of the Congressional Budget Office: 

H.R. 2197—Hopewell Culture National Historical Park Boundary 

Adjustment Act 

H.R. 2197 would expand the boundaries of the Hopewell Culture 

National Historical Park in Ohio by nearly 360 acres. The National 

Park Service (NPS) could acquire that acreage (or lesser property 

interests such as easements) by purchase, donation, or exchange. 

Based on information provided by the NPS, CBO estimates that 

implementing H.R. 2197 would cost about $1 million over the next 

five years, assuming the availability of appropriated funds. We estimate that the NPS would spend about $700,000 of this amount 

in the first year or two to purchase about 250 acres of private land, 

including nearly 180 acres at the Spruce Hill Works site and about 

70 acres at the Seip Earthworks site. (We expect that 39 acres of 

land at the Seip Earthworks site would be donated by the Ohio 

Historical Society; the remaining 70 acres at that site are already 

owned by the NPS.) We estimate that the NPS would spend 

$300,000 over the following few years to construct visitor facilities 

for the two sites, including trails, parking lots, and wayside exhibits. Finally, we estimate that costs to manage the newly added 


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areas would be minimal. Enacting H.R. 2197 would have no effect 

on direct spending or revenues. 

H.R. 2197 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would 

impose no cost on state, local, or tribal governments. 

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis. This estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant Director 

for Budget Analysis. 

COMPLIANCE WITH PUBLIC LAW 104–4 

This bill contains no unfunded mandates. 

EARMARK STATEMENT

H.R. 2197 does not contain any congressional earmarks, limited 

tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in clause 9(d), 9(e) 

or 9(f) of rule XXI. 

PREEMPTION OF STATE, LOCAL OR TRIBAL LAW

This bill is not intended to preempt any State, local or tribal law. 

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by the bill, 

as reported, are shown as follows (existing law proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new matter is printed in italic, 

existing law in which no change is proposed is shown in roman): 

SECTION 2 OF THE ACT OF MAY 27, 1992 

(Public Law 102–294) 

AN ACT to rename and expand the boundaries of the Mound City Group National 

Monument in Ohio. 

SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF BOUNDARIES. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—The boundaries of the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park (referred to as the ‘‘park’’) are revised to include the lands within the areas marked for inclusion in the monument as generally depicted on— (1) * * * 

* * * * * * * 

(3) the map entitled ‘‘Hopewell Mound Group’’ numbered 

353–80029 and dated July 1987; øand¿ 

(4) the map entitled ‘‘Seip Earthworks’’ numbered 353–80033 

and dated July 1987ø.¿; and 

(5) the map entitled ‘‘Hopewell Culture National Historical 

Park, Ohio Proposed Boundary Adjustment’’ numbered 353/ 

80,049 and dated June, 2006. 

* * * * * * * 

(d) ACQUISITION OF LANDS.—(1) * * * 

* * * * * * * 


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(3) The Secretary may acquire lands added by subsection 

(a)(5) only from willing sellers. 

* * * * * * * 

Æ 


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