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81–569 PDF 2002

S. HRG. 107–642

MISCELLANEOUS NATIONAL HERITAGE

AREA BILLS

HEARING

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON

ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

UNITED STATES SENATE

ONE HUNDRED SEVENTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

ON

S. 1441 S. 2033

S. 1526 H.R. 695

S. 1638 H.R. 1776

S. 1809 H.R. 4004

S. 1939

APRIL 18, 2002

(

Printed for the use of the

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

(II)

COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico, Chairman

DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii

BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota

BOB GRAHAM, Florida

RON WYDEN, Oregon

TIM JOHNSON, South Dakota

MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana

EVAN BAYH, Indiana

DIANNE FEINSTEIN, California

CHARLES E. SCHUMER, New York

MARIA CANTWELL, Washington

THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware

FRANK H. MURKOWSKI, Alaska

PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico

DON NICKLES, Oklahoma

LARRY E. CRAIG, Idaho

BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL, Colorado

CRAIG THOMAS, Wyoming

RICHARD C. SHELBY, Alabama

CONRAD BURNS, Montana

JON KYL, Arizona

CHUCK HAGEL, Nebraska

GORDON SMITH, Oregon

ROBERT M. SIMON, Staff Director

SAM E. FOWLER, Chief Counsel

BRIAN P. MALNAK, Republican Staff Director

JAMES P. BEIRNE, Republican Chief Counsel

SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS

DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii, Chairman

BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota

BOB GRAHAM, Florida

MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana

EVAN BAYH, Indiana

CHARLES E. SCHUMER, New York

THOMAS R. CARPER, Delaware

CRAIG THOMAS, Wyoming

BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL, Colorado

CONRAD BURNS, Montana

GORDON SMITH, Oregon

CHUCK HAGEL, Nebraska

PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico

JEFF BINGAMAN and FRANK H. MURKOWSKI are Ex Officio Members of the Subcommittee

DAVID BROOKS, Senior Counsel

NANCIE AMES, Bevinetto Fellow

(III)

C O N T E N T S

STATEMENTS

Page

Akaka, Hon. Daniel K., U.S. Senator from Hawaii .............................................. 1

Baker, James, Site Administrator, Felix Valle House State Historic Site,

Missouri Department of Natural Resources, St. Genevieve, MO ..................... 37

Barrett, Brenda, National Coordinator for Heritage Areas, National Park

Service, Department of the Interior ................................................................... 10

Chafee, Hon. Lincoln D., U.S. Senator from Rhode Island .................................. 2

Cleland, Hon. Max, U.S. Senator from Georgia .................................................... 4

Jordan, Kelly, Chair, Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance, Lithonia, GA . 34

Koyle, Denys M., Secretary, Great Basin Heritage Area Partnership, Baker,

NV ......................................................................................................................... 24

Reid, Hon. Harry, U.S. Senator from Nevada ....................................................... 39

Santorum, Hon. Rick, U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania ....................................... 8

Shoup, Ronald E., Executive Director, Oil City Area Chamber of Commerce,

Oil City, PA .......................................................................................................... 28

Thomas, Hon. Craig, U.S. Senator from Wyoming ............................................... 2

APPENDIX

Additional material submitted for the record ........................................................ 47

(1)

MISCELLANEOUS NATIONAL HERITAGE

AREA BILLS

THURSDAY, APRIL 18, 2002

U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS, COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES, Washington, DC.

The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 3:05 p.m. in room

SD–366, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Daniel K. Akaka

presiding.

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. DANIEL K. AKAKA,

U.S. SENATOR FROM HAWAII

Senator AKAKA. This hearing will come to order. The purpose of

this afternoon’s hearing before the Subcommittee on National

Parks is to receive testimony on several bills dealing with national

heritage areas. The bills that we will consider today include: S.

1441 and H.R. 695, to establish the Oil Region National Heritage

Area in Pennsylvania; S. 1526, to establish the Arabia Mountain

National Heritage Area in Georgia; S. 1638, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating the French Colonial Heritage Area in Missouri as a unit

of the National Park System; S. 1809 and H.R. 1776, to authorize

the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility

of establishing the Buffalo Bayou National Heritage Area in Texas;

S. 1939, to establish the Great Basin National Heritage Area in

Nevada and Utah; and S. 2033, to authorize appropriations for the

John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

I hope we can focus today not only on the merits of individual

bills, but also on what the policy should be for heritage areas in

general. Ten years ago, only three places existed with a heritage

area or heritage corridor designation, including the Blackstone

River Valley that we are considering today. Since 1996 there has

been a rapid increase in the number of heritage areas and today

there are 23 designated areas.

We are considering proposals for five new areas today, and additional heritage areas are currently being proposed in both the

House and the Senate. As we consider these proposals, I think it

is important that we have a clear policy on how to determine which

areas merit approval so that consistent criteria are applied to all

proposed areas.

In addition, I think it is important that we review what study

requirements are needed for new areas that are proposed. As we

2

designate more areas, I believe we need to discuss what criteria are

needed to ensure that the designation of an area is meaningful and

not just an empty authorization.

I look forward to working with Senator Thomas and other committee members as we work through these issues to develop a clear

policy on how to treat new heritage area proposals.

I would like to call on Senator Thomas for a statement.

STATEMENT OF HON. CRAIG THOMAS, U.S. SENATOR

FROM WYOMING

Senator THOMAS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for

holding this hearing to take a look at the proposals for establishment of national heritage areas. Certainly I welcome all of you here

to the hearing.

I have for some time had some of the same questions, Mr. Chairman, that you have enumerated in your statement. I hope that

some of the witnesses, perhaps, can help us a little bit with the understanding of some of these issues. Obviously, there are unique

places where it is appropriate to provide for Federal assistance in

cooperation with State and local organizations. However, the notion

as I understand it concerning heritage areas has been that after

they have begun, that after a period of time, 10 years being the

norm, these then turn over to local operations; and also that there

be a maximum of about $10 million and that be used over a period

of 10 years, and then the responsibility changes to the local or

State operations.

All of us want to look and preserve those areas, yet there is, on

the other hand, limitations to what we do with parks. I am sure

the administration will be telling us that they do not have enough

money to operate the parks we have now, and I suspect that is

true. So in any event, I hope to be able to ask some questions and

get some response to this idea of what is the criteria for the establishment of a heritage area and what are the facts that go with it,

and are we indeed living up to those now.

So I look forward to the witnesses. And thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much for your statement, Senator Thomas.

Some of our colleagues are here this afternoon to speak on behalf

of their bills. I want my colleagues to know that their entire statements will be in the record, so please feel free to summarize as you

see fit.

I would like to call on Senator Chafee for his testimony. Senator

Chafee.

STATEMENT OF HON. LINCOLN D. CHAFEE, U.S. SENATOR

FROM RHODE ISLAND

Senator CHAFEE. Thank you very much, Chairman Akaka and

ranking member Thomas and members of the subcommittee, for

permitting me to testify on S. 2033, a bill to reauthorize funding

for the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage

Corridor.

Studies show that when Americans travel they usually do so for

two purposes: to visit sites that celebrate America’s rich history,

3

sites such as Independence Hall or Civil War battlefield sites; or

to explore places of natural beauty, places like the Grand Canyon,

the Great Smoky Mountains, or Yellowstone Park. The Blackstone

River Valley National Heritage Corridor is unique because it was

created with the vision of celebrating both the history and the natural beauty of the Blackstone River Valley.

Visitors come to the corridor to witness the beauty of one of

America’s hardest working rivers, the Blackstone, as it winds

through 24 communities from Worcester, Massachusetts, to Providence, Rhode Island. Visitors are also drawn to the corridor to

learn more about the valley’s unique place in history, represented

by the mills and textile industry that once formed the foundation

of America’s industrial revolution.

The Blackstone Valley’s unique place in American history was secured by the arrival of an Englishman named Samuel Slater.

Slater’s intimate knowledge of the English system of cotton manufacturing gave rise to the age of industrial manufacturing and

America’s economic dominance. In the early 18th century the manufacturing of cotton textiles was an industry dominated by the

English. Samuel Slater was the first defector from the English textile industry to bring his specialized expertise of the Arkwright system to America. On December 20, 1790, Slater commenced spinning cotton full time, heralding the beginning of the American industrial revolution.

Just as the late 18th century brought an era of economic prosperity to the Blackstone, the middle of the twentieth century ushered

in a period of economic downturn. During this time, economic

forces drove New England’s thriving textile industry to southern

States, some to Georgia—right, Senator Cleland?

Senator CLELAND. Yes, sir.

Senator CHAFEE. A few down there to Georgia—where capital

and labor costs were lower. As a result, the local economy languished and the glory of the Blackstone River was all but forgotten.

Today, the corridor is undergoing a renaissance. The rise of tourism has combined with the creation of the Blackstone River Valley

National Heritage Corridor in 1986 to reinvigorate this beautiful

but forgotten place. A Federally charged commission works with

the National Park Service and local and State partners to carry out

the mission of the Blackstone Corridor.

For over 15 years this partnership has driven change. Today you

can visit the old Slater Mill nestled on the banks of the Blackstone

River. A greenway provides access for bicyclists and hikers to explore the natural beauty of the river. National Park Service rangers and volunteers provide tours and educate visitors about the valley’s rich history. All of this is being done with relatively little

funding from the Federal Government, because every Federal dollar is leveraged several times over by State, local, and private

funds.

The Blackstone is also unique because its commission is federally

appointed and it depends on three accounts which were created for

its management: the operation account, the technical assistance account, and the development fund. A 10-year plan completed by the

commission in 1998 outlines $15 million in needed improvements

4

along the corridor and identifies a strategy for their implementation.

Along with Senators Kennedy, Kerry, and Reed, I introduced S. 2033 to reauthorize the development fund to provide $10 million in

Federal funding for fiscal years 2003 through 2006. This authorization is consistent with the Blackstone Corridor’s 10-year plan guiding the corridor’s future development needs.

Fran Manella, Director of the National Park Service, recently

visited the corridor and has expressed her support for continued

authorization and funding for the corridor.

I know that the corridor faces many challenges in the year ahead

and I understand as well as you that these are tough budgetary

times and money is limited. But it does seem to me that preserving

our Nation’s special places, such as the Blackstone Corridor, should

be among our top priorities.

By accomplishing so much with so little, I believe that the Blackstone Corridor offers us a model that should be expanded upon. I

urge the subcommittee to give S. 2033 its favorable consideration

and thank you for having me here this afternoon.

Senator AKAKA. I thank you very much, Senator Chafee, for your

testimony on S. 2033, to authorize appropriations for the corridor

that is named after your father. We certainly remember him so

well, and I thank you very much for that. I have no questions for

you.

Do you have any questions for Senator Chafee?

Senator THOMAS. I do not know that it is a question, Senator.

Probably I will reserve my questions for the administration representatives. But generally the thought on heritage is that there

are 10 years in which there is involvement of the Federal Government; this started in 1986. Generally it is $10 million. $10 million

has already been spent here.

So I guess I do not question the project or so on, but if we have

got a criteria—and I want to find out about that later—then what

do we do, change the criteria from time to time? I do not know.

That is the issue that I think is before us.

Senator CHAFEE. Well, my chart shows that $5.75 million has

been spent since fiscal year 1998. Perhaps the funding took awhile

to be realized.

Senator THOMAS. It started in 1988.

Senator CHAFEE. Perhaps the Park Service can be a little more

explicit on those answers on the funding.

Senator THOMAS. We can wait until they come up and we will

talk about it.

Thank you, Senator.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much, Senator Chafee.

I would like to call on Senator Cleland for his testimony.

STATEMENT OF HON. MAX CLELAND, U.S. SENATOR

FROM GEORGIA

Senator CLELAND. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

Hearing the distinguished Senator from Rhode Island talk about

the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, I am very impressed and I would like to be considered a cosponsor of your legislation, sir.

5

Mr. Chairman, I would just like to thank you and the members

of the committee for the opportunity to speak today about a bill

which is extremely important to me. S. 1526 would establish something called the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, which

would span three counties in my home State, Rockdale County,

Henry County, and DeKalb County, Georgia.

I grew up in the heart of this heritage area in a little town called

Lithonia, Georgia, named after the Scottish hills west of Edinburgh, the Lithonian Hills, ‘‘lithos’’ meaning rock, ‘‘onia’’ meaning

city—City of Rock. This is the largest outcropping of granite in

America, just south of Stone Mountain, the largest single

outcropping of granite in the world.

This is a unique part of our country. I grew up in this area. My

father actually had his first job working on the Arabia Mountain

granite quarry for 50 cents a day, hauling tools and sharpening

tools of the old Scotsmen who came there from places like Edinburgh. They were granite artisans. It is a very unique part of our

State and our country.

Now, that area, if you look at a satellite map of, say metropolitan

Atlanta—this area is just to the southeast—I am told that the metropolitan area of Atlanta is the fastest growing human settlement

in the history of our country, the fastest growing human settlement. It is growing in all directions. Every day about 50 acres of

green space or trees are consumed by this massive growth.

Here we have a beautiful, historic, pristine portion of that massive area up for preservation. That county in which I grew up,

DeKalb County, has now over 650,000 people. Likewise, these other

counties adjacent to it, Rockdale and Henry, have had tremendous

growth. With the growth, we have had a lot of good things, but it

has impacted this human settlement around these corridors,

around this particular area, this heritage area, where there has

been human settlement we estimate for some 7,000 years.

Designation of the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area

would ensure the preservation of 4,500 acres of land, which includes the granite outcroppings of Arabia Mountain itself, lakes,

rivers, wetlands, pine and oak forests, streams, farmland, including, Mr. Chairman—it is hard to believe—the last remaining farm

in a county once known as the biggest dairy farming area in the

State of Georgia. We are down to one farm and this is it. The

Vaughters’ Farm will be part of the national heritage area.

This new area would encompass several existing preservation

projects. The State of Georgia and the Georgia Conservancy many

years ago put together an effort to save Panola Mountain. It is now

known as Panola Mountain Conservation Park. Friends of my families that did the original granite quarry there in my home town,

the Davidson family, they have donated the Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, Miners Creek Preserve, and others have donated

South Rockdale Community Park.

All of this area would be preserved as a heritage area and preserve the unique granite-quarrying industry history that grew up

around that city. It would enable us to save an area that is fast

becoming extinct.

Panola Mountain State Conservation Park, part of this heritage

area, is already recognized as a national natural landmark and is

6

home to plant species recognized by the Federal Government as

threatened and/or endangered, as well as delicate mosses and

lichens which can take as long as 100 years to grow just 1 inch.

Heritage area designation would provide visitors to Panola

Mountain access to guided tours of nature trails, ecological resources, and recently discovered Native American archaeological

sites.

The Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance is a diverse group

made up of political leaders, local residents, nonprofit organizations, environmentalists, community activists, and developers. All

of this community have worked diligently to acquire necessary

properties for the heritage area and have most recently received

several tremendous donations. First of all, a donation of 100 acres

from the Mellon Foundation, $16.5 million in financial support

from the county, DeKalb County, Green Space Bond Program, for

the purchase of 940 acres, and $2.4 million from the State of Georgia for the 140-acre Vaughters’ Farm, the last farm in the whole

county.

In addition, the National Park Service has been actively engaged

in the development of this project. While I recognize the Park Service has stated it will not support any new heritage area designations until they have cleared their maintenance backlog, I am certain that they will agree that this project meets all necessarily criteria for designation as a national heritage area. I understand the

budgetary restraints the Park Service is facing. That is why I am

leading a bipartisan group of Senators in supporting an increase in

the National Park Service operating budget above the President’s

request, as well as the enacted fiscal year 2002 level.

In conclusion, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I

would just like to especially thank Mr. Kelly Jordan, who is with

us today, chairman of the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance,

for being here to provide the committee with his insight into the

work done by the Alliance for the purpose of preserving this ecological and cultural treasure. The hard work of Mr. Kelly and the

Alliance have brought us this far and I am very pleased that he

is here today to see the proposal take another important step toward realization.

I trust the committee will give this legislation every consideration. I look forward to seeing S. 1526 reported out of the committee and sent to the full Senate for consideration.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

[The prepared statement of Senator Cleland follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. MAX CLELAND, U.S. SENATOR FROM GEORGIA

I would like to thank the Chairman and the Members of the Committee for the

opportunity to speak today about a bill which is very important to me. S. 1526

would establish the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, which would span

Rockdale County, Henry County, and DeKalb County, Georgia.

I grew up in Lithonia, Georgia, located in DeKalb County, and over the years

have watched as growth and development have transformed that County from a primarily rural area into the second most populous County in my State with over

650,000 people. Likewise, Rockdale and Henry Counties have both seen a tremendous rate of growth in recent years, among the highest in the United States. While

this development has certainly brought new opportunities, it has also brought challenges in preserving the important natural and cultural history of an area which

has seen human settlement for over 7,000 years.

7

Designation of the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area would ensure the

preservation of 4,500 acres of land which includes the granite outcropping of Arabia

Mountain itself, lakes, rivers, wetlands, pine and oak forests, streams, and farmland—including DeKalb County’s Vaughters’ Farm, the sole remaining farm in a

county which was once predominantly agricultural.

This new National Heritage Area would encompass several existing preservation

projects—the Panola Mountain State Conservation Park, the Davidson Arabia Nature Preserve, the Miners Creek Preserve, and the South Rockdale Community

Park.

Visitors to the proposed Heritage Area would get a glimpse into the early settlement of DeKalb County and the granite quarrying industry that grew up around

the City of Lithonia, while those visiting the area surrounding Arabia Mountain

would focus on environmental recovery and conservation issues, early settlement,

with Vaughters’ Farm serving as an example of the evolution of farming in DeKalb

County from early settlement farming to cotton, and the dairy industry. Panola

Mountain State Conservation Park is already recognized as a National Natural

Landmark and is home to plant species recognized by the Federal government as

threatened and/or endangered, as well as delicate mosses and lichens which can

take as long as one hundred years to grow just one inch. Heritage Area designation

would provide visitors to Panola Mountain access to guided tours of nature trails,

ecological resources, and recently discovered Native American archaeological sites.

The Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance is a diverse group made up of political and leaders, local residents, non-profit organizations, environmentalists, community activists, and developers. Together they have worked diligently to acquire the

necessary properties for the Heritage Area, and have most recently received a donation of 100 acres from the Mellon Foundation, $16.5 million in financial support

from the DeKalb County Greenspace Bond program for the purchase of 940 acres,

and $2.4 million from the State of Georgia for the 140-acre Vaughter’s Farm.

In addition, the National Park Service has been actively engaged in the development of this project. While I recognize that the Park Service has stated it will not

support any new Heritage Area designations until they have cleared their maintenance backlog, I am certain that they will agree that this project meets all necessary criteria for designation as a National Heritage Area. I understand the budgetary restraints the Park Service is facing and that is why I am leading a bipartisan

group of Senators in supporting an increase in the National Park Service operating

budget above the Presidents request as well as the enacted FY 2002 level.

In conclusion, I would like to especially thank Mr. Kelly Jordan, Chair of the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance, for being here today to provide the Committee

with his insight into the work done by the Alliance and the importance of preserving

this ecological and cultural treasure. The hard work of Kelly and the Alliance have

brought us this far and I am very pleased he is here today to see the proposal take

another important step toward realization. I trust that the Committee will give this

legislation every consideration and I look forward to seeing S. 1526 reported out of

Committee and sent to the full Senate for consideration. Thank you very much for

your time today.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much, Senator Cleland.

Are there any questions?

Senator THOMAS. I guess, Senator, I am not sure I understand.

Has there been a Park Service study?

Senator CLELAND. I think Mr. Jordan will be able to answer that.

Senator THOMAS. Okay, we can wait.

Are these private lands, then, that are being acquired, I presume?

Senator CLELAND. Private and public.

Senator THOMAS. And public. Okay. You have already $30 million on hand or have spent that, apparently.

Senator CLELAND. The State of Georgia, private foundations, and

others have spent approximately that much so far, yes, sir.

Senator THOMAS. What then would be the advantage of it being

a Federal area?

Senator CLELAND. Because of, I think, the unique connectivity.

The heritage area would connect not only the little home town that

was the focal point of all this granite quarry activity, but one of

8

the old granite quarries itself, a new development which has a

bikeway all the way down to Panola Mountain; it would connect

the old farm with all of that. It would be in effect a green space

area, very unique to that part of the world, that literally dates back

to 7,000 years ago.

Senator THOMAS. But will it be enlarged because it is a Federal

heritage?

Senator CLELAND. No, I think it is pretty much the shape that

it is going to be.

Senator THOMAS. I guess that is my question. If you already have

it in that shape, what difference does it make?

Senator CLELAND. Well, I think it gives it a designation and a

status that it otherwise would not have; and also is in my opinion

the social glue, the Federal social glue that keeps it all together,

so that the individual parties have a sense of unity here. They are

coming together on their own, and Mr. Jordan can talk about that

process, but I think this would in effect seal the deal.

Senator THOMAS. I see. Thank you.

Senator CLELAND. Thank you.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much, Senator Cleland, for your

testimony.

I would like to call Senator Rick Santorum from Pennsylvania for

your testimony.

STATEMENT OF HON. RICK SANTORUM, U.S. SENATOR

FROM PENNSYLVANIA

Senator SANTORUM. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate your willingness to recognize me promptly and I very

much appreciate the attention of the subcommittee. This is not the

first time I have been before this subcommittee asking for historic

designations, and you have always treated us very, very kindly in

Pennsylvania.

We are back here to talk about the oil heritage region and I am

here to introduce Ron Shoup, who is the director of the heritage

park. It is a State heritage park. As I am sure all of you know from

your history books, it is where oil was first discovered in the

United States of America. Oil is somewhat of a significant issue in

today’s press, but it is a vitally important part of our history, it is

a vitally important part of our future.

And we have the beginnings with the State heritage park designation, but we believe this is something that has great national

significance and really is a story that should be told and obviously

has a tremendous impact. We are very proud of our oil heritage,

but, as you would guess, with time that oil heritage has had its

day. So we have been on very tough economic times in this region.

So this would be a good thing for the region as well as, obviously,

a great story that can and should be told about the history of oil

development in the world, much less here in the United States.

With that, Mr. Chairman, I would be happy to introduce Ron

Shoup, who is here to testify on behalf of the park, and I look forward to working with the subcommittee to see if we can do that.

I do not know if he is next to testify, but I just wanted to introduce

him to the subcommittee, and thank you for your attention to his

testimony when that is.

9

Thank you.

[The prepared statement of Senator Santorum follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. RICK SANTORUM, U.S. SENATOR

FROM PENNSYLVANIA

Chairman Akaka, Ranking Member Thomas, and Members of the Subcommittee:

I am pleased to testify on behalf of the Oil Heritage Region as it seeks federal designation as the Oil Region National Heritage Area. As you know, I am the sponsor

of Senate bill 1441, also joined by Senator Specter. Representative John Peterson’s

legislation, HR 695, has already been passed by the House.

Pennsylvania has long been recognized for the leading role it has played in making the United States of America the world’s industrial powerhouse. That American

industrial powerhouse not only brought a dramatically increased standard of living

for Americans, but served as the ‘‘arsenal of democracy’’ that has protected and sustained freedom through two world wars, the Cold War, and now the war on terrorism. Many Americans still identify Pennsylvania with its coal and steel industries.

There is another commodity, however, discovered in our Commonwealth which plays

an increasingly important role in our economy and the world economy: oil.

Oil not only powers the vehicles that we use to commute to work and fuels our

military aircraft engaged in operations overseas but it also is used in many plastics

in daily household items we take for granted. Almost a century and a half after the

first commercial oil well was established in Titusville, Pennsylvania in 1859, oil is

more important to our country than ever. As we see from reading any newspaper,

oil continues to play a key role in the U.S. economy and affects world geopolitics.

Consider that the Senate is voting today on a proposal to allow domestic oil exploration that would increase U.S. domestic production.

The Oil Heritage Region has a great story to tell, and designation as a National

Heritage Area will enhance their ability to tell that story to an increasing stream

of visitors. The assistance that this designation would bring would come in the form

of: 1) increased visibility as a designated heritage area; 2) technical expertise in the

management and preservation of Oil Heritage Region assets; and 3) funding for programs for promotion and enhancement of the Oil Heritage Region. Visitors to the

Oil Region National Heritage Area would be able to take in the beautiful surroundings of rural northwestern Pennsylvania while at the same time gaining an appreciation for the history of oil exploration and the industrial and economic development that oil made possible.

You may be aware that the Oil Heritage Region is already home to six national

historic districts and 17 sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In

addition, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania designated the Oil Heritage Region as

part of its own Heritage Park System in 1994. Finally, the National Park Service

has already conducted a feasibility study on inclusion of the Oil Heritage Region in

the National Heritage Area System.

This designation will also help northwestern Pennsylvania’s economic development. The transformation of our economy in the past several decades has presented

challenges to industrial areas as well as rural communities in our Commonwealth

as the American economy has diversified. The Oil Region National Heritage Area

designation will help this region as it actively turns its assets-historic landmarks

and natural and scenic areas-into an engine of economic development as a center

of tourism and recreation.

For this reason, there is strong community support for this designation, and the

communities of the region have been working together to make the heritage designation a reality. Our witness, Mr. Shoup, made reference to the numerous regional entities that have written formal letters of support. The region’s federal elected officials are also unanimous in their support for this designation.

Oil has made an indelible mark on American history up to this very day, and will

continue to play an important role in the American way of life for the forseeable

future. The Oil Region National Heritage Area designation would be of invaluable

assistance to this region of northwestern Pennsylvania that will enable it to tell current and future generations the important story of oil discovery and development

and Pennsylvania’s role in it.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for allowing me the opportunity to testify on behalf

of this worthy effort. I look forward to working with you and your staff to see that

this bill is considered by the Senate at the earliest possible opportunity.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much for your testimony, Senator Santorum. I thank my colleagues for their testimony today,

10

and it is great to hear their feelings about these national heritage

areas. Certainly, it will help us make some decisions here.

At this time I would like to call forward our first witness this

afternoon, Ms. Brenda Barrett, the National Coordinator for Heritage Areas at the National Park Service. Welcome, Brenda.

STATEMENT OF BRENDA BARRETT, NATIONAL COORDINATOR

FOR HERITAGE AREAS, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Ms. BARRETT. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I am Brenda Barrett. I am the National Coordinator for Heritage Areas in

the National Park Service, and I am here to present the views of

the Department of the Interior on six bills. As you stated before,

my testimony will be abbreviated and full copies will be provided

to the committee.

The first three bills I would like to address are the proposed national heritage area designations: S. 1441 and H.R. 695 for the Oil

Region National Heritage Area; S. 1526 for the Arabia Mountain

National Heritage Area; and S. 1939 for Great Basin National Heritage Area. The Department of the Interior recognizes the appropriateness of designating all three of these areas, as they meet our

interim criteria and have many indicators of success. However, we

recommend that the committee defer action during the remainder

of the 107th Congress to meet the President’s initiative to eliminate the deferred maintenance backlog in the National Park System.

In some specific comments: On the proposed Oil Region National

Heritage Area in Pennsylvania, the Park Service has completed a

reconnaissance report and has made a finding that the area meets

our interim criteria. A companion bill, H.R. 695, has passed the

House last September.

On Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area in Georgia, an alliance of interested citizens and organizations has prepared a feasibility study in partnership with the Southeast Region of the National Park Service, and again that study meets our interim criteria.

The proposed Great Basin National Heritage Area, which includes White Pine County, Nevada, Miller County, Utah, and the

Duckwater Shoshone Reservation, in that case the Great Basin

Partnership has prepared a feasibility study that builds on the National Park Service’s special resource study for the designation of

Great Basin National Park.

In the case of Great Basin Heritage Area legislation, we are recommending a number of proposed amendments to conform the bill

to more recent legislative practice for heritage areas. These include

issues having to do with the loan program and the funding of the

historic American building survey programs. Our specific amendments are attached to our testimony.

The next two bills authorize the Secretary to undertake suitability and feasibility studies. S. 1809 is a study bill on the proposed Buffalo Bayou National Heritage Area in Houston and a

companion bill, H.R. 1776, has already passed the House.

The next bill is S. 1638, to study the suitability and feasibility

of designating the French Colonial Heritage Area in Saint GeneVerDate 11-SEP-98 14:26 Sep 06, 2002 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 J:\DOCS\81-569 SENERGY3 PsN: SENERGY3
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vieve, Missouri, as a unit of the National Park Service. I want to

note here that the heritage area designation for the French Colonial area is a State heritage area designation, and they are not a

national heritage area. To consider designating this area as a unit

of the National Park System, a special resource study undertaken

by the National Park Service would be required, and that of course

might look at a full range of management options, including designation as a unit, as an affiliated area, or perhaps as a national

heritage area.

For both of these bills, the Department supports the bills. However, the Department has not requested funding for these studies

in fiscal year 2003 and believes that any funding requested should

be directed at completing previously authorized studies. Finally, for S. 2033, to authorize an appropriation of $10 million

for the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage

Corridor in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, this funding is to

complete the cultural heritage and land management plan that was

approved by the Park Service in 1998. The Department would support this legislation if it was amended to authorize not more than

$5 million for a period from fiscal year 2003 to 2007. This setting

$1 million over a 5-year period brings this bill in, sort of in sync

with the authorization language for other areas and corridors and

would be the administration’s full commitment to the management

plan.

The Blackstone River is a model of a successful partnership and

has encouraged excellent planning and leveraging of many millions

of dollars of cultural, recreational, and natural projects.

This completes my testimony and I will be happy to take any

questions.

[The prepared statements of Ms. Barrett follow:]

PREPARED STATEMENTS OF BRENDA BARRETT, NATIONAL COORDINATOR FOR HERITAGE AREAS, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, ON S. 1441,

H.R. 695, S. 1526, S. 1638, S. 1809, H.R. 1776, S. 1939, AND S. 2033

S. 1441 AND H.R. 695

Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity

to appear before you today to present the Department’s views on S. 1441 and H.R.

695, bills which would establish the Oil Region National Heritage Area.

While the Department recognizes the appropriateness of designating the Oil Region National Heritage Area, we recommend that the committee defer action on S.

1441 and H.R. 695 during the remainder of the 107th Congress. To meet the President’s Initiative to eliminate the deferred maintenance backlog, we need to continue

to focus our resources on caring for existing areas in the National Park System.

While designation of the heritage area will not result in additional acquisition or

capital costs, the authorization provides for up to $1 million per year in grant assistance costs not to exceed $10 million over the 15-year period after the date of the

bill’s enactment.

The Oil Heritage region comprises all of Venango County and a portion of

Crawford County in western Pennsylvania. It is known, appropriately, as ‘‘The Valley That Changed the World’’ due to the first successful oil well drilled by Colonel

Edwin Drake with the assistance of William Smith, a Pennsylvania salt well digger,

in 1859. This event had an overriding impact on the industrial revolution and continues to affect the daily life of the nation and the world.

The region contains the world renowned Drake Well Museum in Titusville, Oil

Creek State Park and portions of the Allegheny Wild and Scenic River, the latter

designated by Congress in 1992, and administered by the U.S. Forest Service. It

also contains 6 National Historic Districts, 17 sites listed on the National Register

of Historic Places and an extensive collection of Victorian styled architecture in

Franklin, Oil City, Emlenton and Titusville. Remnants of the oil boom era, including

12

McClintock Well #1, the oldest operating well in the United States, can be found

throughout the region. The stories of early oil magnates and those who worked in

the oil fields provide exceptionally rich interpretive opportunities related to the region’s natural and cultural resources. This important heritage contributes not only

to our own national story, but also to the advancement of industries and transportation systems throughout the world.

Oil Heritage Region is currently designated a State Heritage Park by the State

of Pennsylvania and its management entity, the Oil Heritage Region, Inc., is experienced in natural and cultural resources preservation and heritage related programming. The management entity enjoys the support of local governments and organizations in the proposed national heritage area. Its board of directors is already representative of many interests in the region. The bill provides that the Secretary will

confirm its expanded representation in approving the required management plan for

the heritage area.

In the opinion of the National Park Service there are four critical steps that need

to be taken and documented prior to the Congress designating a heritage area.

These stages are:

1. completion of a suitability/feasibility study;

2. public involvement in the suitability/feasibility study;

3. demonstration of widespread public support among heritage area residents

for the proposed designation; and

4. commitment to the proposal from the appropriate players which may include governments, industry, and private, non-profit organizations, in addition

to the local citizenry.

The National Park Service has reviewed the existing heritage and interpretive

plans undertaken by Oil Region Heritage, Inc. beginning in 1994 and, at the request

of Congressman John Peterson, conducted a week-long reconnaissance visit to confirm the region’s eligibility for designation in early August 2000. A feasibility report

entitled ‘‘Field Report on the Oil Region Heritage Park, Pennsylvania, as a National

Heritage Area’’ was issued subsequent to the reconnaissance visit on September 15,

2000. It concludes that the Oil Heritage Region meets the above-listed feasibility criteria for designation as a national heritage area.

That completes my testimony. I would be happy to answer any questions that you

or any of the members of the subcommittee may have.

S. 1526

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present the views of the Department of the Interior on S. 1526, to establish the Arabia Mountain National Heritage

Area in the State of Georgia.

The Department recognizes the appropriateness of designating the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, as the area has the characteristics necessary to be established as a national heritage area and the potential to meet the expectations of

the National Park Service’s national heritage area program. To meet the President’s

Initiative to eliminate the deferred maintenance backlog, we need to continue to

focus our resources on caring for existing areas in the National Park System. Therefore, we recommend that the committee defer action on S. 1526 during the remainder of the 107th Congress. While designation of the heritage area will not result in

additional acquisition or capital costs, the authorization provides for up to $1 million per year in grant assistance costs not to exceed $10 million through September

30, 2016.

The proposed Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area would include parts of

DeKalb, Rockdale, and Henry Counties that lie within the eastern side of the Atlanta metropolitan area. The heritage area would encompass the Davidson-Arabia

Mountain Nature Preserve, the city of Lithonia, the Panola Mountain State Conservation Park, portions of the South River, and several active granite quarries.

The Arabia Mountain area, which is known primarily for its granite quarries, is

rich in natural, cultural, and historic resources. Arabia Mountain and other nearby

prominent granite formations have been linked to human settlement and activity for

thousands of years, starting over 7,000 years ago with the quarrying and trading

of soapstone. The area contains specific types of granite outcroppings that are very

rare and do not occur anywhere outside the Piedmont Region. Granite from this

area has been quarried and used around the nation, including in buildings at the

military academies at West Point and Annapolis.

The area retains an open and small-scale character, in contrast to the more intensively developed areas closer in to the city of Atlanta. The rapid growth of the metropolitan area in recent years has prompted a recognition among those involved in

this proposal that there may be only a narrow window of opportunity to retain open

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lands and protect important resources before land costs and economics of development make such efforts much more difficult. The local governmental entities in the

proposed national heritage area and the State of Georgia support national heritage

area designation for this area.

S. 1526 would establish the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area within the

boundary defined by the map developed for the feasibility study for the heritage

area. The legislation would name the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance as

the management entity for the heritage area and provide for the Secretary of the

Interior and the Alliance to carry out the legislation through a cooperative agreement. Provisions of the bill regarding the authority and duties of the management

entity, the development of a management plan, and Federal technical and financial

assistance that would be available to the heritage area are similar to provisions that

have been included in legislation designating other heritage areas in recent years.

National heritage areas are places where natural, cultural, historic, and recreational resources combine to form a nationally distinctive landscape arising from

patterns of human activity shaped by geography. Heritage conservation efforts are

grounded in a community’s pride in its history and traditions, and its interest in

seeing them retained. The areas are designed to protect large, regional landscapes

and resources that tell the story of its residents. They are best managed by entities

with broad community representation and the ability to foster partnerships throughout the region.

In the view of the National Park Service, there are four critical steps that need

to be completed before Congress establishes a national heritage area. Those steps

are:

1. completion of a suitability/feasibility study;

2. public involvement in the suitability/feasibility study;

3. demonstration of widespread public support among heritage area residents

for the proposed designation; and

4. commitment to the proposal from the appropriate players which may include governments, industry, and private, non-profit organizations, in addition

to the local citizenry.

The National Park Service believes that those criteria have been fulfilled through

the work that was done by the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance and other

entities, including the National Park Service, in conducting the feasibility study

that was issued in February, 2001. The work that has been done by the Arabia

Mountain Heritage Area Alliance and its many partners in recent years has served

to confirm our view that this area would be an appropriate candidate for designation as a national heritage area, once sufficient progress has been made in addressing the backlog of deferred maintenance in the National Park System.

Mr. Chairman, that concludes my statement. I would be pleased to answer any

questions you or other members of the Subcommittee may have.

S. 1638

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present the Department’s views

on S. 1638, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability

and feasibility of designating the French Colonial Heritage Area in the State of Missouri as a unit of the National Park System.

The Department supports S. 1638, with the minor clarification provided in this

testimony. However, the Department did not request additional funding for this

study in Fiscal Year 2003. We believe that any funding requested should be directed

towards completing previously authorized studies. Presently, there are 38 studies

pending, of which we hope to transmit 15 to Congress by the end of 2002. To meet

the President’s Initiative to eliminate the deferred maintenance backlog, we must

continue to focus our resources on caring for existing areas in the National Park

System. Thus, we have concerns about new funding requirements for either a new

park unit or heritage area that could be required if the study recommends designation while the Department is trying to eliminate the deferred maintenance backlog.

As such, the Department will identify in each study all acquisition, one-time, and

operational costs of the proposed site. At this time, these costs are not known.

S. 1638 directs the Secretary to study the suitability and feasibility of including

the French Colonial Heritage Area of Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri, as a unit of

the National Park System. Section 3(1) defines the Heritage Area as including the

Bequette-Ribault, St. Gemme-Amoureaux and Wilhauk homes, and the related and

supporting historical assets in Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri. Related and supporting historical assets include Le Grand Champ, historic downtown Ste. Genevieve, and a prehistoric Native American Village.

14

In April 1980, the Midwest Regional Office of the National Park Service completed a brief Reconnaissance Report of Ste. Genevieve. A memorandum forwarding

the report to Washington, signed by the Regional Director, recommended that a

study of alternatives be prepared for both the existing townsite of Ste. Genevieve,

and for the archeological site on which the town was originally located. The term

‘‘Study of Alternatives’’ is synonymous with study of suitability and feasibility as

used in S. 1638.

The Reconnaissance Report looked at the area’s cultural, natural, scenic, and recreational resources as well as ownership patterns and possible threats to the area.

This earlier report will provide valuable background should this legislation be enacted authorizing a more in-depth study of suitability, feasibility, and management

alternatives.

We discussed the intent of the legislation with the bill’s sponsor. S. 1638 authorizes the Secretary to study the suitability and feasibility of designating the French

Colonial Heritage Area as a unit of the National Park System. The National Park

Service uses the term ‘‘Heritage Area’’ to define a regional entity having a central

theme that does not include management by the National Park Service, whereas the

term ‘‘Unit’’ is used when an area is managed wholly or in part by the Service.

We confirmed that the intent of the bill is to authorize the Secretary to study the

French Colonial Historic District and accompanying resources within Ste. Genevieve

County as a potential unit of the National Park System. This Special Resource

Study will identify and explore a range of management possibilities, which could include a unit, such as a National Historic Site, managed by the National Park Service as well as management as a Heritage Area by a non-Federal entity. We will be

happy to work with the subcommittee staff to develop any clarifying language that

may be required.

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my prepared remarks. I would be pleased to answer

any questions you or other members of the subcommittee may have.

S. 1809 AND H.R. 1776

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present the Department of the

Interior’s views on S. 1809 and H.R. 1776. These bills would authorize the Secretary

of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of establishing the Buffalo

Bayou National Heritage Area in west Houston, Texas.

The Department supports the intent of both S. 1809 and H.R. 1776 and we recommend approval of H.R. 1776, as passed by the House of Representatives on October 30, 2001. However, the Department did not request additional funding for this

study in Fiscal Year 2003. We believe that any finding requested should be directed

towards completing previously authorized studies. Presently, there are 38 studies

pending, of which we hope to transmit 15 to Congress by the end of 2002. To meet

the President’s Initiative to eliminate the deferred maintenance backlog, we must

continue to focus our resources on caring for existing areas in the National Park

System. Thus, we have concerns about new funding requirements for a new heritage

area that could be required if the study recommends designation while the Department is trying to eliminate the deferred maintenance backlog. As Such, the Department will identify in each study all acquisition, one-time, and operational costs of

the proposed site. At this time, these costs are not known.

Both S. 1809 and H.R. 1776 outline the characteristics and qualities of the Buffalo

Bayou area in Houston, Texas including the history and role of the Bayou in the

creation and development of the city. The bills authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a suitability and feasibility study to determine if the area known as

Buffalo Bayou in Houston, Texas could be designated as a national heritage area.

S. 1809 and H.R. 1776, as introduced, authorize $200,000 in Fiscal Year 2002 to

fund the study, with a report due to Congress describing the results of the study.

In a July 17, 2001 hearing, the Department testified that we could support H.R.

1776 if amended to make the bill similar to previous national heritage area study

bills. At the subcommittee markup, H.R. 1776 was amended incorporating the Department’s suggestions. The amendments included providing a more definitive

boundary for the area to be studied and inserting a new paragraph in the bill which

states that the study include analysis and documentation that the Study Area:

(A) has an assemblage of natural, historic, and cultural resources that together represent distinctive aspects of American heritage worthy of recognition,

conservation, interpretation, and continuing use, and are best managed through

partnerships among public and private entities and by combining diverse and

sometimes noncontiguous resources and active communities;

(B) reflects traditions, customs, beliefs, and folklife that are a valuable part

of the national story;

15

(C) provides outstanding opportunities to conserve natural, historic, cultural,

and/or scenic features;

(D) provides outstanding recreational and educational opportunities;

(E) contains resources important to the identified theme or themes of the

Study Area that retain a degree of integrity capable of supporting interpretation;

(F) includes residents, business interests, non-profit organizations, and local

and state governments who are involved in the planning, have developed a conceptual financial plan that Outlines the roles for all participants including the

federal government, and have demonstrated support for the concept of a national heritage area;

(G) has a potential management entity to work in partnership with residents,

business interests, non-profit organizations, and local and state governments to

develop a national heritage area consistent with continued local and state economic activity; and

(H) has a conceptual boundary map that is supported by the public.

Again, H.R. 1776, as passed by the House of Representatives, includes the amendments incorporating the Department’s suggestions; we therefore recommend its approval.

The National Park Service has not had extensive involvement in the Houston

area. However, the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program (RTCA) has

worked with the Buffalo Bayou Partnership and other local groups to establish a

5 mile rail-trail that runs parallel to the Bayou. Through that work, and from review of planning documents and activities surrounding the Bayou, it is clear that

this area of Houston was central to the creation of the city. The Bayou has now become a focal point for downtown Houston, encouraging its residents to enjoy, use,

and appreciate their great resources today as the city continues to renew and define

itself.

It is also evident that the groups and communities in the Houston area value

their heritage and open space and are looking for ways to maintain and enhance

these qualities. A study that looks at the natural, cultural, and recreational significance and values of the area could make recommendations oil the best method to

protect and use these resources while retaining the character of this part of’ Houston.

As we have previously testified, there are several steps we believe should be taken

prior to Congress designating a national heritage area to help ensure that the heritage area is successful. Those steps are:

1. completion of a suitability/feasibility study,

2. public involvement in the suitability/feasibility study;

3. demonstration of widespread public support among heritage area residents

for the proposed designation; and

4. commitment to the proposal from the appropriate players which may include governments, industry, and private, non-profit organizations, in addition

to the local citizenry.

Previous work in the community demonstrates the commitment to the idea of pursuing a study to look at further protection and preservation options. It is also apparent that there is widespread support for the Buffalo Bayou that will ensure public

involvement. A critical element of the study will be to evaluate the integrity of the

resources and the nationally distinctive character of the region before recommending

national heritage area designation.

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my prepared remarks. I would be pleased to answer

any questions you or other members of the subcommittee may have.

S. 1939

Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity

to appear before you to present the views of the Department of the Interior on S.

1939, a bill to authorize the establishment of the Great Basin National Heritage

Area in Nevada and Utah.

The Department recognizes the appropriateness of designating the Great Basin

National Heritage Area, as the area has the characteristics necessary to be established as a national heritage area and the potential to meet the expectations of the

National Park Service’s national heritage area program. However, we recommend

that the committee defer action on S. 1939 during the remainder of the 107th Congress. The Department has reviewed our progress on the President’s Initiative to

eliminate the deferred maintenance backlog, and it is clear that we need to continue

to focus our resources on caring for existing areas in the National Park System.

While the designation of the heritage area will not result in additional acquisition

16

or capital costs, the authorization provides for grant assistance costs not to exceed

$10 million through the year 2020. At such time as this legislation moves forward,

we support the amendments outlined in this testimony. S. 1939 would establish the

Great Basin National Heritage Area in White Pine County, Nevada, Millard County,

Utah and on the Duckwater Shoshone Reservation, including the towns of Delta,

Utah, Ely, Nevada, and the surrounding communities.

The bill designates the Great Basin Heritage Area Partnership as the management entity for the Heritage Area. The management entity would be made up of

representatives appointed by the Board of County Commissioners of Millard County,

Utah, White Pine County Nevada, and Native American Tribes participating in the

heritage area. The bill also authorizes the development of a management plan for

the Heritage Area. If the plan is not submitted within five years, the Heritage Area

becomes ineligible for federal funding. Additionally, S. 1939 outlines the duties of

the management entity and prohibits the use of federal funds to acquire real property or interests in real property.

The management entity is authorized to spend federal funds on non-federally

owned property. At the request of the management entity, the Secretary would be

authorized to provide technical and financial assistance to develop and implement

the management plan. S. 1939 authorizes $10,000,000 in appropriations, through

the year 2020, and limits federal funding to 50 percent of the total cost of any assistance or grant.

The creation of the Great Basin National Heritage Area would encompass the long

history of Western habitation and development related to the pony express, mining,

ranching, railroading, Native Americans, and Mormon and other pioneer settlements, as well as demonstrating the diversity of western culture and how people

of Greek, Chinese, Basque, Serb, Croat, Italian, Hispanic, and Native American descent have influenced it.

On a natural scale the heritage area would provide a new partnership for management and protection of long natural vistas, isolated high desert valleys, mountain ranges and among the best air, water and night sky qualities found in the

United States. Few roadways interrupt the basin and range topography. Large

herds of mammals are often present. The area is recognized by the State of Nevada

as the ‘‘Loneliest Highway in America,’’ capitalizing on western landscape values.

A natural partnership between Great Basin National Park and the Management

Entity of the Heritage Area could be created; one which incorporates the enabling

legislation of the park, allowing further interpretation of the 200,000 square miles

of the Great Basin through association with other organizations.

The National Park Service has defined a National Heritage Area as a place where

natural, cultural, historic and recreational resources combine to form a nationally

distinctive landscape arising from patterns of human activity. Heritage conservation

efforts are grounded in a community’s pride and interest in its history and traditions. Preserving the integrity of the cultural landscape and local stories means that

future generations will be able to understand and define who they are, where they

come from, and what ties them to their home.

As we have previously testified, there are several steps the National Park Service

believes should be taken prior to Congress designating a national heritage area to

help ensure that the heritage area is successful. The steps are:

1. completion of a suitability/feasibility study;

2. public involvement in the suitability/feasibility study;

3. demonstration of widespread public support among heritage area residents

for the proposed designation; and

4. commitment to the proposal from the appropriate players which may include governments, industry, and private, non-profit organizations, in addition

to the local citizenry.

We believe that studies that have been completed or are underway meet the intent of these criteria. The proposed establishment is based on many years of work

conducted by various local community organizations in Utah and Nevada, culminating in The Strategy for Development of the Great Basin Heritage Route prepared by

the Great Basin Heritage Route Partnership, with input from a cross-section of citizens in the region. This report and other related reports conducted in Utah and Nevada have included organizations, agencies, tribal representatives, and potential

partners who would be involved in the creation and management of a National Heritage Area. This coalition is consistent with Secretary Norton’s ‘‘4-Cs’’ effort, demonstrating the benefits of consultation, communication and collaboration in the service of conservation.

Additional reports and studies that address a Great Basin National Heritage Area

include The Baker and Great Basin National Park Business Plan: A Regional InteVerDate 11-SEP-98 14:26 Sep 06, 2002 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 J:\DOCS\81-569 SENERGY3 PsN: SENERGY3
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grated Tourism Development Study, prepared in part by the Great Basin Business

and Tourism Council and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Additionally,

a Cultural Resources Survey, funded through the Utah State Division of History,

is in the process of being completed. Funds have also been set aside by the Nevada

Department of Economic Development to begin writing a management plan for the

area. Although not specifically related to the Great Basin National Heritage Area

when they were prepared, the National Park Service completed two new area studies, in 1980 and 1981, of the Great Basin area which examined resources and identified sites with potential for representing the Great Basin theme.

The completed studies as well as those in progress have generated popular support for this proposal and have been accomplished with little involvement from the

National Park Service. Taken together, the studies accomplish goals similar to those

undertaken in a National Park Service study.

At such time as S. 1939 moves forward, we recommend the following amendments. These suggestions are either consistent with amendments we have suggested

in previous heritage area bills or will conform S. 1939 to recent heritage area legislation.

Section 7(a)(1) of the bill gives the management entity the authority to make

loans to various entities. No criteria or administrative guidelines are provided, and

possible liability is not addressed. We believe there are more effective ways for management entities to use limited federal funds than creating loan programs.

Section 8(b) authorizes the Secretary to expend federal funds on non-federally

owned property to further the purposes of the Act. Section 8(b)(2) directs the Historic American Building Survey (HABS) and the Historic American Engineering

Record (HAER) to conduct studies necessary to document the industrial, engineering, building, and architectural history of the region. We feel that federal funds authorized in the bill for the heritage area’s management entity are for implementation of their plan and to address these types of issues. Money for any studies by

HABS/HAER should come from the heritage area’s funding as part of its planning

process. We strongly urge that this section be removed from the bill.

We also suggest several amendments that would conform S. 1939 to similar, recently passed heritage area legislation. These amendments include defining the

boundaries, clarifying the role of tribal representatives in the management entity,

standardizing the development of the management plan, as well as the termination

of authority and appropriations language. Our proposed amendments are attached

to this testimony.

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my prepared remarks. I would be pleased to answer

any questions you or other members of the subcommittee may have.

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS—S. 1939

Page 6, line 25, before the period, insert ‘‘in Nye County, Nevada. The boundaries

of the Heritage Area shall be specified in detail in the management plan developed

in Section 6.’’.

Page 7, line 2, strike ‘‘As a condition for the receipt of Federal funds under this

Act, the’’ and insert ‘‘The’’.

Page 7, line 21, after ‘‘Utah,’’ insert ‘‘and the tribal governing body of each Native

American Tribe participating in the Heritage Area’’.

Page 9, line 12, strike ‘‘5’’ and insert ‘‘3’’.

Page 9, line 13, strike ‘‘may’’ and insert ‘‘shall’’.

Page 13, line 16, strike ‘‘loans and’’.

Page 17, line 4, strike ‘‘(b) SPENDING FOR NON-FEDERAL PROPERTY.’’ and

all that follows through line 18, and redesignate subsections (c), (d), and (e), as subsections (b), (c), and (d), respectively.

Page 17, line 25, strike ‘‘Federal,’’.

Page 19, line 3, strike ‘‘September 20, 2020’’ and insert ‘‘September 30, 2012’’.

Page 19, line 6, insert before the period ’’, of which not more than $1,000,000 is

authorized to be appropriated for any 1 fiscal year’’.

S. 2033

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to appear before your committee to

present the views of the Department of the Interior on S. 2033. a bill to authorize

appropriations for the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage

Corridor. S. 2033 provides for an authorization of $10 million in development funds

to the Secretary for 4 years. The legislation would provide authority to the Secretary

to make matching grants through Fiscal Year 2006, and encourage the implementation of the remaining portions of the Cultural Heritage and Land Management Plan,

as approved by the Secretary in 1998. The funds would be available until expended.

18

The Department would support this legislation if amended to authorize not more than $5 million, available for fiscal years 2003 through 2007, of which not more

than $1 million may be used any fiscal year. This amendment would bring the funding language of the underlying Act in line with the appropriations authorization

language for other National Heritage Areas and Corridors and, as noted below,

would fulfill the commitment to the 1988 management plan. Moreover the amendment would forestall the expectation of additional funding for other National Heritage Areas and Corridors. Additionally, we believe that the $5 million increase is reasonable within the larger context of the Department’s commitment to the President’s Initiative to eliminate the deferred maintenance backlog.

The Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor was one of the first National Heritage Areas when Congress established it in 1986. Public Law 99-647 established the Blackstone Corridor to preserve and interpret, for the educational and

inspirational benefit of future generations, the unique and significant contributions

to our national heritage of historic and cultural lands, waterways and structures

within the Blackstone River Valley in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. A Federal

Commission was established to develop and implement an integrated resource management plan for the Heritage Corridor. Under current law, the term of the Heritage Corridor Commission expires in 2006, while the federal designation of the area

and its boundaries continues in perpetuity.

In 1996, Congress, pursuant to Public Law 104-333, extended the life of the National Heritage Corridor Commission until November 12, 2006. Because the plan for

the Heritage Corridor had not been revised and approved, Congress only authorized

preliminary funding of $5 million in development funds for 3 years. The Secretary

did not sign the management plan until 1998 and Congress again authorized $5 million in development funds for an additional 2 years.To date the Heritage Corridor

has received $5.7 million dollars under these two authorizations for development

funds. S. 2033 in effect would authorize development funds for the remaining 4

years of the term of the Commission and for the remaining commitment to the Cultural Heritage and Land Management Plan.

The John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor has special value to the National Park Service, as well as to the nation. With almost 15

years of experience behind it, the John H. Chafee Blackstone River Valley National

Heritage Corridor has been the model of a successful partnership between the federal government, state and local government, and partner organizations. The unique

qualities of the Heritage Corridor is exemplified by the fact the there are permanent

park staff assigned to the area. Matching grants from the Secretary permit the Heritage Corridor Commission and the Secretary to provide seed funding to allow important resources to be protected and interpreted.

Traditionally Congress would have addressed the nationally significant resources

of the Blackstone Valley by establishing a unit of the National Park System. The

area, with well over 10,000 historic structures and over 40 historic New England

villages is nationally significant as the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. Rather than one town or one factory, the Blackstone River Valley contained

hundreds of historic factories and farms making it the first area in the nation to

make widespread use of waterpower.

A multi-agency partnership with emphasis in the interpretation of a cultural landscape rather than federal ownership and regulation, was considered the more appropriate protection strategy for such a large area where people continue to live and

work. The Blackstone Valley exemplifies a seamless system of local, state and federal efforts where people are working on a regional scale to maintain historical integrity by developing integrated protection and economic development strategies to

enhance their quality of life and quality of resources. As one of the first National

Heritage Areas established. the Heritage Corridor has become a model of how the

National Park Service can work cooperatively with partners to achieve resource protection and public support. By comparison to the significant management expense

of national parks in the Northeast, the Heritage Corridor demonstrates what can

be achieved with modest investment, and a small but enthusiastic team of NPS professionals on the ground. Land ownership and operations of the area remain with

the non-federal partners and the NPS assists with interpretation and planning.

The Heritage Corridor has been so successful in leveraging hundreds of millions

of dollars toward projects that enhance the cultural and natural resources that Congress recognized the late Senator Chafee and his dedication and hard work in establishing the Heritage Corridor, by renaming it the John H. Chafee Blackstone Valley

National Heritage Corridor. Of all his notable activities, as a U.S. Marine, as Secretary of the Navy. as Governor of Rhode Island, and as United States Senator, his

wife, Mrs. Virginia Chafee, said most of all it would have been his wish for this Heritage Corridor to carry his name.

19

The 1998 plan has four core commitments totaling $15 million: (1) shaping a visitor experience that engages people in the understanding of the American Industrial

Revolution; (2) preserving and enhancing the communities of the Blackstone Valley;

(3) balancing conservation and growth that allows for the preservation of cultural

and natural resources while encouraging economic growth; and (4) a commitment

to improving the health of the Blackstone River and its watershed. The proposed

$5 million increase in authorization to the Secretary for development funds would

fulfill the commitment to the 1998 management plan. Having received a total of $10.7 million in construction funds in the last ten

years, which includes funds previously authorized as development and demonstration funds, the Commission is well on its way to achieving the commitments of the

management plan. Several examples of how the heritage partnership formula has

worked include the following: Blackstone Valley Visitor Center/Slater Mill Historic

Site—A $5.4 million historic development, with Heritage Corridor funding of ap- proximately $800,000. Museum of Work and Culture: an abandoned mill building lo- cated in the center of the City of Woonsocket, total cost $2.9 million, with Heritage

Corridor funding of approximately $500,000. River Bend Farm Interpretive Center: A dairy farm in Worcester County, MA restored as an interpretive center and outdoor recreation center, total cost of project $468,000, with Heritage Corridor funding

of approximately $143,000. The Blackstone Riverway: A major restoration project

providing for recreation, riverfront development, and restored water quality, total

cost approximately $180 million, with Heritage Corridor funding of approximately

$1.2 million.

This completes my testimony. I would be happy to answer any questions that you

or any members of the subcommittee may have.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much for your testimony, Ms.

Barrett.

The administration is opposing the designation of new areas in

order to fund the President’s budget priorities, especially maintenance backlog needs. Apart from that general concern, it appears

that the Department recognizes that the proposed new areas—the

Oil Region, the Arabia Mountain, the Great Basin Heritage areas—

are appropriate for designation. Is that correct?

Ms. BARRETT. Yes, that is correct.

Senator AKAKA. Two of the bills we are considering this afternoon authorize the Park Service to study an area for a potential

designation. For other areas, such as Arabia Mountain and Great

Basin, private organizations appear to have undertaken their own

study. Is there an advantage to a Park Service study as compared

to a study undertaken by a private organization? And where there

are private studies, does the Park Service have any role in approving the contents of the study?

Ms. BARRETT. Heritage areas, as you may or may not know, are

a partnership activity and they are often coming up from the local

grassroots community. I think it is very appropriate that in many

cases the heritage area support group, the local community, undertake the feasibility study. But what is important is that they follow

the interim criteria that the Park Service has been using for heritage areas and that they involve Park Service staff, usually from

the regional office, in setting out the parameters of the study. In

the case of all of the three proposed designations, that has occurred.

Senator AKAKA. Some of the heritage area initiatives would authorize $10 million in appropriations over 10 years, and others

spread the funds over 15 years. We have different time periods

here. Can you please provide your views on the appropriate length

of time for an authorization of funding for a heritage area?

Ms. BARRETT. In general, the Department has been supporting a

10 years, $10 million time frame. However, there is a proposal on

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the House side to develop a more generic legislation to standardize

heritage areas, and one of the things that they are looking at in

that bill is doing a lot of the planning, feasibility planning and

management planning, up front before designation, which would

allow the heritage areas to really go into gear, when they are designated they would be ready to spend their funding.

Senator AKAKA. From time to time there have been proposals to

create a generic ‘‘heritage area law.’’ What is the Park Service’s position on the merits of having a generic law for the creation of heritage areas?

Ms. BARRETT. We are working very closely with the House committees and with Congressman Hefley on a proposed programmatic

bill for heritage areas. In fact, there was a subcommittee markup

today, so we are working extremely closely with them.

Senator AKAKA. As I mentioned earlier, the number of heritage

areas has increased significantly in the past few years and many

more potential areas are being proposed. In your opinion, is there

a point where the designation of too many heritage areas becomes

a problem?

Ms. BARRETT. I certainly think that, from the point of view of

looking at important living landscapes in this country, there are

other opportunities to work with local communities. So I think that

there are certainly other possible national heritage areas out there.

Although at this time the Administration would like to focus its attention on addressing the maintenance backlog, I do not think that

we have taken a position that there are not other important heritage area projects that in the future could be undertaken.

Senator AKAKA. The next two questions pertain to the John H.

Chafee Blackstone Valley National Heritage Corridor, and then

that will be the last of my questions. There appears to be a disagreement between the Corridor proponents and the Park Service

regarding the funding needed under the 1998 plan for the John H.

Chafee Blackstone Valley National Heritage Corridor. The Corridor

proponents contend that only $5.7 million of the necessary $15 million has been appropriated, so there is a need for a $10 million authorization to fulfill commitments to the plan.

Your testimony, however, states that an authorization of $5 million would be sufficient to meet the plan’s needs. Can you please

explain this difference?

Ms. BARRETT. Well, I think one of the reasons that we proposed

a $5 million figure was to be more consistent with other national

heritage area appropriations. We feel that that amount of funding

would meet, at least meet our, the National Park Service’s, commitment toward that plan.

Senator AKAKA. The Blackstone Valley Heritage Corridor was the

first heritage area created, several years before the current framework for heritage areas was established. Your testimony recognizes

that the Blackstone Valley contains nationally significant resources

which could have merited designation as a unit of the National

Park System rather than as a heritage corridor. Should the Blackstone Valley Heritage Corridor be treated differently from other

heritage areas with regard to levels and with regard to duration of

funding?

21

Ms. BARRETT. Well, let me just say that the Blackstone Heritage

Corridor was one of the first national heritage areas or national

heritage corridors. And at that time the Park Service had not come

up with a heritage area model. We were still in an experimental

mode.

The Blackstone Corridor is different from other heritage areas in

the sense that it has a superintendent, it has more Park Service

staff. It is a different kind of animal than some of the later heritage areas. So I think that that is one of the reasons that we are

interested in providing it longer term support than other heritage

areas.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much.

Senator Thomas.

Senator THOMAS. Just in brief, what is the criteria to make an

area eligible for designation as a heritage area?

Ms. BARRETT. Well, we have a long list of elements, resource criteria that need to be looked at for a feasibility study, including the

assemblage of cultural, natural, recreational resources in the area.

Then we really want to look also at the level of public support for

the heritage area. One of the critical things for heritage areas is

that there be strong local public support and also in many cases

be strong State support, too. For those heritage areas which are

often these large living landscapes to work, you need to have the

local communities involved and the stakeholders there involved,

you need to have a State government in many cases supportive of

the area.

Senator THOMAS. If that is a criteria, why do you say ‘‘in many

cases’’?

Ms. BARRETT. Excuse me. It is a criteria. In some cases State

government——

Senator THOMAS. Are there criteria that you measure against

each of these that are the same?

Ms. BARRETT. In some cases State governments are not as involved as in other cases, but in all——

Senator THOMAS. Then that is not a criteria.

Ms. BARRETT. In all cases, local communities must be fully involved.

Senator THOMAS. I have a sense that the criteria is not very

clear.

Ms. BARRETT. Well, the criteria—at this time we have written

criteria, which I would be glad to provide a copy, but it has not

been adopted in a statutory programmatic way.

Senator THOMAS. Using that criteria, have you ever found one

that is ineligible?

Ms. BARRETT. I think the National Park Service in many cases,

particularly working through our regional office, have discouraged

proposed heritage area initiatives because they have not—they do

not seem to have sufficient public support or they do not have the

assemblage of resources that would make a good heritage area.

I think one example of a study where we did not recommend national heritage area designation was for the Northern Frontier

study in New York State. I would be happy to get you a reference

to that particular study.

22

Senator THOMAS. So my question is: have you turned down,

found them ineligible?

Ms. BARRETT. We have, both specifically in the study, but in

many cases we have discouraged people from moving forward as we

work with people at the local community level.

Senator THOMAS. I think one of the difficult things for us is the

lack of real criteria, because we all can get up and speak glowingly

about the need that we have, and if there is not pretty good criteria, why, it goes on and on.

One of the criteria that has generally been is what, 10-year designation?

Ms. BARRETT. Yes. In general that has been, for more recent heritage areas, when the National Park Service has the opportunity to

comment on bills, we generally recommend 10 years and $10 million.

Senator THOMAS. But that is not a criteria?

Ms. BARRETT. No. And to be honest, at this time we do not have

any statutorily adopted criteria.

Senator THOMAS. Many of them have the 10-year, $10 million

limitations in them, do they not?

Ms. BARRETT. Yes, they do.

Senator THOMAS. Why is that not used generally as a criteria?

Ms. BARRETT. It usually is the recommendation of the National

Park Service——

Senator THOMAS. That is what is in the House committee, I believe, is it not?

Ms. BARRETT. Yes, that is in the House committee bill.

Senator THOMAS. Have you terminated any at the end of 10

years?

Ms. BARRETT. No, we have not. Now, a large number of heritage

areas were authorized, I think it was nine heritage areas, were authorized in 1996, and there have been quite a few authorizations

since that time. So in many cases we have not reached the 10-year

benchmark.

Senator THOMAS. But in many cases you have.

Ms. BARRETT. Well, I think there are four heritage areas that

were designated prior to that time.

Senator THOMAS. What is it, the Blackstone——

Ms. BARRETT. Illinois/Michigan, the Blackstone Heritage Area,

the Delaware and Lehigh, Quinnibog and Shawtucket.

Senator THOMAS. It was in 1986 for Blackstone.

Ms. BARRETT. Yes.

Senator THOMAS. And I think you have already done $10 million,

have you not?

Ms. BARRETT. Yes, we have.

Senator THOMAS. But you are going to do more, or you are prepared to do more?

Ms. BARRETT. Again, I think the Blackstone, its legislation and

its planning was developed in some cases before we came up with

a more standardized approach to heritage areas.

Senator THOMAS. How many studies do you have pending?

Ms. BARRETT. There are 38 studies overall that the Park Service

has pending at this time. I would have to get back with you on exactly how many of them are national heritage area studies. But in

23

some cases, of course, in a special resource study we might be looking at a full range of alternatives, which might be unit designation

or it might be a national heritage area designation.

Senator THOMAS. So you have recommended in some of these instances that they not have a study this year because of the backlog,

is that it?

Ms. BARRETT. Yes.

Senator THOMAS. I think there are 23 pending, as a matter of

fact.

Ms. BARRETT. Of heritage areas?

Senator THOMAS. Heritage, yes.

Okay, well, the chairman has already asked—it just seems to me

that it is going to be necessary, and we have been doing this now

for quite a while, to come up with a more specific set of criteria,

a specific set of rules that we adhere to.

What do you think?

Ms. BARRETT. Well, again, we are working very closely with Congressman Hefley and with the committee staff on the House side

on a bill that would lay out a national heritage area policy for the

Nation.

Senator THOMAS. Then you would stick to that?

Ms. BARRETT. Absolutely. If we had a legislative framework, we

would of course stick to it.

Senator THOMAS. I know, but you have not, you see, in the past,

and that is what is kind of troublesome. We have these criterias,

but then we find differences and we find they have been handled

differently. So that encourages people to come and ask for differences. And I think it is very important that the Park Service either develop their own, or we get one passed somehow.

I think the chairman also asked, do you see a time when, some

limitation? We hear all the time that you do not have enough

money. But yet you continue to take on more responsibilities all

the time.

Ms. BARRETT. Well, I think we cannot resist carrying out our conservation mission whenever we can. One of the interesting——

Senator THOMAS. Wait a minute. Now, you cannot say that.

Ms. BARRETT. You cannot——

Senator THOMAS. You are not doing this one because you do not

have enough money, but you are going to do this one because you

think you are carrying out your mission—that does not match.

Ms. BARRETT. Right. We, you know, we work with many local

groups. But the other thing with national heritage area designation

is many of them, if you look at the map, are on the east coast and

many of the more recent bills are moving to the west coast. So I

just think it is sort of an interesting phenomenon, that the national

heritage areas, there are lots of them in the East and many of the

proposals are now in the West.

Senator THOMAS. Well, I will not take more of your time, but I

do think we have this special designation, we are not making them

a park for various reasons, and so I think the idea of a limited

amount of money and a limited amount of time in which then the

locals take it over is a very reasonable thing to do, and that we

cannot just keep going on and on and on with the criteria that you

24

can change and muster and go. So I hope we are able to do some

of that.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much for your questions.

I want to thank Ms. Barrett for her testimony and responses.

Thank you very much.

Ms. BARRETT. Thank you, and I will get back to you with the specific information.

Senator THOMAS. Thank you.

Senator AKAKA. Now I would like to ask the next panel of witnesses to come forward: Ms. Denys Koyle, secretary, Great Basin

Heritage Area Partnership from Baker, Nevada; also Mr. Ronald

Shoup, executive director, Oil City Area Chamber of Commerce;

and Mr. Jim Baker, site administrator, Felix Valle House State

Historic Site; and Mr. Kelly Jordan, chair of the Arabia Mountain

Heritage Area Alliance.

Let me remind each of you that your written testimony will be

included in full in the hearing record, so you may summarize your

remarks. So may I then call on Ms. Koyle for your testimony.

STATEMENT OF DENYS M. KOYLE, SECRETARY, GREAT BASIN

HERITAGE AREA PARTNERSHIP, BAKER, NV

Ms. KOYLE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is my pleasure to address the subcommittee on behalf of the Great Basin Heritage

Area. My written testimony covers the boundaries and membership

of the heritage area as well as the development history. With my

time here, I would like to tell you what you would experience if you

were to travel the Great Basin Heritage Area.

You could begin in Fillmore, Utah, and visit the state house of

the Territory of Deseret, which was built at the direction of

Brigham Young in 1850. Then traveling through Millard County on

Highway 50 to Delta, which is the largest agricultural area in

Utah, one would see how the Mormons did indeed make the desert

blossom as a rose by taking poor, alkaline soil and irrigating with

the waters of the Sevier River.

In Delta, the historic dance hall provides a glimpse of a different

time, when on Saturday night people went to escape the stresses

of the Great Depression and World War Two. Just outside of Delta

is the Topaz Relocation Camp, where Japanese Americans from the

San Francisco area were interred during the war. Topaz was the

fourth largest city in Utah while it existed. Manzanar in California

has been designated a national monument, but Topaz has not had

the kind of recognition that Manzanar has, but it is equally significant and played a major role in the history of the Great Basin during World War Two.

The drive from Delta, Utah, to Ely, Nevada, is an experience that

is hard to describe. First one would see the Sevier Lake that dried

up in the 1920’s when agriculture used up all the water in the

river. Now one sees a mirage with the reflections of the surrounding mountains and billowing summer clouds. An occasional cow or

sheep might be seen on the open range. There are geological formations and fossil beds from the ancient time when this area was covered by Lake Bonneville.

25

Driving this stretch of road gives the traveler a true sense of the

stamina required to survive in this isolated, arid land. After traveling through King’s Canyon, one comes over a rise and sees the

magnificent Snake Range with 13,000-foot Mount Wheeler towering over the valley floor.

Congress recognized the significance of this area in 1985 when

Lehman Caves National Monument and the South Snake Range

became Great Basin National Park. I would like to point out that

Becky Mills, Superintendent of Great Basin Park, has been one of

our supporters from the very beginning and the regional office in

San Francisco has supported us. I believe they have written testimony entered into the record here.

Snake Valley is where I live. I own the only service station/motel

and cafe on a 158-mile stretch of road. The valley is 40 miles wide

and over 100 miles long, with a population of less than 500 people,

probably the same amount of people that the land could carry when

the Fremont were there. There are significant Fremont archaeological sites covering the entire valley.

In the 1870’s, Mormon pioneers and other ranchers settled what

are Baker, Nevada, and Garrison, Utah. There are abandoned cabins and corrals still standing anywhere there was a little bit of

water.

In 1897, the Woodward family tried to settle south of Garrison.

Six years later they packed up and left the valley, and Neal Woodward later wrote that ‘‘This land would not produce anything but

lizards, horn toads, and disappointments.’’

The ranches that did survive sold produce, meat and dairy products to the miners who traveled the area looking for another mother lode. Of course, they never found it. Our hills are dotted with

abandoned tungsten, silver, and gold mines.

In 1885, a wooden flume was built with the help of Chinese labor

that transported water from the east side to the west side of Mount

Wheeler to placer gold mining operations at Oceola. Today the

Oceola Ditch is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Traveling on through Spring Valley, Nevada, one could stop at

a Pony Express station or travel the dirt road that was the Lincoln

Highway. Today the valley’s meadows are productive cattle

ranches. In a past time there were hundreds of thousands of sheep

in this area, herded by Basques, who eventually became ranch

owners and achieved the dream for which they left the Pyrenees.

Over the next mountain pass, one would drop into Steptoe Valley. Just outside of Ely, Nevada, is the Three C Ranch that was

just recently sold to the Nevada Division of Wildlife. They will improve the wildlife habitat for the elk and deer herds in this area

and also provide fishing and recreational use on both Cummings

and Cave Lakes. The Division of Wildlife is relying on a partnership with the heritage area to interpret the history of this working

ranch.

More mineral wealth came out of Ely, Nevada, in the form of copper than from the Comstock Lode of Virginia City. In nearby Ruth,

the traveler can see the Ruth Pit created by Kennecott Copper. The

copper ore was smelted in McGill, Nevada. McGill is one of the

very last examples of a company town that still exists as a viable

community. The societal divisions that existed during McGill’s heyVerDate 11-SEP-98 14:26 Sep 06, 2002 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 J:\DOCS\81-569 SENERGY3 PsN: SENERGY3
26

day are still clearly evident. The managers’ housing on Circle Drive

sits apart from Greektown, Chinatown, and Little Italy. Dean

Malperdas of Greek descent recalls with bitterness how even into

the 1950s Greeks were not allowed to cross Main Street.

The Nevada Northern Railway carried the copper ore from Ruth

to McGill. When Kennecott Copper shut down its operations in the

1970’s, it walked away, leaving all the rolling stock and buildings

just as if it were to start up the next day. Today the Nevada Northern Railway yard contains a Nevada State museum as well as

steam and diesel engines that run historical tours during the summer. The depot, roundhouse, freight barns, and machine shop comprise an incredible asset that needs to be preserved and protected.

The Western Shoshone of Ely and Duckwater are modern day

townspeople and ranchers, as well as basketmakers, dancers, and

artists. They hold an annual fandango and they danced at the

opening ceremony of this year’s Olympics in Salt Lake City. The

Shoshone are particularly interested in participating with the heritage area and projects to preserve their language that is close to

being lost and in producing a history of their people written by the

Shoshone themselves.

On a personal note, my great-great-grandparents boarded a ship

in England and sailed to St. Louis, Missouri, and from there they

walked to Salt Lake City, pushing a handcart with a few of their

belongings. Both of my grandfathers and my father were underground miners. They worked hard to provide for their families.

They were not heroes and they were not particularly noteworthy

people, but they were the ones that came and, more importantly,

they were the ones that stayed. It is people like them that I want

this Nation to hear their stories.

I am proud of who I am and I want not only my grandchildren

to be aware of this heritage, but also for the entire Nation to know

of it and understand it and incorporate it with pride as part of

their heritage. That is why I am here today asking your support

in creating the Great Basin National Heritage Area, which would

be one of three west of the Rocky Mountains.

[The prepared statement of Ms. Koyle follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF DENYS KOYLE, SECRETARY, GREAT BASIN HERITAGE AREA

PARTNERSHIP, BAKER, NV

Mr. Chairman, it is my pleasure to address this subcommittee on behalf of the

Great Basin Heritage Area which encompasses Millard County, Utah, White Pine

County, Nevada and the Duckwater Shoshone Reservation.

In June of 1999, with the support of the National Park Service and the Nevada

Commission on Tourism and after a series of public meetings over a two year period

in Delta, Utah and Ely and Baker, Nevada, the Great Basin Heritage Area

Parnership, a truly grass-roots effort, was created. It is our belief that this Heritage

Area will contribute to the quality of life and provide a much needed economic stimulus to the area.

The Partnership consists of representatives from local business, tourism and historical/cultural interests. The federal partners are the Great Basin National Park,

the Bureau of Land Management and the National Forest Service in both counties.

The state partners include the State Parks Systems, the Nevada Commission on

Tourism, the Utah Travel Council, the economic development agencies of both

states, as well as the state museum systems and the state historic preservation offices. The management board of the Heritage Area is appointed by the respective

County Commissions and Tribal Governments as described in the proposed legislation.

27

In a relatively short period, our board has consolidated local, state and federal

support for the Heritage Area concept. With funding from the Nevada Commission

on Tourism and the Utah Division of History, we have conducted a heritage inventory, identified major themes and resources and we are in the first stages of developing a management plan.

The unique geography of the Great Basin contains long natural vistas, isolated

high desert valleys and mountain ranges towering over ranches, mining districts,

historic railroads, archaeological sites and tribal communities. These counties were

settled, not only by Mormon pioneers from the British Isles and Scandinavia, but

also, by Serbs, Croats, Greeks, Chinese, Basques, Italians and Hispanics. The native

populations were Goshute, Paiute and Shoshone. The pre-history population was

Fremont.

Driving through the Heritage Area on Highway 50, one would be able to visit the

State House of the Territory of Deseret in Fillmore, Utah. Millard County is the

largest agricultural area in Utah and illustrates how the Mormons made the ‘‘desert

blossom as a rose’’ by taking poor alkaline soil and irrigating with the waters of the

Sevier River.

In Delta, the historic Van’s Dance Hall provides a glimpse of a different time

where on Saturday night people went to escape the stresses of the Great Depression

and World War II. Just outside of Delta is the Topaz Relocation Camp where Japanese-Americans were interred during the war. Topaz was the fourth largest city in

Utah while it existed. Manzanar in the Owens Valley of California has been designated a national monument. Topaz has not had the recognition paid to Manzanar

but it is equally significant and played a major role in the history of the Great Basin

during World War II.

The drive from Delta, Utah to Ely, Nevada is an experience that is hard to describe. One would see Sevier Lake that dried up in the 1920’s when agriculture used

up all the water in the river. Now one see a dry lake bed with mirages that reflect

the surrounding mountains and the billowing cumulus clouds of summer. An occasional cow or sheep might be seen on this open rangeland. This is where today the

‘‘deer and the antelope roam’’. There are incredible geological formations and fossil

beds from the ancient time when this area was covered by Lake Bonneville. Driving

this stretch of road gives the traveler a sense of the stamina required to survive

in this isolated land.

After traveling through King’s Canyon, one comes over a rise and sees the magnificent Snake Range with 13,063 foot Mt. Wheeler towering over the valley floor.

Congress recognized the significance of the area in 1985 when Lehman Caves National Monument and the South Snake Range became Great Basin National Park.

With its snowfields, pinion-juniper foliage, ancient Bristlecone pine forests and magnificent views of the valley floors, the Park epitomizes basin and range topography

of the entire Great Basin.

Snake Valley is where I live. I own the only service station, motel and cafe ́ on

a 158 mile stretch of road named by Life Magazine as ‘‘the loneliest road in America’’. The valley is forty miles wide and over 100 miles long with a population of

less than five hundred people, probably the same population that the land could

support when the Fremont Indians inhabited the area. There are significant Fremont archeological sites covering the entire valley. Western Shoshone, Southern

Paiute and Goshute followed the Fremont. In the 1870’s, Mormon pioneers and

other ranchers settled what are Baker, Nevada and Garrison, Utah. There are abandoned cabins and corrals still standing anywhere there is a little water. In 1897,

the Woodward family tried to settle south of Garrison. Six years later they left valley and Neal Woodward wrote that, ‘‘this land would not produce anything but lizards, horned toads and disappointment.’’

The ranches that survived did so by selling fresh produce, meat and dairy products to the miners who traversed the area looking for another Mother Lode like Virginia City that, of course, they never found. Our hills are dotted with abandoned

tungsten, silver and gold mines. In 1885, a wooden flume was built with the help

of Chinese labor that transported water from the east side to the west side of Mt.

Wheeler to placer gold mining operations at Osceola. Today, the Osceola Ditch is

on the National Register of Historic Places.

Traveling on through Spring Valley, Nevada one could stop at a Pony Express station and travel the dirt road that was the Lincoln Highway. Today, the valley’s native meadows are productive cattle ranches. In a past time, there were hundreds

of thousands of sheep in this area, herded by Basques who eventually became ranch

owners and achieved the dream for which they left the Pyrenees.

Over the next mountain pass, one would drop into Steptoe Valley. Just outside

of Ely is the Three C Ranch that was owned by El Tejon Cattle Company of Bakersfield, California. Just recently, El Tejon sold the ranch to the Nevada Division of

28

Wildlife. They will improve the wildlife habitat for the elk and deer herds in the

area and, also, provide fishing and recreational use on both Cummings and Cave

Lakes. The Division of Wildlife is relying on a partnership with the Heritage Area

to interpret the history of this working ranch.

More mineral wealth came out of Ely in the form of copper than from the Comstock Lode of Virginia City. In nearby Ruth, the traveler can see the Ruth Pit, a

smaller version of Utah’s Bingham Pit, both created by Kennecott Copper. The copper ore was smelted in McGill, Nevada. McGill is one of the very last examples of

a company town that still exists as a viable community. The societal divisions that

existed during McGill’s heyday are still clearly evident. The managers’ housing on

Circle Drive sits apart from Greek Town, China Town and Little Italy. Dean

Malaperdas of Greek descent recalls with bitterness how even into the 1950’s

Greeks were not allowed to cross Main Street and in his words ‘‘were note even considered to be White Men.’’

The Nevada Northern Railway carried the copper ore from Ruth to McGill and

delivered the children from McGill to Ely for school throughout most of the 20th

century. When Kennecott Copper shut down its operations in the 1970’s, it walked

away leaving all the rolling stock and buildings just as if they would start up the

next day. Today, the Nevada Northern Railway Yard contains a Nevada State Museum as well steam and diesel engines that run historical tours during the summer.

The depot, roundhouse, freight barns and machine shop comprise an incredible asset

that needs to be preserved and protected.

The Western Shoshone of Ely and Duckwater are modern day townspeople and

ranchers as well as basket makers, dancers and artists. They hold an annual fandango and they danced at the opening ceremony of this year’s Winter Olympics in

Salt Lake City. The Duckwater Shoshone are particularly interested in participating

with the Heritage Area in projects to preserve the Shoshone language which is close

to being lost and in producing a history of their people written by the Shoshone

themselves.

My great-grandparents boarded a ship in England to St. Louis, Missouri and from

there walked to Salt Lake City across the plains and Rocky Mountains pushing a

hand-cart with their few belongings. Both of my grandfathers and my father were

underground miners. They worked hard to provide for their families. They were not

heroes and they were not particularly noteworthy people. BUT they were the ones

who came and they were the ones who stayed. It is their story that drives me. Their

heritage is part of who I am and I am proud of it. I want, not only my children

and grandchildren to be proud of this heritage, but also, for the entire nation to

know of this heritage and understand it and incorporate it with pride as part of

their heritage. That’s why I am here today asking your support in creating the

Great Basin National Heritage Area.

Thank you.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much for your testimony.

I would like to now call on Mr. Shoup for your testimony.

STATEMENT OF RONALD E. SHOUP, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,

OIL CITY AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, OIL CITY, PA

Mr. SHOUP. Thank you. Chairman Akaka, ranking member

Thomas, members of the Subcommittee on National Parks, committee staff, media and guests: My name is Ronald Shoup. I reside in

Oil City, Pennsylvania, and have been a lifelong resident of Pennsylvania’s historic oil region.

It is with great enthusiasm that I appear before you today and

with this testimony ardently encourage the establishment of the

Oil Region National Heritage Area in northwestern Pennsylvania,

as you will see highlighted on the accompanying easel displays

being put up now and as shown on the geographic maps included

in your packets.

Life indeed took on new meaning in Venango County, the

Titusville area, and around the world in 1859 when Colonel Edwin

L. Drake drilled the first——

Senator AKAKA. Mr. Shoup, may I ask you to move the mike a

little further?

29

Mr. SHOUP. Certainly.

Senator AKAKA. Your voice is so powerful.

Mr. SHOUP. Thank you.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much.

Mr. SHOUP. We encourage the establishment of the Oil Region

National Heritage Area in northwestern Pennsylvania and as highlighted on the accompanying displays. Life took on a new meaning

in Venango County, the Titusville area, and around the world in

1859 when Colonel Edwin L. Drake drilled the first commercially

successful oil well in the United States. With Drake’s success, the

American oil industry was born and a dynamic global enterprise

was launched.

The birth and turbulent growth of the oil industry in northeastern Pennsylvania forever changed the world and, with the historic events that occurred during the rush for black gold, we are

indeed left with a rich legacy and a heritage fully deserving of

broad recognition as a vital and lasting part of our Nation’s fabric.

What a wonderful life experience it has been the grow up and live

in an area that so many routinely refer to as ‘‘the valley that

changed the world.’’

Oil field stories are abundant and derricks that once dotted our

landscape are being rebuilt in recognition of our fascinating heritage. We celebrate our history annually during our oil heritage festivals, and museums, historic photographs, artifacts, archival material already document the story of the oil industry, an industry

that continues to touch the lives of everyone all over the world.

While serving as executive director of the oilfield region tourism

agency, I had the opportunity to tour the region with many visitors

who were absolutely in awe of the story of our oil heritage, the natural and scenic beauty of the area, our museums and the many

Victorian homes that were built by the oil wealth.

On one occasion I personally escorted an elderly Chinese college

professor of geology to Drake Well Museum and in doing so helped

him to realize a lifelong dream. He loved his visit and remarked:

‘‘Every college freshman that studies geology in China knows about

Drake’s well in Titusville, Pennsylvania, and is made aware of the

tremendous significance of Colonel Drake’s accomplishment and

lasting impact upon the world.’’ He further commented as we

passed some refineries en route: ‘‘I fear that too few people fully

understand the significance of oil, its byproducts, and its production to the world’s economy and development.’’

The dynamics of the early years of the rapid growth of the oil industry changed the world. Legal systems were revised to handle

systems of leasing, new methods of distribution were created,

brand marketing strategies evolved, petroleum byproducts were developed, environmental challenges were met. The lessons learned

had lasting worldwide and local ramifications. The impact of oil

has shaped our Nation’s cultural history.

So why is becoming a national heritage area extremely important

to our region and how will the designation help? Having been an

assistant school superintendent for curriculum and instruction, I

can fully attest that the oil region of Pennsylvania has a rich heritage to be preserved, a powerful and compelling story to share with

30

youth and adults alike, and abundant, meaningful lessons to be

passed on to future generations.

With Federal designation, we will receive far greater national attention regarding the tremendous significance of our region, realize

abundantly greater opportunities to preserve and promote our region, realize increased economic development opportunities, and

benefit from enhanced opportunities to share our story and the importance of the oil industry to our Nation’s growth and ongoing development. Federal designation would provide avenues for securing

invaluable technical support, and management and planning assistance through the National Park Service would enable us to

move much more rapidly forward with existing plans, thus turning

vision into reality.

The vision began in 1988, when planning for this heritage region

began. On one of the two easel displays you will see the cover panels of several of our consensus-based plans, including an approved

feasibility study that dates back to 1991, a management action

plan from 1994, an oil region interpretive perspective plan from

1998, an executive summary from the 1998 interpretive plan.

We recently completed an ambitious 5-year strategic marketing

plan for our oil heritage region and a new development regional

fun map.

Are we able, willing, and ready to be designated a national heritage area? The answer is an emphatic yes.

In 1994 the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania designated the area

encompassing all of Venango County plus the city of Titusville in

Oil Creek Township and eastern Crawford County as a Pennsylvania heritage park. The Oil Region Incorporated is a 501(c)(3) corporation and has the following mission statement: ‘‘The oil heritage

region unites and revitalizes our area by emphasizing our unique

legacy as the birthplace of the oil industry. We do this through developing, protecting, and preserving and promoting the region’s cultural, recreational, historic, and natural resources.’’ This mission

we would hope would surely align with the purposes and programs

of a national heritage area.

As a result of the substance and quantity of accomplishments

and projects successfully completed since having been designated a

State heritage park, we are fully confident in our abilities and

readiness to handle Federal designation. In September 2000, as

was mentioned before, a field report on the oil heritage region in

Pennsylvania as a national heritage area was prepared for the National Park Service by John Milner Associates, Inc. The conclusion

as it appears in this report reads: ‘‘The Oil Region, Incorporated,

has made significant progress in bringing recognition to the region

and, from its beginning in northwest Pennsylvania, the oil industry

grew nationally and internationally.’’

With national heritage designation would come the potential to

reach much broader audiences with our compelling story. The ability to garner the much-needed financial support to preserve this assemblage of natural, historic, and cultural resources would be enhanced. Should we receive the national area designation we seek,

we are very confident that we can match those Federal funds with

continuous private, public, and State support.

31

Currently, as executive director of the Oil City Chamber of Commerce, I am most impressed by the extent of cooperation and support shown by the many entities that work together cooperatively

to recognize, preserve and promote our unique heritage, natural resources, and great attractions. These efforts are in the interest of

telling our story, increasing tourism, managing natural resources,

and spurring economic development.

We are also fully willing to become a national heritage area. This

conviction is a conviction of the board of directors as well as from

counties, municipalities, interpretive parties, community organizations, businesses, and individual residents of both Crawford and

Venango County. As you can see in your packet, we have quite a

collection, representing a broad base of support, letters of support

that support our contention that we have a broad basis of support

for national designation.

Also in the packets we have especially prepared for you there is

a wealth of information that pertains to Pennsylvania’s oil heritage

region and should amply attest to our many successes to date and

support our claim that national designation is appropriate.

I thank you for this opportunity to be here before you today to

testify on our behalf and I am pleased to have had accompany me

here today to this hearing Barbara T. Zolly, president of the Oil

Heritage Region, Inc., and administrator, Drake Well Museum, Pit

Hole Visitor Center, Well No. 1, the oldest continuously producing

well in the world, as well as Marilyn A. Black, manager of Oil Heritage Region, Inc.

Thank you kindly for this opportunity to testify.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Shoup follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF RONALD E. SHOUP, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, OIL CITY AREA

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, OIL CITY, PA

Chairman Akaka, Members of the Subcommittee on National Parks of the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Committee Staff, Media and Guests

My name is Ronald E. Shoup. I reside at 11 Ellen Drive in Oil City, Pennsylvania,

and I have been a lifelong resident of Pennsylvania’s historic Oil Region. It is with

great enthusiasm that I appear before you today and, with this testimony, ardently

encourage the establishment of the Oil Region National Heritage Area in northwestern Pennsylvania, as you will see highlighted on our easel display and as shown

on the geographical map included in your packets.

Life indeed took on new meaning in Venango County, the Titusville area and

around the world when, in 1859, Colonel Edwin L. Drake drilled the first commercially successful oil well in the United States. With Drake’s success, the American

oil industry was born and a dynamic global enterprise was launched. The birth and

turbulent growth of the oil industry in Northwestern Pennsylvania forever changed

the world and, with the historic events that occurred during the rush for ‘‘black

gold,’’ we are indeed left with a rich legacy and a heritage fully deserving of broad

recognition as a vital and lasting part of our nation’s fabric.

What a wonderful life experience it has been to grow up and live in the area that

so many routinely refer to as ‘‘the valley that changed the world.’’ Oil field stories

are abundant; derricks that once dotted our landscape are being rebuilt in recognition of our fascinating heritage; our wonderful heritage is celebrated annually during our oil heritage festivals; and, museums, historic photographs, artifacts, and archival material richly document the story of the oil industry . . . an industry that

continues to touch or affect the lives of everyone all over the world.

While serving as Executive Director of the Oil Heritage Region Tourist Promotion

Agency, I frequently toured our region with visitors who were absolutely in awe of

the story of our oil heritage, the natural and scenic beauty of the area, our museums

and the many beautiful Victorian homes built by oil era wealth. On one occasion,

I personally escorted an elderly Chinese college professor of geology to the Drake

Well Museum, and in doing so, helped him to realize a lifelong dream. He loved his

32

visit and remarked, ‘‘Every college freshman that studies geology in China knows

about Drake’s Well in Titusville, Pennsylvania and is made aware of the tremendous significance of Colonel Drake’s accomplishment and its lasting impact upon the

world.’’ He further commented, ‘‘I fear that too few people fully understand the significance of oil, its byproducts and its production to the world’s economy and development.’’

Indeed, the dynamics of the early years of the rapid growth of the oil industry

did change the world . . . legal systems needed revision to handle a system of leasing; new methods of distribution were explored; new marketing strategies evolved;

byproducts were developed; environmental challenges were abundant; new problems

and the lessons learned had both local and world-wide ramifications; and, the cultural impacts are certainly documented in our nation’s history.

So, why is designation as a National Heritage Area extremely important to our

region and how will such designation help? Having been an Assistant School Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, I can fully attest that the Oil Region of

Pennsylvania has a rich heritage to be preserved, a powerful and compelling story

to share with youth and adults alike, and abundant meaningful lessons to be passed

on to future generations. With federal designation, we will most assuredly receive

far greater national attention regarding the tremendous significance of our region;

realize abundantly greater opportunities to preserve and promote our heritage; realize increased economic development opportunities; and, benefit from enhanced opportunities to share our story and the importance of the oil industry to our nation’s

growth and ongoing development.

Federal designation will provide avenues for securing invaluable technical support

and management plan assistance through the National Park Service and will enable

us to move forward much more rapidly with existing plans, turning vision into reality. The vision, in fact, began in 1988 when planning for this heritage region

began. On one of the two easel displays, you will see the covers of several of our

concensus-based plans, including an approved feasibility study dating back to 1991,

a Management Action Plan from 1994, the Oil Region Interpretive Prospectus/Plan

form 1998, and an Executive Summary of the 1998 Interpretive Plan. Also recently

completed is a five-year Strategic Marketing Plan for Oil Heritage Region, Inc. and

a newly developed regional Fun Map.

Are we able, ready and willing for designation as a National Heritage Area? The

answer is an emphatic YES. In 1994, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania designated the area encompassing all of Venango County plus the City of Titusville and

Oil Creek Township in eastern Crawford County as a Pennsylvania Heritage Park.

Thus Oil Heritage Region, Inc., a 501 (c)(3) corporation, was formed with a mission

statement as follows: The Oil Heritage Region unites and revitalizes the area by emphasizing our unique legacy as the birthplace of the oil industry. We do this through

developing, preserving and promoting the region’s cultural, recreational, historic and

natural resources.’’ This mission statement is surely in alignment with the purposes

and programs of a National Heritage Area.

As a result of the substance and quantity of accomplishments and projects successfully completed since being designated a Pennsylvania Heritage Park, Oil Heritage Region, Inc. is fully confident of its ability and readiness to handle federal designation. In September, 2000, a Field Report on the Oil Region Heritage Park,

Pennsylvania, as a National Heritage Area was prepared for the National Park

Service by John Milner Associates, Inc. The conclusion as it appears in this report

reads, ‘‘The Oil Heritage Region, Inc. has made significant progress in bringing recognition to the region. From its beginnings in northwestern Pennsylvania, the oil

industry grew nationally and internationally. With National Heritage Area designation would come the potential to reach much broader audiences for the nationally

important story. The ability to garner the much-needed financial support to preserve

this significant assemblage of natural, historic, and cultural resources would be enhanced.’’ Should we receive the National Heritage Area designation we seek, we are

very confident, as per our track record to date, with our ability to accommodate additional federal dollars and to match those funds with continuous private, public

and state support.

As Executive Director of the Oil City Area Chamber of Commerce, I am most impressed by the extent of cooperation and support shown by the many entities that

work cooperatively together to recognize, preserve and promote our unique heritage,

natural resources and area attractions in the interest of telling our story, increasing

tourism, managing natural resources and spurring economic development.

Is the Oil Heritage Region fully willing to become a National Heritage Area and

what is the extent of support for such designation? Most definitely, WE ARE. This

conviction of response comes from the Board of Directors of Oil Heritage Region, Inc.

as well as from counties, municipalities, interpretive partners, community organizaVerDate 11-SEP-98 14:26 Sep 06, 2002 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 J:\DOCS\81-569 SENERGY3 PsN: SENERGY3
33

tions, businesses, and individual residents of Crawford and Venango Counties.

Please note that these parties fully recognize and value the significance of our heritage and the powerful message that we have to share.

In your packets, you will find copies of numerous letters of endorsement that support and encourage pursuing designation as the Oil Region National Heritage Area.

Those letters attest to broad-based agreement that the currently configured Pennsylvania Heritage Area boundaries should also be adopted for the nationally designated area. Your packet also contains, by the way, an array of photos illustrating

existing key sites and materials as well as numerous other items that will serve to

further illustrate the importance of oil history and the assets of this region.

Of course, we are especially appreciative of the enthusiastic support shown by

United States Senators Rick Santorum, sponsor, and Arlen Specter, co-sponsor, of

S. 1441, the companion bill to H.R. 695 sponsored by United States Congressman

John Peterson. H.R. 695 was passed by the House of Representatives on September

10, 2001.

In summary, the Oil Heritage Region (comprised of Venango County and portions

of Eastern Crawford County in northwestern Pennsylvania) is very willing, able and

ready for designation as the Oil Region National Heritage Area. We look forward

to tackling any issues and special challenges that may accompany such prestigious

designation.

The packets we have specially prepared for you include a wealth of information

pertaining to Pennsylvania’s Oil Heritage Region. In the right-hand pocket, you will

find a detailed color map of Oil Heritage Region (OIRE/20,000 dated October, 2000

and cited in S. 1441 and H. R. 695); a map of Oil Heritage Region within northwestern Pennsylvania; sheets of captioned color photos of completed projects; testimony

of Ronald E. Shoup, along with resume of testifier; the Field Report on the Oil Region Heritage Park, Pennsylvania, as a National Heritage Area; prepared for the

National Park Service by John Milner Associates, Inc.; September 22, 2000; excerpts

from Pennsylvania Heritage Tourism Study; May, 1999; a Fun Map of Oil Heritage

Region, showcasing area attractions; an Overview of the Oil Heritage Region; April,

2000; Letters of Endorsement and Encouragement for Oil Region National Heritage

Area Designation, including cover list; and, S. 1441; Oil Region National Heritage

Area Act (Introduced in the Senate). In the left-hand pocket, Oil Heritage Region—

Interpretive Venues; an Executive Summary of Oil Heritage Region Interpretive

Prospectus; a copy of the Oil Heritage Region Driving Tour; a guide to Recreational

Trails in the Allegheny River Region; a Northwest Pennsylvania Outdoors Discovery

Map; the publication Through the Valley that Changed the World!; and, a publication featuring Ida M. Tarbell; November 5, 1857–January 6, 1944.

The letters of endorsement and encouragement enclosed in your packets are from

the following entities: City of Franklin; City of Titusville; Clarion/Venango Educational Resources Alliance; County of Crawford; County Commissioners; County of

Venango; County Commissioners; Cultural and Educational Committee for the Oil

Heritage Region, Inc.; The Derrick Newspaper Publishing Company; Joint Legislative Committee on Air and Water Pollution Control and Conservation Committee of

the Pennsylvania Legislature; Independent Petroleum Producers; Northwest Pennsylvania Regional Planning & Development Commission; Oil Creek Railway Historical Society, Inc.; Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources;

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission; Senator Robert D. Robbins,

Pennsylvania Senator for the 50th District; Robinson’s Wallpaper & Interiors;

Titusville Area Chamber of Commerce; Titusville Historical Society; Venango County Historical Society; Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; Oil Creek State Park; Venango County Planning Commission; Venango

Economic Development Corporation; a Collector of Automobile Memorabilia; and,

Senator Mary Jo White, Pennsylvania Senator for the 21st District.

I will be most pleased to answer any questions or hear any comments you may

wish to share. Two very special guests have accompanied me to today’s hearing . . .

they are Barbara T. Zolli, President of Oil Heritage Region, Inc. and Administrator

of Drake Well Museum, Pithole Visitors Center; and, McClintock Well #1 along with

Marilyn A. Black, Manager Oil Heritage Region, Inc. Of course, they are here in

a supportive role as well as to distribute materials or to assist in addressing any

questions you may have. Following the hearing, please kindly direct such inquiries

to Oil Heritage Region, Inc., 206 Seneca Street, Fourth Floor, P.O. Box 128, Oil

City, PA 16301; (814) 677-3152, Extension 17; toll-free (800) 483-6264, Extension 17;

Fax (814) 677-5206; or, e-mail: oilheritage@usachoice.net.

Senator AKAKA. Since 1859.

Mr. SHOUP. Since 1859.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much for your testimony.

34

Mr. Jordan, your testimony, please.

STATEMENT OF KELLY JORDAN, CHAIR, ARABIA MOUNTAIN

HERITAGE AREA ALLIANCE, LITHONIA, GA

Mr. JORDAN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Senator Thomas, other

members, the staff and others present: My name is Kelly Jordan.

I am chair of the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance, which

is also a 501(c)(3), a privately created organization. I speak today

on behalf of the many members of that alliance. I have chaired that

for approximately the last 4 years.

I am going to divert from my prepared remarks a little bit today

to be sure that I address a couple questions that I heard addressed

to Senator Cleland during his remarks. We believe that a great

partnership can be created by the Federal and State and local jurisdictions through this national heritage area mechanism. The resulting national recognition, combined with a relatively small

amount of Federal support, we believe can and will in our case

catalyze great efforts and benefits at the local level.

Senator Cleland and our alliance partners share a deep love and

affection for this particular part of the world. I like very much

what Ms. Koyle did about painting a visual picture of her area.

Ours is one that is characterized by very special rock outcrops and

mountains and rivers and fields. I want to summarize for you

quickly some of the highlights of the Arabia Mountain Heritage

Area.

As Senator Cleland mentioned, the Panola Mountain which exists in our heritage area is already a designated national natural

landmark and is considered by many people to be the finest preserved rock outcrop ecosystem on the eastern seaboard of the

United States. Arabia Mountain, which is a similar rock mountain,

itself is home to Federally listed endangered, threatened, and rare

plant species. I want to say that again: Federally listed endangered

plant species already. We have the largest colony of a particular

plant in the world that exists on top of the mountain.

We have visible and documented Native American settlement

areas that date back 4,000 years, things called soapstone quarries

where Native Americans made stone bowls out of a soft rock, up

through pottery from what is called the Swift Creek Culture, on up

into the Creeks and the Cherokees that were still there when the

settlers arrived.

One of our favorite people in the State of Georgia, William Tecumseh Sherman, came to Arabia Mountain his first day out of Atlanta on his way back home. The granite quarries that existed and

still exist at Arabia and Lithonia, they provided employment to

generations upon generations of immigrants to the United States,

and they provided the stone that is found in a number of our historic buildings throughout the United States, such as the Academy

at Annapolis.

We have historic industrial and residential buildings in the Arabia National Heritage Area that are built out of this native stone.

One of these buildings is already on our National Register of Historic Places.

As Senator Cleland also mentioned, with the help of our great

Governor Roy Barnes in Georgia we have already purchased the

35

last remaining dairy farm in this area. It is the closest farm in to

the Atlanta metropolitan region. It is the last dairy farm in an area

that once was the dairy-farming capital of our State.

In sum, our heritage area can display the entire history of this

part of the world, from the Native Americans to the early settlers

and farmers through the Civil War to the great quarry industries,

and at the same time preserve a unique ecological heritage—is that

buzzer for me? Okay. I thought it went fast.

It is a historical miracle, really, that such an opportunity still exists in the year 2002 in an area growing like the Atlanta region,

only 20 minutes from downtown. If we had more time I would love

to tell you how it happened. But think of the educational opportunities that are afforded by an area with all the types of resources

I mentioned that is within a 1-hour field trip of half the school population of our entire State. That is what we are really excited

about, is the future educational opportunities of a national heritage

area, because we need to preserve and tell these stories and this

legislation will help us.

Obviously, we are enthusiastic. I am enthusiastic. But to put

that enthusiasm to the test, we did decide to conduct a thorough

study of what an Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area could

provide to the public. This is that study, the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area Feasibility Study. We retained the firm Icon

Architecture, which has done a number of the master plans for heritage areas throughout the country: the recently approved Automotive National Heritage Area, the Ohio and Erie Canal, the South

Carolina Heritage Corridor, and such.

They did a 9-month long study process, and in our package you

will find a letter from them and you will see that they are very enthusiastic about this particular heritage area.

It was our pleasure to have the close and invaluable involvement

of the Southeastern Regional Office of the National Park Service in

conducting this study and in our alliance. The study findings,

which I have attached in our package, you will see that we believe

we have addressed all ten of the proposed criteria for future national heritage areas.

Finally, if you will let me say a few words about partnership. The

Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area has the enthusiastic support of relevant State and local partners. We have purchased over

$23 million in land already. Landowners have gifted over $13 million in property outright to this project. Local philanthropic organizations have contributed over $2 million, professional firms have

contributed an untold amount.

We have also had the close support and involvement from numerous national nonprofit organizations, such as the Conservation

Fund, the Trust for Public Land, and the Nature Conservancy.

Also I want to mention that we are also proud to say that this

is a multiracial project. Our project area reaches from the second

richest African American area in the United States after Washington here into very conservative Rockdale County. I am proud to say

that we are a bipartisan effort, because, as you will see, our legislation on the House side is cosponsored by Republic John Linder.

The alliance has finally been honored by the support and involvement of the families and the people that live in this area to a great

36

extent, who have given their land, given some of their buildings,

all the way up to the 91-year-old farmer who hung on for 3 years

for us, and the Davidson family who gifted Arabia Mountain itself

to the public 30 years ago.

Now, the proposed Arabia Mountain Heritage Area encompasses

five political jurisdictions: DeKalb County, Rockdale County, Henry

County, the city of Lithonia, and the State of Georgia. The national

heritage area designation and the funds that come with it we

would hope would allow us to implement a unified management

structure that will coordinate between political jurisdictions, so

that from the public’s point of view when they come to enjoy all

these resources and see it, it will be a seamless experience.

We humbly ask you for your support for our legislation. I thank

you for your time. I would be happy to answer any questions that

you may have. Thank you.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Jordan follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF KELLY JORDAN, CHAIR, ARABIA MOUNTAIN HERITAGE AREA

ALLIANCE, LITHONIA, GA

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, on behalf of the many partners

in the Arabia Mountain Heritage Area Alliance, I want to say how exciting it is for

us to be here today. In particular, we want to thank our own Senator Max Cleland

for introducing us to the concept of National Heritage Areas and for sponsoring this

legislation.

It has been an honor for me to serve as Chair of the Arabia Mountain Heritage

Area Alliance for the past four years (and let me interject that, amazingly, no one

knows where Arabia Mountain gets its name, but we are confident it has no relation

to recent events in the Middle East!).

As we came to fully understand National Heritage Areas we saw what a great

partnership can be created between Federal, State and local jurisdictions through

this mechanism. The resulting national recognition, combined with a relatively

small amount of Federal support, can catalyze such great efforts and benefit at the

local level.

Senator Cleland and our Alliance partners share a deep love and affection for this

part of our natural world an area where an amazing variety of treasures occur in

a relatively small area, just for instance:

• As the Senator mentioned, Panola Mountain is already a designated National

Natural Landmark and considered one of the finest rock outcrop ecosystems in

the eastern United States.

• Arabia Mountain itself is home to Federally listed endangered, threatened, and

rare plant species and fabulous displays of unusual plants and wild flowers

year-round.

• We have visible Native American settlement areas and quarries that extend

back 4,000 years that are already designated historic sites at the local, State

and Federal level.

• One of our favorite people in Georgia, General William T. Sherman, camped at

Arabia Mountain his first night out of Atlanta on his way back home in 1864.

• The granite rock quarries at Arabia and Lithonia employed generations of immigrants to the United States and provided stone for historic buildings, such

as the Annapolis Academies, all across the nation.

• We have historic industrial and residential buildings built out of the native

stone, one of which is already listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

• As Senator Cleland mentioned, with the help of our great Georgia Governor,

Roy Barnes, our project has preserved for all time the last remaining farm in

DeKalb County—a county which once was the dairy capitol of the entire State.

In sum, this Heritage Area can display the entire history of this part of the world,

from our Native Americans to the early settlers and farmers, through the Civil War

to the great quarry industries—and at the same time preserve a unique ecological

heritage. It is an historical miracle that such an historic opportunity still exits in

2002 only twenty minutes from the downtown of a major urban area, particularly

one growing like the Atlanta region. Think of the educational opportunities afforded

by being within a one-hour field trip of nearly half the school population of the enVerDate 11-SEP-98 14:26 Sep 06, 2002 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00039 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 J:\DOCS\81-569 SENERGY3 PsN: SENERGY3
37

tire State. We need to preserve and tell these stories and this legislation will help

greatly.

In addition, National Heritage Areas can be not just park projects, but also economic development vehicles. In fact, we strive to be an exceptional Heritage Area

in that regard by virtue of our ties to the local business community. The budge of

our largest jurisdiction, DeKalb County, for example, depends on sales taxes rather

than residential property taxes. By helping to attract visitors by the thousands, an

Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area could fill up the hotel rooms, restaurants

and shops at the nearby regional Stonecrest Mall, which will generate those sales

taxes and, even more importantly, generate employment now that the older industrial base is receding.

Obviously, we are enthusiastic, but to put that enthusiasm to the test, we decided

to conduct a thorough study of what an Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area

could offer to the public. We have provided a letter and summary findings from the

highly experienced ICON architecture firm, which we retained for a nine month

long study process. It was our pleasure to have the close and invaluable involvement

of the Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance Program of the National Park

Service Southeast Regional Office all along the way. The study findings, we believe,

address all ten criteria set forth by the National Park Service for future Heritage

Areas.

Finally, permit me a few words about partnership. The Arabia Mountain Heritage

Area Alliance has the enthusiastic support of the relevant State and local partners:

• Over $23 million in land acquisition has been funded.

• Land owners have gifted over $13 million in property.

• Local philanthropy has contributed over $2 million.

• Professional firms and individuals have donated untold hours.

We have also had invaluable support from numerous national and non-profit organizations such as The Conservation Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and the Trust

for Public Land.

We are also proud of our bipartisan nature. Rockdale County, for instance is represented in the House of Representatives by Republican John Linder who is one of

the cosponsors the companion bill in the House. We’re also proud to say that this

project occurs in a highly diverse area and has multi-racial involvement at all levels

of the Alliance.

Finally, the Alliance has been honored by the support and involvement of the families and community associations in the Arabia and Lithonia area ranging from the

five-year-olds in our educational video to the 91-year-old S.B. Vaughters (our last

farmer in DeKalb County), to the Lithonia Woman’s Club members to prominent

families such as the Davidsons who gifted Arabia Mountain to the public thirty

years ago.

Yet despite our degree of local commitment and accomplishment to date, our full

success very much needs the recognition and operational assistance that designation

as a National Heritage Area would provide and we humbly ask for your support of

this legislation.

Thank you very much for your time and interest. I will be happy to answer any

questions that you may have.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much.

Mr. Baker.

STATEMENT OF JAMES BAKER, SITE ADMINISTRATOR, FELIX

VALLE HOUSE STATE HISTORIC SITE, MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, ST. GENEVIEVE, MO

Mr. BAKER. Chairman Akaka, Senator THOMAS. Thanks for the

opportunity to speak on this issue. My name is James Baker and

I serve as the site administrator of the State-owned historic properties in St. Genevieve, Missouri. I am here to testify for the State

of Missouri in support of S. 1638, legislation to authorize a heritage

assessment of the unparalleled French cultural resources located in

and around our community. I will present the key issues that justify this study and I also bring letters of support from St. Genevieve and other organizations interested in this area.

38

We believe the influence of France on our Nation’s history, culture, and legacy is not well known or understood. Although numerous French historic and cultural assets remain throughout the

country, few sites are able to reveal the vast influence of the

French presence in the center of our continent prior to the Louisiana Purchase. The cultural identity forged in this region, later

America’s frontier, is a story of national significance well beyond

the ability of any existing State or local interpretive facility to

present in an appropriate manner.

The authorization in S. 1638 is the vehicle that can apply a national perspective to the efforts to create an integrated approach to

correct this problem. The historic region around St. Genevieve focuses on a corridor of French Colonial settlement along the Mississippi River, including resources at Cahokia, Fort de Chartres,

Kaskaskia, Old Mines, and throughout the St. Louis region. This

rich collection of resources includes St. Genevieve’s national historic landmark district, which preserves a significant number of

eighteenth century French colonial structures.

Local archaeological resources include the original sites of St.

Genevieve and New Bourbon, as well as a salt-producing settlement at the Saline Creek and the rich agricultural fields of Le

Grand Champ.

We believe this framework of historic and cultural assets can

provide the basis from which to tell an integrated and comprehensive story of the significance of French culture and settlement on

the national character and fabric of the United States.

Interpretive themes of national significance can be developed further to enhance the understanding of the region’s resources. These

include French colonial exploration and settlement of the mid-Mississippi River Valley, French cultural influences on the social, architectural, and economic history of the region, the significance and

impact of the Louisiana Purchase on these existing settlements, the

cross-cultural experience between the English, French, black, and

existing Native American populations, and the ongoing French influence in this area of the country today.

We feel the proposed assessment will confirm our belief in the

national scope of the historic resources of our region. The story of

French colonial America is unique, but generally not well known or

represented in our national interpretive efforts. We have an opportunity to tell this story at one of the most remarkable historic sites

in this country, an area we propose as the French heritage park

site.

The site includes 2 of the 5 remaining poteaux-en-terre, or postin-the-ground, vertical log houses known to survive in North America. The Amoureux House, circa 1792; and the Bequette-Ribault

House, circa 1808, still stand together on their original sites as silent witness to an earlier time and culture. In addition, there is an

opportunity to acquire adjoining properties from willing private

sellers to make the heritage park a reality.

In summary, an untapped set of national assets in this country

begs to be assessed and integrated within an overall interpretive

plan. An opportunity to bring these national assets together as a

French heritage park can provide a place where the French experiVerDate 11-SEP-98 14:26 Sep 06, 2002 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00041 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 J:\DOCS\81-569 SENERGY3 PsN: SENERGY3
39

ence can come to life while promoting the ongoing protection and

visitation of this region’s historic resources.

S. 1638 is legislation that is timely and needed, providing the opportunity to properly assess these resources and interpretive

themes and to chart an appropriate course of action. Therefore, the

State of Missouri and its Department of Natural Resources are in

full support of the legislation introduced by Senator Bond.

Thank you for your consideration today.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much for your testimony.

We have questions for you that we will ask you after we hear

from the Senator from Nevada. May I ask the Senator from Nevada

to join the group and to give your statement at this time.

STATEMENT OF HON. HARRY REID, U.S. SENATOR

FROM NEVADA

Senator REID. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, Senator

Thomas. Thank you very much for allowing me to step in here. I

am happy to report from the floor we are making progress. We are

going to have a vote probably in about a half an hour if things

work out right and several more votes this evening. So we are moving right along.

Mr. Chairman, I would ask unanimous consent that my full

statement be made part of the record.

Senator AKAKA. Without objection, it will be included in the

record.

Senator REID. I would note that this is the first thing that the

State of Utah and the State of Nevada have agreed on since we

agreed to split and not become part of the same territory. So this

is really landmark legislation.

We have support from White Pine County, which is in Nevada,

Millard County, which is in Utah, the Governor of Nevada, the

Governor of Utah. We have Indian tribes in Nevada, both the Shoshone Duckwater Tribe and the Ely Shoshone Tribe, Nevada Commission on Tourism, the city of Ely, Nevada, White Pine County

Economic Diversification Council, White Pine Chamber of Commerce, Millard County Steering Committee, which again is in

Utah, Millard County Economic Development Association, and

large numbers of other entities and organizations who believe this

would be great for this whole part of the State.

Mr. Chairman, this is a unique part of America, and I would only

indicate that we have some things there that are really, really

amazing. For example, people do not realize that probably the oldest living things in the world are the trees we have there, the

Bristlecone pines, some of which people believe are 6,000 years old.

Think about that: 4,000 years before Christ was born, these trees

started growing. They are there now. They are alive and you can

go see them.

The purpose of this heritage area will highlight the rich natural

and cultural history of parts of Nevada and Utah by working with

local communities to conserve, interpret, and develop these resources. The area has already been studied for its suitability for a

national heritage area. This was done by a feasibility study in

1998.

40

The area will be managed with a board of directors consisting of

local officials from both counties and tribes. The board will have

the authority to receive and spend Federal funds on the development of a management plan. The bill directs the Secretary of the

Interior to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the

board of directors for the management of this heritage area.

The bill does not place any private property under Federal control. The local control is important because, as I have indicated, the

Counties of White Pine, Nevada, and Millard County, Utah, believe

they can benefit significantly from this.

We hope that the committee will look favorably upon this. It is

not as if we are trying to invent the wheel, but it is something that

we want to be able to take advantage of. It is great for this part

of the State of Nevada. I have to say frankly, Mr. President, speaking only for Nevada, this is an area that has been economically depressed. We had a mine that was in White Pine County. It was

going great guns from about 1900 to about 1975, employing thousands of people, and it closed up. Magma Copper came in and

opened this mine again and for about 5 or 6 years it was going

great guns again. It was purchased by some company, international

company. They closed the mine.

This area is economically depressed. It would really be tremendous if this committee would approve this so that we can move it

to the floor.

[The prepared statement of Senator Reid follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. HARRY REID, U.S. SENATOR FROM NEVADA

Mr. Chairman, thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify in favor of this

bill, which will establish a National Heritage Area in eastern Nevada and western

Utah. I introduced this bill on February 13, 2002, with Senator Ensign, Senator

Hatch, and Senator Bennett as co-sponsors.

Mr. Chairman, as you know, National Heritage Areas are regions in which residents, businesses, as well as local and tribal governments join together in partnerships to conserve and celebrate their shared cultural heritage and special landscapes. We’re honored to have with us today Denys M. Koyle, from Baker, Nevada,

who will testify regarding the natural and cultural history of the Great Basin. Given

her expertise, I won’t go into detail about all that this region has to offer. I’ll simply

say that this bill will highlight such nationally significant historic areas as the Pony

Express and Overland Stage Route, Mormon and other pioneer settlements, historic

mining camps and ghost towns, as well as Native American cultural resources such

as Fremont Culture archeological sites. The bill also celebrates some of Nevada’s

natural riches, including forests of bristlecone pine, which are renowned for their

ability to survive for thousands of years.

Mr. Chairman, the Great Basin National Heritage Area will include White Pine

County and the Duckwater Reservation in Nevada and Millard County, Utah. The

Heritage Area will also ensure the protection of key educational and inspirational

opportunities in perpetuity without compromising traditional local control over—and

use of—the landscape. Finally, the Great Basin National Heritage Area will provide

a framework for celebrating Nevada’s and Utah’s rich historic, archeological, cultural, and natural resources for both visitors and residents.

Mr. Chairman, the bill will establish a board of directors to manage the area.

Consisting of local officials from both counties and tribes, the board will have the

authority to receive and spend federal funds and develop a management plan within

five years of the bill’s passage. The bill directs the Secretary of the Interior to enter

into a memorandum of understanding with the Board of Directors for the management of the resources of the heritage area. The bill also authorizes up to $10 million

to carry out the Act but limits Federal funding to no more than fifty percent of the

project’s costs. The bill allows the Secretary to provide assistance until September

20, 2020.

41

I am pleased to report that this bill has garnered widespread support throughout

Nevada and Utah. I have received letters of support from a wide array of sources,

including the following:

• White Pine County Board of Commissioners

• Millard County Board of Commissioners

• Governor of Nevada

• Governor of Utah

• Ely (Nevada) Shoshone Tribe

• Duckwater (Nevada) Shoshone Tribe

• Nevada Commission on Tourism

• City of Ely

• Ely Business Council

• White Pine County Economic Diversification Council

• White Pine Chamber of Commerce

• Millard County Steering Committee for responsible use of Public Lands

• Millard County Economic Development Association

• Millard County Tourism

• Delta (Utah) Area Chamber of Commerce

Mr. Chairman, as the above list shows, this bill enjoys support in Nevada and

Utah. But I want to make it clear that this bill is good not just for these two states,

but the nation as a whole. The bill highlights the Great Basin’s outstanding cultural

and natural values and brings people together to celebrate this place with pride.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much for your testimony. We

have no questions for you.

Senator REID. Thank you very much. I apologize for coming late.

Senator AKAKA. We will put your statement in the record.

Senator REID. Thank you very much.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you so much.

We have some questions for our witnesses. May I pose the first

question to Denys Koyle. The Park Service is recommending that

we strike the provision of the bill that would allow the management entity to make loans. As I understand, we generally have not

authorized the use of loans for heritage area management groups.

Do you anticipate any adverse consequences if this provision were

to be removed from the bill?

Ms. KOYLE. No, it would not affect us. Unless we got very prosperous, I do not think we would be loaning money. We would be

relying on grants.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you for your brief response.

I have a question for Jim Baker. Thank you for your testimony

about a study for a possible French colonial heritage area. If the

heritage area is designated, please describe the major projects for

which Federal funding will be used?

Mr. BAKER. We would foresee an area which would encompass

the 2 historic buildings I mentioned and their restoration and interpretation, and also the ability to create an interpretive center in

an existing structure that would be able to bring together these resources. That has been the major flaw in the preservation effort of

our region, is that the resources are somewhat scattered and each

place operates independently through a lot of different organizations—the State of Illinois, the State of Missouri, local historic

preservation organizations.

We would envision that a Federal operation would be able to not

necessarily bring together the management of those places, but

bring together the interpretation of those places and offer the general public a view of the history of the region as a whole and bring

together these elements so that they complete a picture of the

42

French colonial settlement of what we call the Illinois Country,

part of upper Louisiana, in the colonial period under the French

and both the Spanish governments.

Senator AKAKA. Have you considered undertaking your own feasibility study instead of having the Park Service complete one?

Mr. BAKER. Our part of the project as the Department of Natural

Resources involves our ownership and management and operation

of the Amoureux House. As part of our planning process, we have

discussed the operation and interpretation of that area, but we felt

as though a national sense is more appropriate because the whole

center of our Nation was actually French territory in the very earliest period, and we feel the importance of these resources is beyond

the scope of just the State of Missouri’s operation in St. Genevieve,

but in a sense really deserves a much broader perspective which

would be able to bring a national perspective to the history of that

whole part of our country.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you.

My next question is to Mr. Jordan of Georgia. Under the terms

of the legislation, your organization would serve as the management entity for the heritage area. In reviewing the study you have

prepared, it appears that the alliance represents a broad coalition

of groups, and you have mentioned some of that, partnerships, nonprofit organizations and so forth. Can you provide us with more detail about the composition of the alliance?

Mr. JORDAN. Senator, I certainly could provide it in writing better than I could recite it at length today and I would be happy to

do that.

Senator AKAKA. We will accept that when you can. Please provide it.

Mr. JORDAN. Let me say in addition to that, as I said, we performed this initial heritage area study. We have received the funds

from the local philanthropic community to now do a more detailed

management study. We accumulated over $100,000 with which we

are beginning to answer those questions in exquisite detail. But I

will be happy to provide you everything that we have up to this

point.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you. About the alliance, it appears that

currently both representatives of certain Federal agencies and

members of Congress are part of the alliance. Would you please explain whether it is your intention that they remain as part of the

alliance once it is designated as the management entity?

Mr. JORDAN. No, sir, absolutely not. They are part of what we

call our board of governors and they provide an overarching supervision and guidance to us, but they would not be part of day-to-day

management.

Senator AKAKA. Mr. Shoup, based on your experience with the

proposed Oil Region National Heritage Area, do you have any suggestions for us as we consider future heritage area designations?

For example, what do you think are the minimum steps that need

to be taken by a local group before a heritage area is designated?

Mr. SHOUP. I think minimally not only do they need to have a

richness of heritage and a story to tell, but they have to have evidenced consensus in terms of developing consensus-based grassroots planning initiatives, they need to have some local consensus

43

in terms of selection of themes and projects that are indeed relevant and worthy of promotion in building that support. I think

that it is relevant, as per the display materials that we had up

here, that you have a lot of local involvement in going through the

management action plans and having the feasibility studies done

and those kinds of things, so that when you make the argument

that you should be designated a national heritage area, you have

an argument to make.

In our case, as would be evidenced in our packet, we not only

have the support of local Senators and Representatives, but we

have also encouraged their close cooperation in working with us.

Some regularly attend meetings in support. We have the support

of our county commissioners of all the counties involved, the cities,

the leadership of the cities. The list goes on and on, and if you

want I could establish.

But I really think that what I would say is that it takes a lot

of thought in terms of what you have that is historically significant

and whether it is worthy of designation as a State heritage park,

of a national heritage park, and move forward from there.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much.

Further questions, Senator Thomas?

Senator THOMAS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Let me see here. The Great Basin, there has been no study of

this proposal, is that correct?

Ms. KOYLE. Yes, we have had feasibility studies and studies paid

for by the Nevada Commission on Tourism.

Senator THOMAS. But the Park Service has not made a study?

Ms. KOYLE. In 1998 there was a feasibility study done.

Senator THOMAS. By whom?

Ms. KOYLE. I believe the Park Service.

Senator THOMAS. I do not believe so.

Ms. KOYLE. No?

Senator THOMAS. I do not think the Park Service has made a

study. Is that right?

Ms. BARRETT. No, the Park Service did not do the 1998 study,

although the Park Service did a broad regional study in 1980 as

part of the Great Basin National Park establishment.

Senator AKAKA. Does that meet the criteria that we need a study

before we deal with this, if it was done in 1980?

Ms. BARRETT. Well, it was in many cases looking at both the history and the natural history of the area. I think that many of the

more recent interim criteria that the Park Service uses are based

on the special resource studies that the Park Service uses for park

unit designation.

Senator THOMAS. What are you saying?

Ms. BARRETT. I am saying that——

Senator THOMAS. I am asking you, has there been the kind of

study that we now require before these kinds of designations can

be made?

Ms. BARRETT. Yes, we believe that, based on the background information that the Park Service gathered in 1980 and the more recent 1998 study that was done by the Great Basin partnership,

that that meets the criteria for national heritage area designation.

44

Senator THOMAS. One of the sections in the bill says that ‘‘should

not provide assistance until September 20, 2020.’’ What does that

mean?

Ms. BARRETT. I think we are proposing——

Senator THOMAS. After 2020.

Ms. BARRETT. We are proposing an amendment as part of our

testimony to the legislation to amend that to say 2012.

Senator THOMAS. I see, to apply the 10-year proposition, I see.

Ms. BARRETT. Yes.

Ms. KOYLE. Senator Thomas, that 1998 study was funded by the

Nevada Commission on Tourism. It was a $50,000 feasibility study.

Senator THOMAS. What size an area are you talking about?

Ms. KOYLE. The entire two counties cover from border to border

about a 300-mile stretch of land. I do not know how many square

miles it is, but it is significant. About 85 percent of that is Federal

land.

Senator THOMAS. It says that it prohibits the management from

regulating any land use inside the heritage.

Ms. KOYLE. We cannot zone, we cannot——

Senator THOMAS. I agree with that. What if they build a town

and build apartments and so on?

Ms. KOYLE. We have nothing to say about it.

Senator THOMAS. I see. So it would not be the old heritage——

Ms. KOYLE. We have no regulatory powers whatsoever.

Senator THOMAS. The idea of a heritage, it always sounds like

you are going to preserve something.

Ms. KOYLE. Our critics were most concerned about that, that

there would be some kind of regulation. We cannot regulate private

property at all.

Senator THOMAS. I understand. But then you cannot ensure that

this historic scene is going to remain that way, can you?

Ms. KOYLE. I am sorry?

Senator THOMAS. You cannot assure that this historic thing that

you are talking about will remain that way.

Ms. KOYLE. Unless you change the legislation, it would remain

that way.

Senator THOMAS. Well, you said you do not have the authority

to keep it that way.

Ms. KOYLE. We do not have the authority to regulate our own

property or having anything to say about private property.

Senator THOMAS. Okay. I do not disagree with that, but it seems

like it is a little conflicting with the idea of having a heritage unit

and then not be able to retain that historical vision.

Ms. KOYLE. We have to have the permission of the private property owner.

Senator THOMAS. Well, I agree. I could not agree with you more.

What size is the Arabia Mountain unit?

Mr. JORDAN. In the study, Senator, we have a proposed boundary. It makes clear in the study that that is not necessarily our

final boundary when we do the detailed management study, but

that would be about an 8 square mile area that you are looking at

there if it were inclusive of all that is there. As I testified, we have

been fortunate, with local support, to have acquired so far over

4,000 acres of that area. So we do have a fighting chance of preVerDate 11-SEP-98 14:26 Sep 06, 2002 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00047 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 J:\DOCS\81-569 SENERGY3 PsN: SENERGY3
45

serving that, although, similar to these others, land that we have

not actually acquired at fair market, we exercise no control over.

Senator THOMAS. Sure, I understand.

I think the proposition here—oh, I guess that is in the oil heritage one, to get the money over 15 years; is that what you perceive?

Mr. SHOUP. Yes, that is my understanding of the proposal.

Senator THOMAS. What about if we stick to our 10-year proposal?

Mr. SHOUP. I think if we stick to the 10-year proposal we have

the broad-based cooperation and capabilities to make it happen

within that 10-year period, most certainly.

Senator THOMAS. That is all I have, Mr. Chairman.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much for your questions. I want

to thank all of the witnesses for appearing before the subcommittee

this afternoon.

The hearing record will remain open for 2 weeks if anyone wishes to submit additional comments or materials to be included in the

record. I want you to know that we appreciated your responses and

they will be helpful as we make the decisions for this committee.

Thank you very much. The hearing is adjourned.

[Whereupon, at 4:40 p.m., hearing was adjourned.]

(47)

APPENDIX

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD

THE FOUNDATION FOR RESTORATION OF STE. GENEVIEVE,

Ste. Genevieve, MO, April 16, 2002.

Hon. Chairman, Subcommittee on National Parks, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.

SENATOR: The Foundation For the Restoration of Ste. Genevieve respectfully requests that your committee take favorable action on Senate Bill 1638 which will

provide funds to the Department of the Interior to conduct a study of the historic

assets of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri to determine how best to preserve, protect, interpret and promote the various facets of pre-colonial and French Colonial Ste. Genevieve history.

The small city of Ste. Genevieve contains the greatest assemblage of French Colonial vertical log buildings in North America. These structures are the heart of the

Ste. Genevieve National Historic District. But these French Colonial structures are

only part of the unique treasures of the Ste. Genevieve area. It is rich in sites that

define the Native American and French Colonial lifestyle in the early days of its

development. The Saline Salt Springs were important to both cultures. The earlier

site of Ste. Genevieve and New Bourbon, as well as the salt springs and the earthen

mounds of an extensive Mississippian Indian community are rich archeological sites.

These priceless historic features are an important national asset. But they need

to be further studied to develop a plan by which the various levels of government

and the private sector can best preserve and interpret them for the American public.

The area of the Mississippi valley was a key element in the French exploration

and settlement in North America. The numerous archeological sites, together with

the large number of surviving French Colonial structures in Ste. Genevieve make

this the most logical location for a National Historic Site dedicated to the French

presence in North America.

Sincerely,

FRANKLIN W. MYERS,

President.

STE. GENEVIEVE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE,

Ste. Genevieve, MO, April 16, 2002.

Hon. DANIEL K. AKAKA,

U.S. Senate, Hawaii Chairman, Subcommittee on National Parks, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Washington, DC.

DEAR SENATOR AKAKA: The Ste. Genevieve, Missouri Chamber of Commerce

pledges our sincere support for S. 1638, the proposed legislation submitted by Senator Christopher Bond to authorize the U.S. Department of the Interior to study the

suitability and feasibility of designating the French Colonial Heritage Area within

Ste. Genevieve, Missouri as a unit of the National Park System.

Ste. Genevieve, Missouri is a truly well preserved City representing the early

French settlement areas of farming and mining in southeast Missouri and southwestern Illinois. The local calendar of events features several festivals to celebrate

our French heritage, such as Jour de Fete Day of Celebration (the 2nd weekend of

August) and the Festival de la Nouvelle France in May. Local organizations that

fund and support our historic institutions include the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, the Foundation for Restoration of Ste. Genevieve, Inc.,

French Colonial Dames, the French Heritage Society, French Colonial Merchants

Association, and several other active local groups. The Chamber of Commerce works

extensively to promote tourism to share our important historic heritage with the

National Community.

48

If authorized by S. 1638, the study will identify and confirm the national importance of the French cultural heritage of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. We thank you

very much for your full support of S. 1638 as introduced by Senator Bond. To learn

more about Ste. Genevieve, please check the Chamber of Commerce web site at

www.saintegenevieve.org.

Sincerely,

JACK ROZIER,

President.

CITY OF STE. GENEVIEVE,

Ste. Genevieve, MO, April 16, 2002.

Hon. DANIEL K. AKAKA,

U.S. Senate, Hawaii Chairman, Subcommittee on National Parks, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Washington, DC.

DEAR SENATOR AKAKA: The City of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri submits this request

to the Subcommittee on National Parks to fully support S. 1638 and authorize the

U.S. Department of the Interior to study the suitability and feasibility of designating the French Colonial Heritage Area within our City as a unit of the National

Park System.

Ste. Genevieve, Missouri was the hub City of a significant French cultural area

founded in eastern Missouri and southwestern Illinois in the middle Eighteenth

Century. The region included the Missouri cities of St. Louis, Cape Girardeau, old

Ste. Genevieve, New Bourbon, and Ste. Genevieve was the predominant early regional trade center. The Ste. Genevieve Ferry across the Mississippi River has continuously operated since about 1780 and provided a notable commercial corridor to

link our City with French communities in Illinois such as Prairie du Rocher,

Kaskaskia, Cahokia, Fort Chartres, Fort Kaskaskia, Renault, etc.

Ste. Genevieve is blessed with many historic properties, including three sites operated by the State of Missouri Division of Parks, and our City has a long history of

protecting our historic resources through enactment of historic preservation policies.

The Ste. Genevieve National Landmarks Historic District (National Register Historic District) has been in existence since 1991 and creates a central focal point to

view the City’s rich historic traditions. In 1969, the Ste. Genevieve Landmarks Commission was created by the City to protect, enhance and perpetuate the historic

structures and elements. The City was fortunate to receive approval of funding appropriations in 1995 of $40 million for Phase I of our Urban Design Levee. This facility was authorized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the purpose of historic preservation and has only recently been substantially completed to protect the

City from flooding, for which the City is most thankful.

The study will identify and confirm the national importance and significance of

the French historic sites in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. We thank you very much for

your full support of the S. 1638 legislative proposal as introduced by Missouri Senator Christopher Bond.

Sincerely,

KATHLEEN M. WALTZ,

Mayor.

Fillmore, UT.

SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS:

GENTLEMEN: Regarding Bill S. 1939, Designation of Great Basin National Heritage Area Please enter this letter into the official record.

It is important to Millard County and the Fillmore Area Chamber of Commerce

that this bill be passed. We ask that you consider this an official request.

The passage of this bill can have an economic impact on the business districts and

areas of our community and county, with the visitors that will come to the park.

We want to have this lovely area preserved for the enjoyment of all who would

like to visit it and appreciate the beauties of our country.

Thank you for your consideration of our wishes.

WILLIAM D. SPEAKMAN,

Fillmore Area Chamber of Commerce.

49

DELTA AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE,

Delta, UT.

SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS:

The Delta Area Chamber of Commerce is very much in favor of U.S. Senate Bill

S. 1939—Designation of Great Basin National Heritage Area.

The Great Basin area, particularly along Highway 50 is full of many areas of interest for the traveler. Our Chamber Board is dedicated to promoting the business

of tourism in this area. There are many events that help link tourists to the history

and geography in Millard County. See our web site, www.millardeounty.com. I will

list just a few of the events and attractions in Millard County:

Snow Goose Festival in Delta

First Territorial State House in Fillmore

Topaz, a Japanese relocation camp

Old Capitol Days in Fillmore

Trilobite fossil beds

Topaz crystals in Millard County

Pony Express Route

Gunnison Bend Massacre Site

Cove Fort

In 1776, Frs. Escalante and Dominguez came through Millard County seeking a

northern route to Monterey, in California from Santa Fe (now in New Mexico).

The Delta Area Chamber of Commerce promotes some of these festivals and locations. We beg for contributions to finance these events and others we simply do not

have enough funds to advertise or promote them at all. Those of us in the chamber

spend a lot of volunteer time working to make them a success.

We are a small community and the tourism dollar would be a boost to our economy. Our primary industry is agriculture and the extra income from travelers would

surely help the retail business in Delta and Fillmore.

Again I ask you, pass the U.S. Senate Bill, S. 1939—Designation of Great Basin

National Heritage Area. Please include this letter in the official record.

Thank you.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

ELY RENAISSANCE SOCIETY,

Ely, NV, Apil I2, 2002.

SHELLEY BROWN,

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.

DEAR MS. BROWN: The Ely Renaissance Society supports the National Heritage

Area designation for the Great Basin Area Partnership.

The Highway 50 Corridor from Delta, Utah to Ely, Nevada is a unique area covering over 150 miles. Located in the center of the Great Basin, this stretch of the

Loneliest Road in America includes over 800 historical, cultural, religious, and geological sites that tell the story of the land and people who have lived here for hundreds of years.

Heritage tourism and the idea of using an area’s history to attract visitors has

become the fastest growing segment of tourism in the world. Travelers interested

in history and culture travel to more destinations, stay longer, and spend more according to information from the Nevada Commission on Tourism.

The economic impact of increased visitors to the Highway 50 Corridor is vital to

all the communities located from Delta, Utah to Ely, Nevada. Marketing the area

in a combined effort benefits all the residents and businesses located here.

Since the beginning of the Heritage Area Partnership, the Ely Renaissance Society has been proud to join with over 100 local, suite, and regional entities in supporting the Great Basin Heritage Area Designation.

Sincerely,

VIRGINIA TERRY,

President.

50

TOPAZ MUSEUM,

Delta, UT, April 13, 2002.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

As a citizen of Delta, Utah who is concerned with the preservation and educational value of the Topaz Internment Camp site, I encourage passage of the bill

that will create the Great Basin Heritage Area.

During World War II, the Topaz Internment Camp was located 16 miles from

Delta which is on Highway 6, a direct route from San Francisco to Denver. The site

housed over 8,500 Japanese Americans who were removed from the San Francisco

Bay area because of the prejudice and fear that accompanied Pearl Harbor. One of

ten camps, Topaz City, still dramatically shows the skeleton of the town where the

people lived. Artifacts and buildings are still scattered throughout the approximate

19,000 acres that comprised the camp. After sixty years, the site tells a powerful

story even though the desert has buffeted the city’s remains for sixty years. Walkways, roads, barbed wire, foundations and gardens all tell part of the story of internment, a story Americans should continue to hear and heed.

The Topaz Museum Board has been working for several years to preserve the site

and to construct a museum in Delta in order to continue to educate visitors. People

are more and more interested in the subject. Although the museum is not completed, we have had visitors from all over the United States and Japan.

The history, although difficult, is an important part of the heritage of Millard

county, Utah and the nation. However complex and difficult it is talk about, visiting

the site moves people to a greater understanding of the fragile nature of democracy,

and prompts citizens to admire those who responded positively even in adverse conditions of internment.

In 1999, the site was named a Save American Treasure’s project. The Topaz Museum Board has been working to raise money for the construction of a museum, and

it has also purchased 425 acres of the site to prevent housing development that

would destroy the history. But we need the support that we believe the Great Basin

Heritage Area would bring. We encourage the passing of the bills and appropriations to make this happen.

JANE BECKWITH,

Topaz Museum Board President.

DEPARTMENT OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS,

EAST ELY RAILROAD DEPOT MUSEUM,

Ely, NV, April 16, 2002.

Ms. SHELLY BROWN,

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

DEAR COMMITTEE: The East Ely Rdilroad Depot Museum, located in Ely Nevada

is pleased to lend its support to the Great Basin Heritage Area Partnership. This

effort has welded a number of entities into a cohesive organization to better promote

and protect the rich natural beauty and heritage of western Utah and eastern Nevada.

As one of six museums in the State of Nevada’s Division of Museums and History

we recognize the value of this type of partnership. It has already been a driving

force for uniting and magnifying a voice for preservation. The designation of a Heritage Area will continue to be of tremendous significance to us as we pursue our mission to preserve and display eastern Nevada history.

We offer our support in requesting the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources designate the area of western Utah and eastern Nevada as a Heritage Area.

The natural resources and significant heritage of the area are worth protecting and

preserving for all Americans.

Respectfully,

SEAN PITTS,

Director.

51

NEVADA HUMANITIES COMMITTEE,

Reno, NV, Las Vegas, NV, April 16, 2002.

Shelley Brown,

Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Subcommittee on National

Parks.

I am writing in support of the Great Basin Heritage Area. This area of eastern

Nevada and western Utah, which is adjacent to the Great Basin National Park, is

a land of historic significance and exceptional natural beauty and grandeur.

The area has much to attract tourists: from the oldest trees to be found on the

face of the earth to the intact Northern Nevada Railway Depot and roundhouse. The

cooper mining history of the Ruth-McGill area, with its ethnically diverse company

town, has been well recorded by historian Russell Elliott, And the adaptation of Native Americans to the and environment of the Great Basin is yet another interesting

story to tell. From the early explorers to the Pony Express riders and the Lincoln

Highway travelers, this is an area that has been traversed and described for 175

years by interesting wayfarers.

Designation as a heritage area would be a tremendous boon to those residents of

the area who care about history and historic preservation. We can promise the ongoing interest and involvement of Nevada Humanities in this heritage effort. Please

give it your careful attention.

Sincerely yours,

JUDITH WINZELER,

Executive Director.

April 17, 2002.

SHELLEY BROWN,

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Dirksen Office Building, Washington,

DC.

In June 1999, with the support of the National Park Service and the Nevada

Commission on Tourism, and after a series of public meetings over a two-year period in White Pine County, Nevada and Millard County Utah, the Great Basin Heritage Area Partnership was formed. I believe that a National Heritage Area encompassing the two counties and the Duckwater and Ely Shoshone Reservations will

contribute to the quality of life and provide a much needed economic stimulus package for the area.

My particular interest within the broad and profound themes of the proposed National Heritage Area, is the town of McGill, Nevada. I live in McGill and operate

the historic McGill Drugstore as a unit of the White Pine Public Museum. McGill

is unique in Nevada and possibly unique in the nation. This was a company town

for the Kennicott Cooper Mines and retains its original layout, company bungalow

style housing, business district, schools and company buildings. The entire town is

a living artifact of an era that is passing into the national history. The ethnic heritage of the miners who settled the Great Basin is still evident in McGill.

The National Heritage Area designation will bring more tourism into the area and

more visitors to the community of McGill. They will have a wonderful opportunity

to view and experience a ‘‘company town’’, a part of the national heritage and very

likely a part of their own family heritage, regardless of their origins. They will also

have the opportunity to learn about the settlement of the Great Basin and the

American West, a story that is not only cowboys and cows, but immigrants from Europe and Asia building mines, railroads, towns and a diverse society.

The National Heritage Area designation will also provide an economic stimulus

to the area and to the town of McGill. Tourism based on the preservation and interpretation of our local and national heritage has the potential to provide jobs, improve infrastructure, and maintain or heritage for future generations.

The community of McGill and the White Pine Public Museum support the efforts

of the Great Basin Heritage Area Partnership to achieve National Heritage Area

designation. We hope that you and your committee will support passage of SB 1939

to create Great Basin National Heritage Axes.

Sincerely,

DANIEL BRADDOCK.

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