I

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 4815

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance in planning,

constructing, and operating a regional heritage center in Calais, Maine,

to facilitate the management and interpretation of the Saint Croix Island

International Historic Site.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JULY 10, 2000

Mr. BALDACCI introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee on Resources

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance

in planning, constructing, and operating a regional heritage center in Calais, Maine, to facilitate the management

and interpretation of the Saint Croix Island International

Historic Site.

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 ‘‘Saint Croix Island

5 Heritage Act’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—
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1 (1) Saint Croix Island is located in the Saint

2 Croix River, a river that forms part of the boundary

3 between the State of Maine and Canada;

4 (2) the Island is the only international historic

5 site in the National Park System;

6 (3) in 1604, French nobleman Pierre Dugua

7 Sieur de Mons, accompanied by a courageous group

8 of adventurers that included Samuel Champlain,

9 landed on the Island and began the construction of

10 a settlement;

11 (4) the French settlement on the Island in

12 1604 and 1605 was the initial site of the first per13 manent settlement in the New World, predating the

14 English settlement of 1607 at Jamestown, Virginia;

15 (5) many people view the expedition that settled

16 on the Island in 1604 as the beginning of the Aca17 dian culture in North America;

18 (6) in October 1998, the National Park Service

19 completed a general management plan to manage

20 and interpret the Saint Croix Island International

21 Historic Site;

22 (7) the plan addresses a variety of management

23 alternatives, and concludes that the best manage24 ment strategy entails developing an interpretive trail

25 and ranger station at Red Beach, Maine, and a re-
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1 gional heritage center in downtown Calais, Maine, in

2 cooperation with Federal, State, and local agencies;

3 (8) a 1982 memorandum of understanding,

4 signed by the Department of the Interior and the

5 Canadian Department for the Environment, outlines

6 a cooperative program to commemorate the inter7 national heritage of the Saint Croix Island site and

8 specifically to prepare for the 400th anniversary of

9 the settlement in 2004; and

10 (9) only 4 years remain before the 400th anni11 versary of the settlement at Saint Croix Island, an

12 occasion that should be appropriately commemo13 rated.

14 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to direct

15 the Secretary of the Interior to take all necessary and ap16 propriate steps to work with Federal, State, and local

17 agencies, historical societies, and nonprofit organizations

18 to facilitate the development of a regional heritage center

19 in downtown Calais, Maine, before the 400th anniversary

20 of the settlement of Saint Croix Island.

21 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

22 In this Act:

23 (1) ISLAND.—The term ‘‘Island’’ means Saint

24 Croix Island, located in the Saint Croix River, be25 tween Canada and the State of Maine.
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1 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means

2 the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Di3 rector of the National Park Service.

4 SEC. 4. SAINT CROIX ISLAND REGIONAL HERITAGE CEN5 TER.

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide as7 sistance in planning, constructing, and operating a re8 gional heritage center in downtown Calais, Maine, to fa9 cilitate the management and interpretation of the Saint

10 Croix Island International Historic Site.

11 (b) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—To carry out sub12 section (a) and in administering the Saint Croix Island

13 International Historic Site, the Secretary may enter into

14 cooperative agreements under appropriate terms and con15 ditions with other Federal agencies, State and local agen16 cies, and nonprofit organizations—

17 (1) to provide exhibits, interpretive services (in18 cluding employing individuals to provide such serv19 ices), and technical assistance;

20 (2) to conduct activities that facilitate the dis21 semination of information relating to the Saint Croix

22 Island International Historic Site;

23 (3) to provide financial assistance for the con24 struction of the regional heritage center in exchange

25 for space in the center that is sufficient to interpret
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1 the Saint Croix Island International Historic Site;

2 and

3 (4) to assist with the operation and mainte4 nance of the regional heritage center.

5 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

6 (a) DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION.—

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be

8 appropriated to carry out this Act (including the de9 sign and construction of the regional heritage cen10 ter) $2,000,000.

11 (2) EXPENDITURE.—Paragraph (1) authorizes

12 funds to be appropriated on the condition that any

13 expenditure of those funds shall be matched on a

14 dollar-for-dollar basis by funds from non-Federal

15 sources.

16 (b) OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE.—There are au17 thorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary

18 to maintain and operate interpretive exhibits in the re19 gional heritage center.

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