I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1785 

To establish the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage Area 

in the State of Washington, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 26, 2013 

Mr. REICHERT (for himself and Mr. SMITH of Washington) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To establish the Mountains to Sound Greenway National 

Heritage Area in the State of Washington, 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 ‘‘Mountains to Sound 

5 Greenway National Heritage Area Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 

7 The purposes of this Act include— 

8 (1) to recognize the national importance of the 

9 natural and cultural legacies of the area, as dem10 onstrated in the study entitled ‘‘Mountains to Sound 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 1785 IH

1 Greenway National Heritage Area Feasibility 

2 Study’’ dated April 2012; 

3 (2) to recognize the heritage of natural resource 

4 conservation in the Pacific Northwest and in the 

5 Mountains to Sound Greenway; 

6 (3) to preserve, support, conserve, and interpret 

7 the legacy of natural resource conservation and com8 munity stewardship, passed from generation to gen9 eration within the Heritage Area; 

10 (4) to promote heritage, cultural, and rec11 reational tourism and to develop educational and 

12 cultural programs for visitors and the general public; 

13 (5) to recognize and interpret important events 

14 and geographic locations representing key develop15 ments in the creation of America, particularly the 

16 settlement of the American West and the stories of 

17 diverse ethnic groups, including Indians and others; 

18 (6) to enhance a cooperative management 

19 framework to assist Federal, State, local, and tribal 

20 governments, the private sector, and citizens resid21 ing in the Heritage Area in conserving, supporting, 

22 managing, enhancing, and interpreting the signifi23 cant historic, cultural, natural, and recreational sites 

24 in the Heritage Area; 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 1785 IH

1 (7) to recognize and interpret the relationship 

2 between land and people, representing broad Amer3 ican ideals demonstrated through the integrity of ex4 isting resources within the Heritage Area; and 

5 (8) to support working relationships between 

6 public land managers and the community by cre7 ating relevant linkages between the National Park 

8 Service, the United States Forest Service, other rel9 evant Federal agencies, tribes, State and local gov10 ernments and agencies, and community stakeholders 

11 within and surrounding the Heritage Area, in order 

12 to protect, enhance, and interpret cultural and nat13 ural resources within the Heritage Area. 

14 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 

15 Congress finds that— 

16 (1) there exists a unique and significant herit17 age of natural resource conservation in the Pacific 

18 Northwest and in the Mountains to Sound Green19 way; 

20 (2) the Greenway landscape represents a bal21 ance between built and natural environments, exem22 plified by— 

23 (A) hundreds of thousands of acres of for24 ests and fields in close proximity to a major 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 1785 IH

1 metropolitan area managed by Federal, State, 

2 local, and tribal governments; 

3 (B) dynamic and engaging cultural oppor4 tunities, including hundreds of museums, envi5 ronmental education centers, interpretive trails, 

6 festivals, and community centers; and 

7 (C) an outstanding array of accessible nat8 ural lands, highlighted by the Alpine Lakes Wil9 derness Area, the forests of the Teanaway River 

10 Basin, and the towering Douglas firs of the 

11 Issaquah Alps; 

12 (3) the Mountains to Sound Greenway— 

13 (A) represents an historic movement en14 couraging the interface of a major urban center 

15 with rural communities and a diverse outdoors 

16 experience; 

17 (B) has existed for over 20 years, long be18 fore other communities began to focus on the 

19 interrelationship between urban centers and 

20 outdoor opportunities that strengthen econo21 mies; 

22 (C) is the result of citizen leadership, in23 cluding a Mountains to Sound March in 1990 

24 to focus attention on the value of the greenway 

25 and the need to protect this valuable resource; 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 1785 IH

1 (D) operates through cooperation, bringing 

2 together disparate groups to resolve differences 

3 for the betterment of the Greenway; and 

4 (E) has become the model of cooperative 

5 action that is followed by other communities 

6 working to advance local conservation priorities, 

7 expand recreational opportunities that power 

8 local economies, and connect local ideas and so9 lutions to our historic, cultural, and natural 

10 heritage; 

11 (4) since its creation, the Mountains to Sound 

12 Greenway Coalition has been responsible for— 

13 (A) the conservation of over 225,000 acres; 

14 (B) the opportunity for millions of local 

15 residents as well as visitors from across the 

16 country to enjoy a wide variety of recreational 

17 activities in the area; 

18 (C) thousands of volunteers and nearly 

19 500,000 volunteer hours engaged in activities 

20 such as tree plantings, trail conservation and 

21 youth programs; 

22 (D) a strong education program for the 

23 next generation, teaching more than 3,000 chil24 dren each year why forests matter; and 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 1785 IH

1 (E) the encouragement of balanced devel2 opment, business growth, and healthy econo3 mies through the region; 

4 (5) the Mountains to Sound Greenway commu5 nity has many great American stories to share, in6 cluding those of— 

7 (A) Indian tribes and nations from time 

8 immemorial; 

9 (B) settlement, travel, and transport in the 

10 American West, from footpaths used for trading 

11 to today’s Mountains to Sound Greenway I–90 

12 National Scenic Byway; 

13 (C) working farms and forests of the 

14 Snoqualmie and Yakima River Valleys and the 

15 Cascade Foothills; and 

16 (D) globally competitive businesses estab17 lished and growing in the cities of the Green18 way; and 

19 (6) the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust 

20 conserves and enhances community-based conserva21 tion and stewardship inside and outside of the 

22 Greenway landscape, illustrated by the fact that— 

23 (A) the Greenway Trust is led by a 60-per24 son board that includes local and State officials, 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 1785 IH

1 agency staff, and business and nonprofit rep2 resentatives; 

3 (B) thousands of volunteers have donated 

4 hundreds of thousands of hours to the Green5 way supporting stewardship projects on public 

6 lands; and 

7 (C) over the span of 20 years, partners 

8 have collaborated to conserve more than 

9 225,000 acres of land in the Greenway for nat10 ural systems, recreation, timber, and agri11 culture. 

12 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

13 In this Act: 

14 (1) HERITAGE AREA.—The term ‘‘Heritage 

15 Area’’ means the Mountains to Sound Greenway Na16 tional Heritage Area established in this Act. 

17 (2) LOCAL COORDINATING ENTITY.—The term 

18 ‘‘local coordinating entity’’ means the Mountains to 

19 Sound Greenway Trust, a nonprofit corporation rec20 ognized by the Federal Government as being orga21 nized for charitable purposes in the State of Wash22 ington. 

23 (3) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The term ‘‘manage24 ment plan’’ means the plan to be prepared by the 

25 local coordinating entity, along with a group comVerDate Mar 15 2010 22:31 May 01, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1785.IH H1785

sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 1785 IH

1 prised of public agency staff and community mem2 bers, that will specify actions, policies, strategies, 

3 performance goals, and recommendations to meet 

4 the goals of the Heritage Area, in accordance with 

5 this Act. 

6 (4) MAP.—The term ‘‘map’’ means the map ti7 tled ‘‘Mountains to Sound Greenway National Herit8 age Area’’, numbered 1, and dated January 31, 

9 2011. 

10 (5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

11 the Secretary of the Interior. 

12 (6) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 

13 of Washington. 

14 (7) TRIBAL.—The term ‘‘tribal’’ means the five 

15 federally recognized tribes with usual and accus16 tomed places in the Heritage Area, including the 

17 Snoqualmie, Yakama, Tulalip, Muckleshoot, and 

18 Colville Nation. 

19 SEC. 5. DESIGNATION OF THE MOUNTAINS TO SOUND 

20 GREENWAY NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA. 

21 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established 

22 the Mountains to Sound Greenway National Heritage 

23 Area. 

24 (b) BOUNDARIES.—The Heritage Area shall consist 

25 of the approximately 1,550,000 acres of land and interests 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 1785 IH

1 in land generally depicted on the map and located in King 

2 and Kittitas Counties, including— 

3 (1) in Kittitas County, all lands within the Yak4 ima River Basin upstream of Manastash Creek, in5 cluding the Manastash and Teanaway drainages and 

6 the cities of Ellensburg, Roslyn, Cle Elum and 

7 South Cle Elum; and 

8 (2) in King County, all lands in the Snoqualmie 

9 River, Cedar River, and Lake Washington water10 sheds and the Puget Sound nearshore watersheds 

11 within and including the cities of Seattle and Shore12 line, and 22 additional cities in King County. 

13 (c) MAP.—The map shall be on file and available to 

14 the public in the appropriate offices of the National Park 

15 Service, United States Forest Service, and the local co16 ordinating entity. 

17 (d) LOCAL COORDINATING ENTITY.—The Mountains 

18 to Sound Greenway Trust is hereby designated by Con19 gress as the local coordinating entity to— 

20 (1) facilitate, in partnership with Federal, 

21 State, and local partners, the creation of the man22 agement plan for the Heritage Area; and 

23 (2) act as a catalyst for the implementation of 

24 projects and programs among diverse partners in the 

25 Heritage Area. 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
10 

•HR 1785 IH

1 SEC. 6. MANAGEMENT PLAN. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after the 

3 date of the enactment of this Act, the local coordinating 

4 entity shall submit to the Secretary for approval a pro5 posed management plan for the Heritage Area. 

6 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—The management plan shall— 

7 (1) incorporate an integrated and cooperative 

8 approach for the protection, enhancement, manage9 ment, and interpretation of the natural, cultural, 

10 historic, scenic, and recreational resources of the 

11 Heritage Area; 

12 (2) take into consideration, Federal, State, trib13 al and local government plans; 

14 (3) include— 

15 (A) an inventory of the natural, historical, 

16 cultural, educational, scenic, and recreational 

17 resources of the Heritage Area which relate to 

18 the national importance and themes of the Her19 itage Area that should be conserved and en20 hanced; 

21 (B) a description of strategies and rec22 ommendations for conservation, funding, man23 agement, and development of the Heritage 

24 Area; 

25 (C) a history of the Mountains to Sound 

26 Greenway; and of the Mountains to Sound 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
11 

•HR 1785 IH

1 Greenway Trust and its role in encouraging 

2 stewardship of the Heritage Area by local, 

3 State, Federal, tribal institutions and private 

4 organizations; 

5 (D) a description of actions Federal, State, 

6 tribal, local, and private partners have agreed 

7 to take to protect, enhance, interpret, fund, 

8 manage, and develop the natural, historical, cul9 tural, educational, scenic, and recreational re10 sources of the Heritage Area; 

11 (E) a program of implementation for the 

12 management plan by the local coordinating en13 tity including— 

14 (i) performance goals; and 

15 (ii) commitments for implementation 

16 made by partners; 

17 (F) the identification of sources of fund18 ing, economic development strategies, or both, 

19 for carrying out the management plan; 

20 (G) analysis and recommendations for 

21 means by which local, State, and Federal pro22 grams may best be coordinated to carry out this 

23 Act; 

24 (H) an interpretive plan for the Heritage 

25 Area; 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
12 

•HR 1785 IH

1 (I) recommended policies and strategies for 

2 resource management, including the develop3 ment of intergovernmental and interagency 

4 agreements to protect, enhance, interpret, fund, 

5 manage, and otherwise provide for the enjoy6 ment and understanding of the natural, histor7 ical, cultural, educational, scenic, and rec8 reational resources of the Heritage Area; 

9 (J) a definition of the roles of the National 

10 Park Service, the United States Forest Service 

11 and other Federal agencies in the coordination 

12 of the Heritage Area and in otherwise fur13 thering the purposes of this Act; and 

14 (K) in consultation with the National Park 

15 Service and the United States Forest Service, a 

16 plan to share with other communities and inter17 ested parties the expertise of the coordinating 

18 entity in— 

19 (i) reconnecting Americans, especially 

20 children, to our outdoors; 

21 (ii) promoting community-based recre22 ation and conservation; and 

23 (iii) advancing volunteer opportunities 

24 in conservation and outdoor recreation. 

25 (c) APPROVAL OF MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
13 

•HR 1785 IH

1 (1) REVIEW.—Not later than 180 days after re2 ceiving the management plan for the Heritage Area, 

3 the Secretary shall review and, in consultation with 

4 the Secretary of Agriculture, approve or disapprove 

5 the management plan on the basis of the criteria es6 tablished under paragraph (2). 

7 (2) CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL.—In determining 

8 whether to approve a management plan for a Herit9 age Area, the Secretary shall consider whether— 

10 (A) the local coordinating entity represents 

11 the diverse interests of the Heritage Area, in12 cluding Federal, State, tribal, and local govern13 ments, natural and historic resource protection 

14 organizations, educational institutions, busi15 nesses, recreational organizations, community 

16 members, and private property owners; 

17 (B) the local coordinating entity— 

18 (i) has afforded adequate opportunity 

19 for the public and Federal, State, tribal, 

20 and local governmental involvement in the 

21 preparation of the management plan; and 

22 (ii) provides for at least annual public 

23 meetings to ensure adequate implementa24 tion of the management plan. 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
14 

•HR 1785 IH

1 (C) the resource protection, enhancement, 

2 interpretation, funding, and management strat3 egies described in the management plan, if im4 plemented, would adequately protect, enhance, 

5 interpret, fund, manage, and otherwise provide 

6 for the enjoyment and understanding of the 

7 natural, historic, cultural, educational, scenic, 

8 and recreational resources of the Heritage Area; 

9 (D) the management plan would not ad10 versely affect any activities on Federal land au11 thorized under public land laws or land use 

12 plans; 

13 (E) the local coordinating entity has dem14 onstrated the financial capability, in partner15 ship with others, to carry out the management 

16 plan; 

17 (F) the Secretary has received adequate 

18 assurances from the appropriate State, tribal, 

19 and local officials whose support is needed to 

20 ensure the effective implementation of the 

21 State, tribal, and local elements of the manage22 ment plan; 

23 (G) the management plan demonstrates 

24 partnerships among the local coordinating enti25 ty, Federal, State, tribal, and local governVerDate Mar 15 2010 22:31 May 01, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1785.IH H1785

sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
15 

•HR 1785 IH

1 ments, regional planning organizations, non2 profit organizations, and private sector parties 

3 for implementation of the management plan; 

4 and 

5 (H) the management plan is consistent 

6 with all provisions in this Act. 

7 (d) DISAPPROVAL.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—If the Secretary disapproves 

9 the management plan, the Secretary shall— 

10 (A) advise the local coordinating entity in 

11 writing of the reasons for the disapproval; and 

12 (B) make recommendations to the local co13 ordinating entity for revisions to the manage14 ment plan. 

15 (2) DEADLINE.—Not later than 180 days after 

16 receiving a revised management plan, the Secretary 

17 shall approve or disapprove the revised management 

18 plan. 

19 (e) AMENDMENTS.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—An amendment to the man21 agement plan that substantially alters the purposes 

22 of the Heritage Area shall be reviewed by the Sec23 retary and approved or disapproved in the same 

24 manner as the original management plan. 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
16 

•HR 1785 IH

1 (2) IMPLEMENTATION.—The local coordinating 

2 entity shall not use Federal funds authorized by this 

3 Act to implement an amendment to the management 

4 plan until the Secretary approves the amendment. 

5 (f) AUTHORITIES.—The Secretaries of the Interior 

6 and Agriculture may— 

7 (1) provide technical assistance under the au8 thority of this Act for the implementation of the 

9 management plan; and 

10 (2) enter into cooperative agreements with the 

11 local coordinating entity, State and local agencies, 

12 and other interested parties to carry out this Act, in13 cluding cooperation and cost sharing as appropriate 

14 to provide more cost-effective and coordinated public 

15 land management. 

16 SEC. 7. EVALUATION; REPORTING. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 15 years after the 

18 enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with 

19 the Secretary of Agriculture, shall— 

20 (1) conduct an evaluation of the accomplish21 ments of the Heritage Area; and 

22 (2) prepare and submit a report pursuant to 

23 subsection (c). 

24 (b) EVALUATION.—An evaluation conducted under 

25 this subsection shall— 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
17 

•HR 1785 IH

1 (1) assess the progress of the local coordinating 

2 entity with respect to— 

3 (A) accomplishing the purposes of the au4 thorizing legislation for the Heritage Area; and 

5 (B) achieving the goals and objectives of 

6 the approved management plan for the Heritage 

7 Area; 

8 (2) analyze the Federal, State, tribal, local, and 

9 private investments in the Heritage Area to deter10 mine the impact of the investments; and 

11 (3) review the management structure, partner12 ship relationships, and funding of the Heritage Area 

13 for purposes of identifying the critical components 

14 for sustainability of the Heritage Area. 

15 (c) REPORT.—Based on the evaluation conducted 

16 under subsection (b), the Secretary shall submit a report 

17 to the Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 

18 Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Nat19 ural Resources of the Senate. The report shall include rec20 ommendations for the future role of the National Park 

21 Service with respect to the Heritage Area. The Secretary 

22 may also include recommendations by the Secretary of Ag23 riculture for the future role of the Forest Service with re24 spect to the Heritage Area. 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
18 

•HR 1785 IH

1 SEC. 8. LOCAL COORDINATING ENTITY. 

2 (a) DUTIES.—To further the purposes of the Herit3 age Area, the local coordinating entity shall— 

4 (1) prepare and submit a management plan for 

5 the Heritage Area to the Secretary in accordance 

6 with section 6; 

7 (2) facilitate and expedite the implementation 

8 of projects and programs among diverse partners in 

9 the Heritage Area; 

10 (3) encourage economic viability and sustain11 ability that is consistent with the purposes of the 

12 Heritage Area; 

13 (4) submit a report to the Secretary every five 

14 years after the Secretary has approved the manage15 ment plan, specifying— 

16 (A) the specific performance goals and ac17 complishments of the local coordinating entity; 

18 (B) the expenses and income of the local 

19 coordinating entity; and 

20 (C) significant grants or contracts made by 

21 the local coordinating entity to any other enti22 ties during the five-year period; and 

23 (5) consult with the United States Forest Serv24 ice, National Park Service, the Governor of the 

25 State of Washington, and the Washington State 

26 Commissioner of Public Lands. 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
19 

•HR 1785 IH

1 (b) AUTHORITIES.—To further the purposes of the 

2 Heritage Area, the local coordinating entity may— 

3 (1) make grants to political jurisdictions, non4 profit organizations, and other parties within the 

5 National Heritage Area; 

6 (2) enter into cooperative agreements with or 

7 provide technical assistance to political jurisdictions, 

8 nonprofit organizations, Federal agencies, and other 

9 interested parties; 

10 (3) hire and compensate staff, including individ11 uals with expertise in— 

12 (A) natural, historical, cultural, edu13 cational, scenic, and recreational resource con14 servation; 

15 (B) economic and community development; 

16 and 

17 (C) heritage and interpretive planning; 

18 (4) obtain funds or services from any source, 

19 including Federal programs; 

20 (5) contract for goods or services; and 

21 (6) support activities that further the purposes 

22 of the Heritage Area and are consistent with the ap23 proved management plan. 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
20 

•HR 1785 IH

1 (c) PROHIBITION ON ACQUISITION OF REAL PROP2 ERTY.—The local coordinating entity may not acquire 

3 land or interests in land through condemnation. 

4 SEC. 9. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this Act affects the au6 thority of a Federal agency to provide technical or finan7 cial assistance under any other law. 

8 (b) CONSULTATION AND COORDINATION.—Any Fed9 eral agency planning to conduct activities that may have 

10 an impact on the Heritage Area is encouraged to consult 

11 and coordinate the activities with the local coordinating 

12 entity to the maximum extent practicable. 

13 (c) OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.—Nothing in this 

14 Act— 

15 (1) modifies, alters, or amends any law or regu16 lation authorizing a Federal agency to manage Fed17 eral land under the jurisdiction of the Federal agen18 cy; 

19 (2) limits the discretion of a Federal land man20 ager to implement an approved land use plan within 

21 the boundaries of the Heritage Area; or 

22 (3) modifies, alters, or amends any authorized 

23 use of Federal land under the jurisdiction of a Fed24 eral agency. 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
21 

•HR 1785 IH

1 SEC. 10. PRIVATE PROPERTY AND REGULATORY PROTEC2 TIONS. 

3 Nothing in this Act— 

4 (1) abridges the rights of any property owner 

5 (whether public or private), including the right to re6 frain from participating in any plan, project, pro7 gram, or activity conducted within the Heritage 

8 Area; 

9 (2) requires any property owner to permit pub10 lic access (including access by Federal, State, tribal, 

11 or local agencies) to the property of the property 

12 owner, or to modify public access or use of property 

13 of the property owner under any other Federal, 

14 State, tribal, or local law; 

15 (3) alters any duly adopted land use regulation, 

16 approved land use plan, or other regulatory author17 ity (such as the authority to make safety improve18 ments or increase the capacity of existing roads or 

19 to construct new roads or associated developments) 

20 of any Federal, State, tribal, local unit of govern21 ment or local agency, or conveys any land unit of 

22 government or agency use or other regulatory au23 thority to any local coordinating entity, including 

24 but not necessarily limited to development and man25 agement of energy, water or water-related infra26 structure; 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
22 

•HR 1785 IH

1 (4) alters, modifies, diminishes, or extinguishes 

2 the treaty rights of any Indian tribe within the Her3 itage Area; 

4 (5) authorizes or implies the reservation or ap5 propriation of water or water rights; 

6 (6) diminishes the authority of the State to 

7 manage fish and wildlife, including the regulation of 

8 fishing and hunting within the Heritage Area; or 

9 (7) creates any liability, or affects any liability 

10 under any other law, of any private property owner. 

11 SEC. 11. USE OF FEDERAL FUNDS FROM OTHER SOURCES. 

12 Nothing in this Act shall preclude the local coordi13 nating entity from using Federal funds available under 

14 other laws for the purposes for which those funds were 

15 authorized. 

Æ 


sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS