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86–785 PDF 2003

S. HRG. 108–14

CE ́SAR ESTRADA CHA`VEZ; CATOCTIN MOUNTAIN

PARK; RIM OF THE VALLEY CORRIDOR; AND

WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK

HEARING

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON

ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

UNITED STATES SENATE

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

ON

S. 164 S. 347

S. 328 S. 425

MARCH 4, 2003

(

Printed for the use of the

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

(II)

COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico, Chairman

DON NICKLES, Oklahoma

LARRY E. CRAIG, Idaho

BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL, Colorado

CRAIG THOMAS, Wyoming

LAMAR ALEXANDER, Tennessee

LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska

JAMES M. TALENT, Missouri

CONRAD BURNS, Montana

GORDON SMITH, Oregon

JIM BUNNING, Kentucky

JON KYL, Arizona

JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico

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

ALEX FLINT, Staff Director

JAMES P. BEIRNE, Chief Counsel

ROBERT M. SIMON, Democratic Staff Director

SAM E. FOWLER, Democratic Chief Counsel

SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS

CRAIG THOMAS, Wyoming, Chairman

DON NICKLES, Oklahoma, Vice Chairman

BEN NIGHTHORSE CAMPBELL, Colorado

LAMAR ALEXANDER. Tennessee

CONRAD BURNS, Montana

GORDON SMITH, Oregon

JON KYL, Arizona

DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii

BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota

BOB GRAHAM, Florida

MARY L. LANDRIEU, Louisiana

EVAN BAYH, Indiana

CHARLES E. SCHUMER, New York

PETE V. DOMENICI and JEFF BINGAMAN are Ex Officio Members of the Subcommittee

THOMAS LILLIE, Fellow

DAVID BROOKS, Democratic Senior Counsel

(III)

C O N T E N T S

STATEMENTS

Page

Akaka, Hon. Daniel K., U.S. Senator from Hawaii .............................................. 10

Daschle, Hon. Tom, U.S. Senator from South Dakota .......................................... 1

Edmiston, Joseph T., Executive Director, Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy ..................................................................................................................... 8

Feinstein, Hon. Dianne, U.S. Senator from California ......................................... 2

Johnson, Hon. Tim, U.S. Senator from South Dakota .......................................... 3

McCain, Hon. John, U.S. Senator from Arizona ................................................... 3

Sarbanes, Hon. Paul S., U.S. Senator from Maryland ......................................... 10

Schiff, Hon. Adam, U.S. Representative from California ..................................... 5

Solis, Hon. Hilda L., U.S. Representative from California ................................... 19

Thomas, Hon. Craig, U.S. Senator from Wyoming ............................................... 1

Tiller, deTeel Patterson, Acting Associate Director for Cultural Resources,

National Park Service, Department of the Interior .......................................... 13

APPENDIX

Additional material submitted for the record ........................................................ 29

(1)

CE ́ SAR ESTRADA CHA` VEZ; CATOCTIN MOUNTAIN PARK; RIM OF THE VALLEY CORRIDOR; AND WIND CAVE NATIONAL PARK

TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2003

U.S. SENATE,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS,

COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES,

Washington, DC.

The subcommittee met pursuant to notice, at 2:33 p.m., in room

SD–366, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Craig Thomas presiding.

OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. CRAIG THOMAS,

U.S. SENATOR FROM WYOMING

Senator THOMAS. Welcome to all of you. This is the—and Senator

McCain, the administration’s representatives, and witnesses for today’s Parks Subcommittee. We will receive testimony on four bills.

These bills are fairly straightforward. And we should be able to

move for their consideration on our next business meeting, I would

think.

S. 164 would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct

a special resource study of sites associated with the life of Ce ́sar

Cha`vez and the farm labor movement.

S. 328 renames the Catoctin Mountain Park in Maryland to Catoctin Mountain National Recreation Area.

S. 347 directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to

conduct a joint study to evaluate the suitability and the feasibility

of establishing the Rim of the Valley Corridor as a unit of the

Santa Monica Mountain National Recreation Area.

S. 425 would revise the boundary of the Wind Cave National

Park to include approximately 5,675 acres of land.

So these are the bills we will be talking about. And we are very

pleased today to have Senator McCain with us, and also Congressman Adam Schiff.

So, Senator, if you would like to begin.

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. TOM DASCHLE, U.S. SENATOR

FROM SOUTH DAKOTA

Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you and Senator Akaka for convening today’s

hearing on the Wind Cave National Park Boundary Revision Act (S. 425). I am

proud to sponsor this bill, which will benefit not only my home state of South Dakota, but the entire nation by expanding the protection of natural resources near

the park. I first introduced this legislation during the 107th Congress, and it received a favorable hearing from this Committee last September. The Senate passed

2

the bill unanimously in November, but the House of Representatives was unable to

consider the bill before Congress adjourned for the year.

Wind Cave National Park, located in southwestern South Dakota, is one of the

Park System’s precious natural treasures and one of the nation’s first national

parks. The cave itself, after which the park is named, is one of the world’s oldest,

longest and most complex cave systems, with more than 103 miles of mapped tunnels. The cave is well known for its exceptional display of boxwork, a rare, honeycomb-shaped formation that protrudes from the cave’s ceilings and walls. While the

cave is the focal point of the park, the land above the cave is equally impressive,

with 28,000 acres of rolling meadows, majestic forests, creeks, and streams. As one

of the few remaining mixed-grass prairie ecosystems in the country, the park is

home to abundant wildlife, such as bison, deer, elk and birds, and is a National

Game Preserve.

The Wind Cave National Park Boundary Revision Act would authorize the National Park Service to take advantage of an opportunity to acquire property from

willing sellers neighboring the park. The land in question lies within the southern

‘‘keyhole’’ region, and is a natural extension of the park. It contains the same mixedgrass prairie and ponderosa pine forests found in the rest of the park, including a

dramatic river canyon. The addition of this land will enhance recreation for hikers

who come for the solitude of the park’s back country. It will also improve fire management in the area and protect archaeological sites, such as a buffalo jump over

which early Native Americans once drove the bison they hunted. I understand this

would be the first site of its kind in the National Park System.

This plan to expand the park has strong support in the surrounding community,

whose views were expressed during a 60-day public comment period on the proposal

last summer. Most South Dakotans recognize the value in expanding the park, not

only to encourage additional tourism in the Black Hills, but to permanently protect

these extraordinary lands for future generations of Americans to enjoy. Understandably, however, some are legitimately concerned about the potential loss of hunting

opportunities and local tax revenue.

Congressman Bill Janklow, during his term as Governor of South Dakota, expressed his support for the park expansion, as long as it (1) does not reduce the

amount of land with public access that currently can be hunted, (2) there is no loss

of tax revenue to the county from the expansion, and (3) chronic wasting disease

issues are dealt with effectively. These are reasonable conditions that should be met

as this process moves forward.

In response to these concerns, the National Park Service modified its original proposal to exclude 880 acres of School and Public Lands property from the expansion.

This will help maintain public hunting access to these areas, and protect local county tax revenues. In addition, the South Dakota Game, Fish, and Parks Department

has reached an agreement with Wind Cave officials to monitor the occurrence of

chronic wasting disease in elk and deer herds in the park, which will help officials

better understand the disease. I am satisfied that the proposal put forth by the Park

Service effectively addresses these concerns. The question of tax revenue for the

counties is one that Congress must address through the Payment in Lieu of Taxes

program, which provides direct payments to counties with federal land. I look forward to working with my colleagues to fully fund this important program.

Wind Cave National Park has been a valued American treasure for more than 100

years. This legislation provides us an opportunity to expand the park and enhance

its value to the public, so that visitors will enjoy it even more during the next 100

years. It is my hope that my colleagues will support this expansion of the park and

pass this legislation expeditiously.

Again, thank you for holding this hearing. I look forward to working with the

Chairman and the rest of the committee as it considers this legislation.

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. DIANNE FEINSTEIN, U.S. SENATOR

FROM CALIFORNIA

Mr. Chairman, I would like to begin by thanking you and the members of this

Committee for your early consideration of this bill, the ‘‘Rim of the Valley Corridor

Study Act’’, S. 347, which is so important to me and the people of California.

I am delighted to introduce my colleague and friend, Congressman Adam Schiff,

the distinguished Representative from the 29th district of California, who will be

testifying today in support of this bill that we both feel strongly about.

I would also like to welcome Joseph Edmiston, the Executive Director of the Santa

Monica Mountains Conservancy, who flew from California to Washington with very

3

short notice to lend his strong support for this bill. I appreciate your hard work and

dedication for getting this job done.

Congressman Schiff and I have been working in tandem on companion versions

of this bill to authorize the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior to conduct a joint

resource study on the feasibility of including the Rim of the Valley Corridor in the

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. We have worked diligently to

address the concerns that the National Park Service posed to us last year during

their testimony before this body and believe that this bill represents a well-balanced

approach to land conservation.

Last year, this bill was passed out of the full Committee favorably, but the 107′′’

Congress ended before it passed the Senate. I am hopeful that it will be successfully

passed out of Committee and the Senate this year and I look forward to working

with my colleagues on this Committee to do just that.

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. TIM JOHNSON, U.S. SENATOR

FROM SOUTH DAKOTA

Thank you, Chairman Thomas and Ranking Member Akaka, for holding today’s

hearing to receive testimony on the Wind Cave National Park Boundary Revision

Act (S. 425). I support the legislation and am proud to join Senator Daschle as a

cosponsor. As a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I look forward to working with Chairman Thomas to move this bill through the committee

process. With an established legislative history from the 107th Congress, it is my

hope that this committee will pursue the same course of action so that the full Senate may consider the bill.

Wind Cave National Park is one the nation’s first national parks, containing in

its boundaries one of the greatest expanses of underground cave complexes in North

America. Established in 1903, Wind Cave National Park protects one of the world’s

oldest known cave formations with hundreds of miles of underground compartments.

Amazingly, scientific measurements indicate that only five percent of the total cave

has been discovered.

With the option to acquire approximately 5,500 acres of land from willing sellers,

Wind Cave National Park has a once-in-a-generation opportunity to significantly enhance one of the last remaining mixed-grass prairie ecosystems in the world. The

acquisition of this land adjacent to the southern boundary of the park will preserve

a key archeological site described as one of the only existing buffalo jumps used by

Native Americans as they hunted the giant animal.

I believe that the local park officials have done a good job reaching out to the community and working to modify their original proposal to conform with the interests

of landowners and the State of South Dakota. As with any land acquisition initiative

the question of compensating local government’s for the lost tax revenue is extremely important. The matter is particularly acute in western South Dakota, where

large tracts of federal land result in particular challenges. To that end, I call on

Congress to fully fund the Payment in Lieu of Taxes program and provide a dedicated revenue source to compensate local communities that have significant

amounts of federal lands in the counties. Last year, I joined Senator Bingaman as

a cosponsor of legislation that provides for the full authorized amount of PILT funds

to be made available to the Interior Department. I understand that Senator Bingaman will be reintroducing this bill again in the 108th Congress, and I look forward

to correcting the unfair system that shortchanges several South Dakota counties.

The Wind Cave National Park is a South Dakota treasure shared with the entire

world through the stewardship of the National Park Service. It is my hope that the

Committee will take the appropriate steps and demonstrate positive action in the

consideration of this bill.

STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN McCAIN, U.S. SENATOR

FROM ARIZONA

Senator MCCAIN. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. And I,

one, appreciate you starting on time; second of all, I know your request is for us to be brief, and I will do so. And I thank you for

allowing me to say a few words today on behalf legislation which

would be called the Ce ́sar Cha`vez Study Act. It would begin the

process where we could preserve landmarks and sites associated

with the life of this great American.

4

The bill, as you know Mr. Chairman, authorizes the Secretary of

the Interior to determine whether any of these sites meet the criteria for being listed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks.

Mr. Chairman, you are aware of the place that Ce ́sar Cha`vez has

in history, as I do. He was a man whose career was not without

controversy. But he had, always uppermost in his mind, the betterment of the lives of his fellow citizens. Bobby Kennedy called him

‘‘one of the heroic figures of our time.’’ I believe that he earned a

place in American history, not only because of his advocacy for

farm workers but for all Americans.

His achievements are well known. His legacy lives on all over my

part of the country, where people continue to struggle for better

working conditions, and equal opportunities, and better education.

I think he is a man who deserves to have a continuing preservation

of his achievements, so we can have him as an example for all of

our citizens, especially young Hispanics.

And I want to thank you for considering this legislation. And I

thank you for the opportunity. And I would ask that my complete

statement be made part of the record.

Senator THOMAS. It will be made part of the record, Senator.

Senator MCCAIN. Thank you, Senator Thomas.

Senator THOMAS. Thank you.

[The prepared statement of Senator McCain follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN MCCAIN, U.S. SENATOR FROM ARIZONA

I would like begin by thanking the distinguished Chairman Thomas along with

Ranking Member Akaka for allowing me to testify today on the matter of great importance to me and the state of Arizona.

Ce ́sar Estrada Cha`vez embodied American ideals and should be considered among

the greatest leaders of American history. A fellow Arizonan, born in Yuma, he was

the son of migrant farm workers. Though he no doubt loved qualities of life associated with his family’s Hispanic heritage, he will be remembered for the sincerity

of his American patriotism. He fought to help Americans transcend distinctions of

experience and share equally in the rights and responsibilities of freedom. He made

America a bigger and better nation. Bobby Kennedy called Cha`vez ‘‘one of the heroic

figures of our time.’’ For all of these reasons, I come before you today to express

my support for the Ce ́sar Cha`vez Study Act.

Although his formal education ended in the eighth grade, Cha`vez possessed an

insatiable intellectual curiosity, was self-taught in many fields and well read

throughout his life. After serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Cha`vez

returned to the southwest and began his life as a community organizer and leader.

While Cha`vez and his family migrated across the southwest looking for farm

work, he evolved into a defender of worker’s rights. His motto in life ‘‘sı ́ se puede’’

(it can be done) epitomizes the his life and work. Cha`vez’s dream was to establish

an organization whose main purpose was to serve the immigrant farm workers, who

he had worked beside and whose hardships he could understand. In 1962, he founded the National Farm Workers Association, which later became the United Farm

Workers of America.

Through the United Farm Workers of America, Cha`vez attained fair wages, medical coverage, pension benefits, and humane living conditions, along with countless

other rights and protections for farm workers. He organized successful strikes and

boycotts that led to the first industry-wide labor contracts in agriculture. His union

brought about the passage of the 1975 California Agricultural Labor Relations Act

to protect farm workers. Today, it is the only law that protects the farm workers’

rights to unionize.

Cha`vez used peaceful tactics such as fasts, boycotts, strikes, and pilgrimages. In

1968, he fasted for 25 days to affirm his commitment and that of the farm labor

movement to non-violence. He fasted again for 25 days in 1972, and in 1988, at the

age of 61, he endured a 36-day ‘‘Fast for Life’’ to highlight the harmful impact of

5

pesticides on farm workers and their children. In 1994, Ce ́sar Cha`vez was awarded

the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in America.

Ce ́sar Cha`vez gave a voice to those that had no voice. In his words: ‘‘We cannot

seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our

community . . . our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and

needs of others, for their sakes and for our own.’’

In this time when our nation is recognizing its heros, it is important to remember

and preserving those from our past. The Ce ́sar Cha`vez Study Act would begin this

process by which we could preserve the landmarks and sites associated with the life

of Ce ́sar Estrada Cha`vez. This bill specifically authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to determine whether any of the sites meet the criteria for being listed on the

National Register of Historic Landmarks. The study would be conducted within

three years. The goal of this legislation is to establish a foundation for a future bill

that will designate land for these sites to become historic landmarks.

Landmarks all across the Southwest would be considered as potential historic

landmarks.

Many community organizations, including the Ce ́sar E. Cha`vez Foundation have

supported and helped to pull together this important piece of legislation.

Thank you again for the opportunity to speak here today and I look forward to

working with the Subcommittee and the Committee on this important piece legislation.

Senator THOMAS. I do not mean to question you but what kinds

of sites do you envision might be involved here?

Senator MCCAIN. Well, I guess where his headquarters were, although obviously his work took him all over the Southwest. The

place of birth, which happens to be Yuma, Arizona; places where

he conducted some of his most historic protests for better living

and working conditions.

I think all of those could be considered. And I do not think many

of them would be designated. But I think it would be a way of preserving the memory of his achievements, something like that.

Senator THOMAS. Sure. Well, thank you very much, Senator. Appreciate you taking the time to be here.

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

Senator THOMAS. Congressman, would you care to go ahead?

STATEMENT OF HON. ADAM SCHIFF,

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE FROM CALIFORNIA

Representative SCHIFF. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is a pleasure to join you today. And I appreciate the opportunity to testify

in support of S. 347, the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act. As

the author of the House version of the bill, I want to express my

gratitude to Senator Feinstein for her leadership, on behalf of all

Californians, in introducing the legislation.

S. 347 would call for a study by the National Park Service and

the U.S. Forestry Service of the feasibility and suitability of expanding the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area. The Rim of

the Valley is home to some very rare environmental treasures, including one of the most endangered habitat areas in the world, the

Mediterranean Chaparral ecosystem, found only here and in South

Africa.

This environmentally sensitive area is located in one of the most

densely populated areas in the United States. The greater southern

California region has the Nation’s second largest urban concentration. Remarkably, about one in every 10 Americans lives in this region. At the same time, the area has one of the lowest ratios of

park and recreation lands per thousand population of any area in

the country.

6

So, this rapidly growing urban region is under-served in terms

of open space; and this is likely only to get worse. In 1978, Congress established the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation

Area. They worked together, then and now, in a remarkable way

to manage this, the world’s largest urban park. Now, a quarter of

a century later, facing great population demands and pressures, we

have the opportunity again to be forward-thinking and help preserve this wilderness area for future generations.

We amended this bill, or Senator Feinstein has amended the

Senate version. We have done the same in the House, in response

to comments that the chair made last year and that the National

Park Service made as well. The bill now authorizes a joint study

between the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, since the Rim of the Valley incorporates lands that are

now managed by the Park Service and others by the Forest Service. Together the Park Service and Forest Service can decide on the

most appropriate way to protect this environmental treasure for future generations.

Second, we eliminated the bill’s provisions for a 17-member advisory commission. This was felt unnecessary in this provision, as

this type of special resource study automatically entails extensive

public outreach to communities and local governments.

The bill also will references the criteria for the Park Service explicitly contained in 16 U.S.C. sections 1 through 5, I know a key

area of interest of the chair, to make sure that the criteria for the

National Park Service was explicitly referenced and considered.

In addition to public lands that are already in these areas are

private lands. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation

Area, part of the Park Service is permitted to acquire private property from voluntary sellers or donors only and is prohibited from

using the powers of eminent domain. And as Joe Edmiston, who is

here to testify, also, the executive director of the Santa Monica

Mountains Conservancy can articulate, we have had some tremendous public/private partnerships in this region. And those opportunities would only increase under this study.

So it is my hope, Mr. Chairman, that the Rim of the Valley

Study Corridor Act can embody a similar vision of a California enhanced by not only what was built but what is preserved. And the

bill in the House enjoys a very strong bipartisan support, including

Representatives Howard Berman, David Dreier, Buck McKeon,

George Miller, Brad Sherman, and Hilda Solis.

And I want to thank you again for the opportunity to come in

and testify. And I know Mr. Edmiston will be able to give greater

content to the nature of the bill.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Schiff follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. ADAM SCHIFF, U.S. REPRESENTATIVE

FROM CALIFORNIA

Good afternoon, Chairman Thomas and members of the Subcommittee. I appreciate the opportunity to testify before you today in support of S. 347, the Rim of

the Valley Corridor Study Act. As the author of the House version of the bill, I

would like to express my gratitude to Senator Feinstein for her leadership on behalf

of all Californians in introducing this legislation in the Senate.

S. 347 would call for a study by the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest

Service of the feasibility and suitability of more than doubling the size of the Santa

Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The Rim of the Valley consists of parts

7

of the Santa Monica Mountains, the Santa Susanna Mountains, the San Gabriel

Mountains, the Verdugo Mountains, the San Rafael Hills, and adjacent connector

areas to the Los Padres and San Bernardino National Forests. The Rim of the Valley is home to very rare environmental treasures, including one of the most endangered habitat areas in the world, the Mediterranean Chaparral ecosystem, found

only here and in South Africa.

This environmentally sensitive area is located in one of the most densely populated areas in the United States. The greater Southern California metropolitan region has the nation’s second-largest urban concentration; about one in every ten

Americans lives in this region. At the same time, this area has one of the lowest

ratios of park-and-recreation-lands per thousand-population of any area in the country. So this rapidly growing urban region is very underserved in terms of open space

needs. Unless action is taken soon, this situation will only worsen as the region continues to be subjected to intense growth.

Since Congress set aside the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Areas

in 1978, federal, state and local authorities have worked in remarkable cooperation

to manage what is the world’s largest urban park. Now, nearly a quarter-century

later and in the face of tremendous projected population growth and development

pressures, Congress, by passing this bill, again will have the opportunity to help

safeguard and supplement the existing state and local parks, open space and recreational opportunities in Southern California.

We have amended this bill in response to comments from the National Park Service. First, the bill now authorizes a joint study between the Department of Interior

and the Department of Agriculture, since the Rim of the Valley incorporates some

lands that are now managed by the Park Service and others managed by the Forest

Service. Together, the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service can decide

on the most appropriate way to protect this environmental treasure for future generations. Secondly, we eliminated from the bill explicit provisions for a 17-member

advisory commission. This provision was felt to be unnecessary, as this type of special resource study conducted by the National Park Service automatically entails extensive public outreach to communities and local governments.

In addition to protected land, the Rim of the Valley Corridor encompasses private

property. However, within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area,

the Park Service is permitted to acquire private property from voluntary sellers or

donors only and is prohibited from exercising the powers of eminent domain. Indeed,

private ownership need not be incompatible with open space preservation efforts,

and there are many good examples of private-public partnerships in the Santa

Monica Mountains which have served to maintain the beauty of open space and preserve the rights of property owners.

It is my hope that the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act will embody a similar

dream and vision—of a Southern California enhanced not only by what was built,

but also by what was preserved. This legislation enjoys strong bipartisan support,

and the House version is supported by Republican and Democratic Members of Congress whose district includes portions of the Rim of the Valley Corridor, including

Representatives Howard Berman, David Dreier, Howard ‘‘Buck’’ McKeon, George

Miller, Brad Sherman and Hilda Solis. I thank you for your attention, and ask for

your support for the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act.

Senator THOMAS. Okay. Fine. I have a few questions, but I will

hold them and ask the other witnesses then to do that.

Representative SCHIFF. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Senator THOMAS. Thank you for taking time to be here. We appreciate it.

Well, if the other members, congressional members come, why,

we will make time for them when they arrive.

In the meantime, secondly, let us go ahead then with our panel,

Mr. Tiller and Mr. Edmiston.

Okay. Thank you, gentlemen. Why do we not start with Mr.

Edmiston. You wanted to talk on the one bill.

8

STATEMENT OF JOSEPH T. EDMISTON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,

SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS CONSERVANCY

Mr. EDMISTON. Yes, Mr. Chairman; thank you. My name is Joseph Edmiston; I am executive director of the State of California,

Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. We were established by legislation in 1980. And the current boundary of the Santa Monica

Mountains Conservancy’s jurisdiction includes the Rim of the Valley Corridor Area encompassed in Senator Feinstein’s bill. And you

will see here a map. The colored area shows the Rim of the Valley

and the Santa Monica Mountains together.

Mr. Chairman, I think this is a very significant bill, because for

the first time we are looking at protection of entire habitat areas,

as opposed to many political jurisdictions. There was time when

the Santa Monica Mountains was established when we were thinking of parks as we have a jewel here and then a jewel over here.

And we were not really thinking about the connectivity.

And this bill takes a look at natural resource connectivity and

says, here is what the resource is, let us let the two premier land

management agencies of this country, the Forest Service and the

Park Service, get together and figure out how best to protect those

resources. Mr. Chairman, that is why we think that this is a very

significant bill or significant approach.

Second of all, why now? These areas, right now, consist of a—

we can save these areas. Surprisingly enough, we can actually save

real nature surrounding the Los Angeles metropolitan area. But we

are not going to be able to do that forever. Within the next 5 or

10 years, development pressure will likely eat away holes in this

system and make this preservation impractical in the future. So

that is why we need to address this issue now, Mr. Chairman.

Finally, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy will make

available up to $100,000, probably on the higher end of that, up to,

to work with our colleagues in the Forest Service and the Park

Service to develop this study. We commit this resource from the

State of California, if Congress goes ahead and appropriates its

own money or if the Forest Service and the Park Service can come

up with funds to do this study.

So, we think this would be very forthcoming. There is a lot of research that has been done, Mr. Chairman, on these areas, including a general management plan for the national recreation area.

And the Forest Service is already doing their management plan.

So, we are talking about adding additional State resources to those

resources which are already being applied to this issue.

Thank you very much. I would be happy to answer your questions.

[The prepared statement of Mr. Edmiston follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF JOSEPH T. EDMISTON, EXECUTIVE OFFICER,

SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS CONSERVANCY

Mr. Chairman, we appreciate the opportunity you have afforded the Santa Monica

Mountains Conservancy to express its support for S. 347, the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act.

The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy is the principal agency of the State of

California charged with protection of open space and the natural resources of almost

three quarters of a million acres surrounding the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area.

Since 1983 the Mountains Conservancy has had the responsibility acquiring park

9

and open space land, building trails, and providing for other public access improvements within the Rim of the Valley Corridor.

Successive state legislative amendments have expanded the territory of the Rim

of the Valley Corridor so that it now encompasses a major portion of the Santa

Monica Mountains, the Santa Susana Mountains, Simi Hills, Verdugo Mountains,

San Rafael Hills, and the portion of the San Gabriel Mountains within the upper

Los Angeles River watershed. This was done in recognition of the essential ecological unity of the mountains system in southern California and the artificiality of limiting protection to only a portion of it.

The importance of the Rim of the Valley Corridor is twofold: The striking natural

scenery and open space that still encircles the greater Los Angeles area, and the

proximity of those natural resources to the ten million residents of Los Angeles and

Ventura Counties.

In 1978, Congress established the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation

Area acknowledging that it was a special area, almost unique in the park system,

in that the National Recreation Area would be administered cooperatively with the

state, regional, and local governments. That model has worked splendidly. There is

now a seamless web of parkland extending from the beaches of Malibu to the height

of Simi Peak, from the heart of downtown Los Angeles fifty miles west to Mugu Lagoon which is one of the last of California’s unspoiled coastal wetlands. Although

the Santa Monica Mountains NRA is far from complete, the outlines of its success

are apparent. The Federal government has provided both material and intellectual

resources that have coalesced and stimulated a much wider movement for the protection of the area and making it accessible for public recreation opportunities. The

original authorization for the SMMNRA was $155,000,000, but to date the Santa

Monica Mountains Conservancy of the State of California has doubled that, and the

California State Parks Department has spent another $60,000,000 or so, and intends to spend more.

There is every indication that including the Rim of the Valley Corridor within the

Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area will have the same positive effect upon the protection of ecological communities and the well-being of human communities in northern Los Angeles and eastern Ventura counties. However, this bill

does not presuppose an outcome, it merely directs a study. And a cooperative one

at that. The National Park Service model has worked well for the Santa Monica

Mountains proper, and can be readily adapted for most of the Rim of the Valley Corridor. In the eastern Rim of the Valley there may be institutional arrangements that

recognize the vital role played by the Angeles National Forest—America’s most visited National Forest—in protecting the San Gabriel Mountains and making them

accessible for recreation purposes. By requiring a joint study by both the Secretary

of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture, this bill makes it probable that

what will emerge from the study is a method of protecting and enhancing this special area that will use the best resources of the National Park Service and the U.S.

Forest Service.

Last year, the Administration expressed concern about the number of park studies being undertaken, although it did not oppose the identical bill that was reported

out of this committee last year.

Let me emphasize why S. 347 is so urgent. While the satellite photos of southern

California still show the wreath of green represented by the Rim of the Valley Corridor, land use decisions pending within the next few years can change all of that

forever. Decisions will be made in that time frame by major landowners whether

or not to engage in park partnerships—and many times sale for park and recreation

purposes is a preferred choice for local property owners—or whether to commit the

land to residential and commercial development. Local government planning and

zoning decisions need to be informed by whether there will be a Federal initiative

to protect this area. The introduction of similar measures in both houses of Congress last year stimulated a rush of local interest and support. There is a lot of good

will resting on the swift completion of the study.

The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy stands ready to help in any way we

can. Our data bases, planning studies, and personnel will all be made available.

Even more significantly, I am prepared to recommend that we assist our colleagues

in the Interior and Agriculture Departments with financial support for this study

as well.

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my statement and I would be happy to address any

questions the committee may have.

Senator THOMAS. Okay. Thank you so much. We will get back to

you for questions.

Senator, do you have any opening comments?

10

STATEMENT OF HON. DANIEL K. AKAKA, U.S. SENATOR

FROM HAWAII

Senator AKAKA. Thank you, Mr. Chairman; thank you very

much. I want to welcome our panelists to this hearing. Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you for scheduling this hearing. Since this

is our first meeting of the National Park Committee this year, let

me congratulate you on resuming——

Senator THOMAS. Thank you.

Senator AKAKA [continuing]. The chairmanship of the subcommittee. And I believe we have established a solid record of

working together on a vast majority of park-related bills in a bipartisan manner. And I hope we will be able to continue this tradition

this year.

Senator THOMAS. Thank you, sir. Thank you for being here.

Gentlemen, if you will, we will move to the Senator to have him

make his comments. Welcome, sir.

STATEMENT OF HON. PAUL S. SARBANES, U.S. SENATOR

FROM MARYLAND

Senator SARBANES. Well, Mr. Chairman, thank you very much.

And Senator Akaka and I are pleased to be here. And I am sorry

I was precluded from arriving right at the beginning by my inability to get out of the previous meeting, to be very honest about it.

I want to thank you for this opportunity to testify on S. 328, legislation which Senator Mikulski and I have introduced to re-designate what is now known as the Catoctin Mountain Park as Catoctin Mountain National Recreation Area. We need legislation in

order to this. And the purpose of this legislation is to address a

long-standing confusion about the ownership and management of

Catoctin Mountain Park and to clearly identify it as a unit of the

National Park System.

It is approximately a 6,000-acre park located on the front range

of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Frederick County, Maryland, about

a little more than an hour’s drive from the Capital. It is home to

Camp David. One travel writer has aptly described it as America’s

most famous unknown park.

There is an interesting history about how Catoctin Mountain

Park was created and developed. It was established in 1933 under

the Roosevelt administration’s National Industrial Recovery Act as

one of 46 recreational demonstration areas. The Federal Government acquired more than 10,000 acres of heavily logged land in

Frederick County, Maryland, to demonstrate how sub-marginal

land could be turned into a productive recreational area and help

put people back to work.

In 1936, the administrative authority for this recreational demonstration area was transferred to the National Park Service by

Executive Order. In 1942, Camp High Catoctin, now known as

Camp David, was selected as the location for the President’s new

retreat.

Subsequently, they transferred approximately 5,000 acres to the

State of Maryland. And that became what is known as

Cunningham Falls State Park, which was just below the Catoctin

Park. The remaining 5,700 acres was renamed Catoctin Mountain

Park by the Director of the National Park Service in 1954. UnfortuVerDate 11-SEP-98 13:20 May 05, 2003 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 J:\DOCS\86-785 SENERGY3 PsN: SENERGY3
11

nately, the Director failed to include the term national in the title.

And the park remains today one of only 17 units in the entire 388-

unit National Park System that does not have this designation.

Now, what has happened over the years is the proximity of the

Catoctin Mountain Park, Camp David, and Cunningham Falls

State Park. And the difference between National and State park

management has been the source of confusion for visitors to the

area. Catoctin Mountain Park has continually been misidentified

by the public as the Cunningham Falls State Park, which has a

lake and a beach area and so forth. It has also been confused with

the Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo, a privately owned enterprise.

The superintendent of the park says they spend a lot of time trying to redirect visitors. We think this legislation will help to clear

up some of this confusion by renaming this the Catoctin Mountain

National Recreation Area.

There are some 18 such units designated as such in the Park

Service. We have strong letters of endorsement here from the

Board of Commissioners of Frederick County and the Tourism

Council of Frederick County, in which they say, amongst other

things, that their visitor center staff spends a good deal of time

sorting out for visitors the difference between Catoctin Mountain

Park and the adjacent State park. They think that putting national

into the name, national recreation area, will help to clarify this distinction.

It would not change any of the activities taking place but I think

it would be very helpful in enhancing tourism and making people

more aware of the National Park Service’s involvement and eliminating this confusion that now exists. And I commend the legislation to the committee and hope you will be able to move it forward.

I would be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Senator THOMAS. Thank you very much. Basically, then, it does

not impact the management of it either, is that correct?

Senator SARBANES. No. The management is in favor of this name

change, both at the park level and up through the Park Service.

And I will submit for the record the two letters I have from the

local county commissioners and the Tourism Council of Frederick

County.

Senator THOMAS. We will include those in the record.

Senator SARBANES. Thank you very much.

[The prepared statement of Senator Sarbanes follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. PAUL S. SARBANES, U.S. SENATOR FROM MARYLAND

Thank you Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee for this opportunity to

testify on S. 328, legislation I introduced, together with Senator Mikulski, to re-designate Catoctin Mountain Park as ‘‘Catoctin Mountain National Recreation Area.’’

The purpose of this legislation is to help address longstanding confusion about the

ownership and management of Catoctin Mountain Park and to clearly identify this

park as a unit of the National Park System.

Mr. Chairman, Catoctin Mountain Park is an approximately 6,000-acre park located on the front range of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Frederick County, Maryland, about an hour’s drive from the Capitol. Home to Camp David, it has been

aptly described by a travel writer as ‘‘America’s most famous unknown park.’’ There

is a remarkable history about how Catoctin Mountain Park was created and developed and I just want to highlight some of the major milestones so that the Committee perhaps better understand and appreciate what we are trying to accomplish

with this legislation.

12

Catoctin Mountain Park was established in 1933 under the Roosevelt Administration’s National Industrial Recovery Act as one of 46 Recreational Demonstration

Areas (RDA). The federal government acquired more than 10,000 acres of heavily

logged land in Frederick County, Maryland to demonstrate how sub-marginal land

could be turned into a productive recreational area and help put people back to

work. In November 1936, administrative authority for the Catoctin RDA was transferred to the National Park Service by Executive Order. From 1936 through 1941,

hundreds of people were employed in reforestation activities and in the construction

of a number of camps, roads and other facilities in the Catoctin RDA.

In 1942, Camp Hi-Catoctin, now known as Camp David, was selected as the location for the President’s new retreat. Subsequently approximately 5,000 acres of the

area was transferred to the State of Maryland, becoming Cunningham Falls State

Park in 1954. The remaining 5,770 acres of the Catoctin Recreation Demonstration

Area was renamed Catoctin Mountain Park by the Director of the National Park

Service in 1954. Unfortunately, at that time, the Director failed to include the term

‘‘National’’ in the title. The park today remains one of 17 units in the entire 388

unit National Park System and one of 9 units in the National Capital Region that

does not have this designation. Those units include four parkways, four wild and

scenic rivers, the White House and Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing Arts.

Over the years, the proximity of Catoctin Mountain Park, Camp David, and

Cunningham Falls State Park and the differences between national and state park

management, has been the source of longstanding confusion for visitors to the area.

Catoctin Mountain Park has been continually misidentified by the public as containing lake and beach areas associated with Cunningham Falls State Park, being operated by the State of Maryland, or being closed to the public because of the presence

of Camp David. Likewise, a privately owned Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo is

often confused with the park. The Superintendent of the Park has advised me that

National Park employees spend countless hours explaining, assisting and redirecting visitors to their desired destinations.

My legislation would help to address this situation by renaming it the Catoctin

Mountain National Recreation Area. The mission and characteristics of this park—

which include the preservation of significant historic resources and important natural areas in locations that provide outdoor recreation for large numbers of people—

make this designation appropriate. The National Park System includes 18 units designated as ‘‘National Recreation Areas’’ several of which are comparable to Catoctin.

Mr. Chairman, this legislation is not controversial. It is strongly supported by the

Board of County Commissioners and Tourism Council of Frederick County. I ask

that letters from the Frederick County Commissioners and the Tourism Council be

included in the hearing record, following my statement. The legislation would not

change recreation, conservation or education activities currently occurring within

the park. But it would assist the visiting public in distinguishing between the many

units of the state and federal systems. It will also, in my judgment, help promote

tourism by enhancing public awareness of the National Park unit, and perhaps have

future travel writers change the moniker of Catoctin from ‘‘America’s most famous

unknown park’’ to one of America’s most famous parks.

I hope that the Committee can move swiftly to report this measure favorably to

the full Senate for consideration.

Senator THOMAS. Any questions, Senator?

Senator AKAKA. I want to thank Senator Sarbanes for this

change of name; and I know that the Park Service supports what

you are doing, and I certainly do, too. Thank you.

Senator THOMAS. Okay. We are thinking of moving the Vice

President’s camp out to Teton Park in Wyoming.

[Laughter.]

Senator AKAKA. I have seen that park. That is a beautiful park;

I have to tell you, probably one of the most beautiful in America.

Senator THOMAS. We all know he is there when the airplane

comes in to Jackson.

Senator AKAKA. Yes; I can imagine.

Senator THOMAS. Thank you, Senator. We appreciate your——

Senator AKAKA. Thank you very much. And I thank the witnesses for the indulgence of allowing me to intrude into the discussion. Thank you very much.

13

Senator THOMAS. Thank you.

Okay. Mr. Tiller, would you like to go ahead, please?

STATEMENT OF deTEEL PATTERSON TILLER, ACTING ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR FOR CULTURAL RESOURCES, NATIONAL

PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Mr. TILLER. Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to

present the view of the Department of the Interior on these four

bills. For brevity’s sake, I will condense my remarks in support of

the full written testimony already submitted to the subcommittee.

In the matter of S. 164, a bill authorizing the Secretary of the

Interior to conduct a special resources study of sites associated

with the life of Ce ́sar Cha`vez and the American farm labor movement, the Department supports S. 164 with one proposed minor

amendment. We believe the study is a good opportunity to identify,

protect, and interpret sites and places associated with Mr. Cha`vez’s

nationally important life and enormous social change resulting

from his leadership.

We would suggest changing bill language to require the study to

be completed 3 years after funding is made available, rather than

3 years after enactment, as is currently provided for in the bill. The

National Park Service is now at various stages of completing over

40 congressionally authorized studies. Our highest priority now is

on finishing these previously authorized by Congress. But we look

forward to beginning this important study as soon as S. 164 becomes law and funding is made available.

In regards to S. 328, the bill to rename the Catoctin Mountain

Park in the State of Maryland as the Catoctin Mountain National

Recreation Area, the Department of the Interior supports the bill.

In addition to changing the name, S. 328 provides much needed

standard authorities, typical of national park units but missing at

Catoctin Mountain, given its unique history going back to the

1930’s.

The Department of the Interior also supports S. 347, a bill that

directs the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to conduct a

joint resources study to establish the Rim of the Valley Corridor in

Los Angeles, California. S. 347 further requires that the study

evaluate the suitability and feasibility of establishing the area as

a unit of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area,

consulting with citizens of the appropriate State, county, and local

governments.

We recognize the limitation nowadays of Federal resources to add

to the Federal estate. And with a study area encompassing 491,000

acres, our approach will, of necessity, emphasize minimum Federal

acquisition and management costs. And we would encourage largescale public/private partnerships.

Also, given the size and diversity of stakeholders in this important area, the study must involve extensive outreach with members

of the public, private landowners, and local governments; entailing

multiple comment periods, public meetings, and analysis. We offer

one minor technical correction to the bill, which is attached in my

testimony.

And lastly in the matter of S. 425, a bill to revise the boundary

of Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota. The Department of

14

the Interior cannot support this at this time, because of the associated high cost. The Department strongly backs the President’s commitment to eliminate the deferred maintenance backlog in our national parks. We need to continue to focus resources on taking care

of existing units of the National Park System. The acquisition cost for the proposal, estimated between $5 mil- lion and $6 million, plus recurring annual increases to park operating costs, if the expansion becomes law, prevents our support.

Mr. Chairman, this concludes my testimony. I will be pleased to

answer any questions you or other members of the subcommittee

may have. Thank you.

Senator THOMAS. Okay. Thank you.

[The prepared statements of Mr. Tiller on S. 164, S. 328, S. 347

and S. 425 follow:]

PREPARED STATEMENTS OF DETEEL PATTERSON TILLER, ACTING ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR

FOR CULTURAL RESOURCES, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTE- RIOR, ON S. 164, S. 328, S. 347, AND S. 425

S. 164

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present the views of the Department of the Interior on S. 164, a bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to

conduct a special resource study of sites associated with the life of Ce ́sar Estrada

Cha`vez and the farm labor movement.

The Department supports S. 164, with a minor amendment described later in the

testimony. We believe that this study will provide a good opportunity to work with

the Ce ́sar E. Cha`vez Foundation and others to identify valuable resources associated

with the story of Cha`vez’s life and the movement he led and ways to protect those resources. The National Park Service is in various stages of progress with 40 studies previously authorized by Congress. At least 17 of those studies are scheduled to be completed in Fiscal Year 2003. Seven additional studies are expected to be completed

early in Fiscal 2004. Our highest priority is to complete the studies previously authorized by Congress, but we expect to begin work on newly authorized studies as

soon as funds are available.

Ask historians to name one person who had the greatest impact on farm labor,

and the name of Ce ́sar Estrada Cha`vez leaps to mind. Between the 1950’s and the

1980’s Cha`vez cultivated a life-long commitment to bringing respect, dignity, and

democracy to the nation’s farmworkers, many of whom were Hispanic. After an initial career as a community organizer, Cha`vez focused his organizing skills on the

farmworkers, inspiring them to look their employers in the eyes, stand up for their

rights and take active roles in creating their union and wielding its power. As a result of his efforts, he continues to serve as a symbol not only for Hispanic-Americans, but for all Americans, of what can be accomplished in this country through

unified, courageous, and nonviolent action.

Cha`vez’s death on April 22, 1993, brought a resurgence of interest in his life and

work and a new wave of assessments recognizing his national and, indeed, international significance. He has taken his place among other national labor leaders in

the Department of Labor’s Hall of Fame and been recognized by an ever-increasing

number of states and communities with special holidays, events, and place names.

Because of the tremendous impact he had, we believe it is appropriate to study sites

associated with Ce ́sar Cha`vez and the farm labor movement he led in order to consider ways to preserve and interpret this story of enormous social change.

The National Park Service and the Ce ́sar E. Cha`vez Foundation first discussed

the possibility of conducting a national historic landmark study of sites related to

the work of Cha`vez and the farmworkers’ movement several years ago, as a way

of identifying sites important to the history of the man as well as the migrant worker. The Foundation represents and fosters the ongoing legacy of Cha`vez and has a

strong interest in seeing that heritage preserved. In 2002, the National Park Service

collaborated with the Foundation and scholars at universities in Washington State

and California in preparing a preliminary assessment and scope for future research

on sites associated with Cha`vez and the farmworkers’ movement. The information

gathered through that assessment would give the National Park Service a head

start on the study authorized by S. 164.

15

S. 164 would authorize a study of sites in Arizona, California, and other States

that are significant to the life of Ce ́sar Cha`vez and the farm labor movement in the

western United States to determine appropriate methods for preserving and interpreting sites. Through this study, the National Park Service could examine whether

certain sites are suitable and feasible for addition to the National Park System. The

study would be conducted in accordance with the criteria for new area studies contained in Title III of the National Parks Omnibus Management Act of 1998.

The study also would consider whether any sites meet the criteria for listing on

the National Register of Historic Places or for designation as a National Historic

Landmark. This would enable the National Park Service to complete the work that

was begun with the preliminary assessment described earlier. The legislation specifically requires that the National Park Service consult with the Ce ́sar E. Cha`vez Foundation, the United Farm Workers Union, and other entities involved in historic

preservation on this study. The study is estimated to cost approximately $250,000.

The Department recommends one minor amendment to S. 164, which is on the

page attached to this testimony. This amendment would provide for the study to be

completed within three years after funding is made available for that purpose, rather than three years after enactment of this legislation.

Amendment to S. 164 Proposed by the National Park Service

Page 3, line 23: Strike ‘‘of enactment of this Act’’ and insert ‘‘funds are made

available for this purpose’’.

S. 328

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present the views of the Department of the Interior on S. 328, a bill to designate Catoctin Mountain Park in the

State of Maryland as the ‘‘Catoctin Mountain National Recreation Area.’’

The Department supports S. 328. This legislation would provide a name for Catoctin Mountain Park that is appropriate for the purpose and use of this unit of the

National Park System, and it also would update the authorities for administering

this park.

Catoctin Mountain Park had its origins as one of 46 Great Depression-era Recreational Demonstration Areas established by the Resettlement Administration,

which was authorized under the National Industrial Recovery Act (1933) and Executive Orders of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The Resettlement Administration

acquired and developed Recreational Demonstration Areas across the nation to provide accessible, low-cost, quality outdoor recreation opportunities. They were used

for day trips, picnicking, and overnight camping by families, social groups, and public organizations.

Catoctin Recreational Demonstration Area, which comprised approximately 20,000

acres, was acquired after the area had sustained years of charcoal production,

mountain farming, and harvesting of trees for timber. The Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps administered projects at Catoctin both

to put people back to work and to establish an outdoor recreation area for the urban

dwellers of nearby Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland. Jurisdiction over the

Catoctin Recreational Demonstration Area was transferred to the National Park

Service in 1935 by Executive Order.

In 1942, one of the cabin camps built at Catoctin, Camp Hi-Catoctin, was selected

by President Roosevelt as the Presidential Retreat we know today as Camp David.

Catoctin’s distinctive history also includes serving as an O.S.S. training camp during World War II, and having the first Job Corps camp in the United States and

the nation’s oldest camp for the disabled.

In 1954, approximately 4,400 acres of the area was transferred to the State of

Maryland and became Cunningham Falls State Park. That same year, the Director

of the National Park Service approved the renaming of Catoctin Recreational Demonstration Area as ‘‘Catoctin Mountain Park’’ and Congress provided authority to

exchange lands to consolidate holdings in the park. Catoctin Mountain Park is currently 5,810 acres in size and has an average annual visitation of 700,000. The

park, consisting largely of eastern hardwood forest, has many attractions for visitors: camping, picnicking, fishing, 25 miles of hiking trails and scenic mountain vistas.

The proximity of Catoctin Mountain Park, Camp David, and Cunningham Falls

State Park has caused longstanding confusion for visitors to the area. Catoctin

Mountain Park is continually misunderstood as being closed to the public because

of the presence of Camp David. Renaming the park as a ‘‘national recreation area’’

would offer an opportunity to reintroduce the park as an area that is open to public

recreation. The public also has difficulty understanding why there is a difference between the activities permitted at Catoctin Mountain Park and those permitted at

16

Cunningham Falls State Park. Including the word ‘‘national’’ in the name of Catoctin Mountain Park would facilitate efforts to educate the public about these differences and to emphasize the value the National Park Service places on protecting

cultural and natural resources for future generations.

In addition, the name ‘‘national recreation area’’ would also help distinguish Catoctin Mountain Park from other local attractions, such as the privately-owned Catoctin Wildlife Preserve and Zoo, which are often confused with the park. And, the

name change would enhance the efforts of the Maryland Office of Tourism Development and local tourism officials to promote the presence of the five National Park

System units located in Frederick County, one of which is Catoctin Mountain Park.

In addition to changing the name of the Catoctin Mountain Park, S. 328 would

provide the usual authorities that are included when a new unit of the National

Park System is established. These provisions will make it easier for the National

Park Service to administer the unit than continuing to rely on the piecemeal authorities that were granted since the 1930’s. The authorities provided by S. 328 include formally establishing a boundary, permitting land acquisition within the

boundary, providing for administration of the unit in accordance with laws governing the National Park System, and authorizing appropriations for the park. These

provisions will ensure that the park is able to continue to appropriately administer

the park’s significant historic resources and important natural areas. The costs associated with this legislation would be negligible.

We are currently reviewing previous authorities for Catoctin Mountain Park to

determine whether any of them should be repealed in conjunction with providing

the new authority for the park under S. 328. We will advise the subcommittee of

our findings as soon as possible.

S. 347

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

on S. 347, a bill to direct the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture to conduct a

joint special resources study to evaluate the suitability and feasibility of establishing

the Rim of the Valley Corridor, in the Los Angeles region, as a unit of Santa Monica

Mountains National Recreation Area.

The Department supports this bill with the minor clarification provided in this

testimony. We believe that this study will provide a good opportunity to explore

partnerships with a wide range of state, local, private, and other federal entities for

the purpose of protecting and interpreting important natural and cultural resources.

On July 18, 2002, the Department testified on S. 2571, a similar bill that would

have directed the Secretary of the Interior to study the Rim of the Valley for addition to Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. In our testimony, we recommended that the bill be amended to make the study a joint study between the

Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture and we suggested that the provision that established a 17-member advisory commission was unnecessary. At the committee

markup, S. 2571 was amended incorporating the department’s suggestions. S. 347

is identical to S. 2571 as it was amended in the 107th Congress.

S. 347 directs the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture to conduct a joint Special

Resource Study of the Rim of the Valley Corridor in Southern California. S. 347 further requires that the study evaluate the suitability and feasibility of establishing

the area as a unit of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. The

Secretaries are directed to use the criteria for study of areas for inclusion in the

National Park System and to consult with appropriate State, county, and local governments. The study is estimated to cost approximately $500,000.

The National Park Service generally conducts special resource studies to evaluate

the suitability and feasibility of an area to become a new unit of the National Park

System. We understand that the intent of this bill is not to establish a new park,

but rather to study the Rim of the Valley as a potential addition for Santa Monica

Mountains National Recreation Area. As such, we suggest that ‘‘Special Resource

Study’’ be replaced with ‘‘resource study’’ in all places where it appears in the bill.

We would be happy to work with the subcommittee staff to develop any additional

clarifying language that may be required.

The study would assess habitat quality, access to urban open space, low-impact

recreation and educational uses, wildlife and habitat restoration and protection and

watershed improvements along the Rim of the Valley corridor surrounding the San

Fernando and La Crescenta Valleys. This corridor consists of portions of the Santa

Monica Mountains, Santa Susanna Mountains, San Gabriel Mountains, Verdugo

Mountains, San Rafael Hills and the connector to Los Padres, Angeles, and San

Bernardino National Forests, which provide notable recreation opportunities close to

the Los Angeles basin.

17

In addition to natural and recreational opportunities, the area also includes properties found on the National Register of Historic Places. Old stagecoach stops and

images of the Wild West still exist. Amtrak’s Coast Starlight line travels past many

of these rich cultural and natural motifs. The area supports a diverse system of

plants and animals, including 26 distinct plant communities and more than 400 vertebrate species.

As the largest urban park area in the National Park System, the Santa Monica

Mountains National Recreation Area includes 153,750 acres and provides recreational opportunities for approximately 530,000 visitors annually. During the 25

years since the national recreation area was authorized by Congress, this unit has

become a model of collaboration of many local, state, and federal public land managers, as well as many private property owners—all working together as stewards

of the scenic, natural, cultural, and recreational resources.

Recognizing the limitation of federal resources for acquiring and managing additional lands, the study would have to examine a number of alternatives for protecting significant areas of open space in the Rim of the Valley Corridor, including those

that involve minimal cost to the federal government. With the study area encompassing 491,518 acres, the study would emphasize public-private partnerships.

Given the large size and the diversity of stakeholders in the area, the study undertaken by the National Park Service would involve extensive outreach with members

of the public, private landowners, and local governments. It would likely entail extended comment periods, and extensive analysis.

S. 425

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present the views of the Department on S. 425, a bill to revise the boundary of Wind Cave National Park in the

State of South Dakota.

The Department does not support S. 425 at this time because of the high costs

of this boundary expansion. The Department strongly supports the President’s commitment to eliminate the deferred maintenance backlog in our national parks. We

need to continue to focus our resources on taking care of existing areas in the National Park System.

Wind Cave National Park, established in 1903, is one of the Nation’s first national

parks and the first cave set aside for protection. The cave itself, after which the

park is named, is one of the world’s oldest, longest, and most complex cave systems

with more than 104 miles of mapped passages. The cave is well-known for its exceptional display of boxwork, a rare honeycomb-shaped formation protruding from the

cave’s ceilings and walls. While the cave is the focal point of the park, the land

above the cave is equally impressive with 28,295 acres of rolling prairie, majestic

forests, and pristine creeks. Legislation passed in 1912 established the Wind Cave

National Game Preserve creating a permanent national range for buffalo and other

Native American game animals as may be placed therein. In 1935, the Wind Cave

National Game Preserve was transferred into Wind Cave National Park.

This legislation would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire 5,675

acres adjacent to Wind Cave National Park. A ranching family currently owns 5,555

acres of the land and has indicated they would be willing to sell the property to the

United States as a lasting legacy to their father. Another 40 acres of land from a

willing seller would preserve a viewshed for the park. The last 80 acres would be

an administrative jurisdiction transfer from the Director of the Bureau of Land

Management to the Director of the National Park Service. The acquisition cost for

the proposal is estimated at $5 to $6 million although actual costs will not be known

until the land appraisals are completed. In many cases, non-profit groups are willing to purchase the properties and hold them for a short period of time until the

National Park Service is able to designate land acquisition funding.

The current annual base funding for Wind Cave National Park is $1.892 million.

If enacted, additional funding would be required due to anticipated increases in the

number of FTEs needed for increased wildlife and interpretive responsibilities. In

addition, construction funding of $1.817 million would be necessary for the removal

and installation of fencing. This concludes my prepared statement. I will be pleased

to answer any questions you or other members of the committee may have.

This concludes my prepared statements. I will be pleased to answer any questions

you or other members of the committee may have.

Senator THOMAS. What kind of designation, what kind of sites do

you think would be appropriate for this in 164?

Mr. TILLER. Ce ́sar Cha`vez?

Senator THOMAS. Yes.

18

Mr. TILLER. Without preempting the efforts of the study, already

the National Park Service, working with the Ce ́sar Cha`vez Foundation, has conducted a number of meetings to try to establish a

time-line and what sites still remain through the part of his life.

And it encompasses—as Senator McCain outlined, they cover everything from his birth home to the general store that his family

ran for years, to sites associated with his national leadership movement.

That is as far as we have gotten in that before running out of

time and money to do that. So, I think there is going to be probably

a full range of historic properties we have all throughout the

Southwest associated with him.

Senator THOMAS. But would you see 10 different sites being a

component of all this?

Mr. TILLER. It is hard to know. This is not certainly my area of

scholarship. My understanding is they have already identified,

working with Cha`vez scholars, and with the United Farm Workers,

and with the foundation, I think upwards of 20-some sites they

have already identified as still remaining from his life. Now my

guess is, based on past experience, those that will be considered

nationally significant are probably a very small number of those.

But as far as they were able to get, they have been able to find

20-some sites.

Senator THOMAS. And what do you imagine they would be designated as, historic sites or——

Mr. TILLER. The bill gives us the direction to look for those that

might be eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic

Places, designated as national historic landmarks. And my guess

all or most of them would have to be given that honor. Those that

might be considered for inclusion on the National Park System, I

guess, would be a very tiny number. And I would not want to outguess the study, if we go forward with it. But my guess is that

most of them will be National Register listings or landmark designations.

Senator THOMAS. Are you prepared to move forward with this

study, if the bill passes?

Mr. TILLER. Well, given—except given the caveat, as I said, we

have 40 studies already in the mill. And so these would have—all

with congressional direction. So these would have to get in the rest

of the batch, and we will have to move them along as best we can.

Senator THOMAS. I think I asked you before, not you, but some—

if you have 40 that you have not done, why do you continue to support additional studies until you catch up with what you are doing?

Mr. TILLER. Well, the best I can understand from talking to the

folks in charge of this today, we have 15 to 17 that will probably

be presented to this Congress this session. So we are making good

progress on that. And many of these studies come, as the Cha`vez

study has, from a real strong ground swell movement of locals and

people desperately interested in having some help from their government to identify and to honor and to preserve these places. So

we beat, as best we can, against the wind and do the best job we

can.

19

Senator THOMAS. Well, I understand that. But putting them on

your list, if your list is not being done, why, they still do not get

finished.

Mr. TILLER. Well, Senator, we are picking away at it. As I said,

we are hoping to get 15 to 17 to you all this session. So, we are

making progress.

Senator THOMAS. Well, that is good.

Senator, do you have questions?

Senator AKAKA. Yes. I want to thank you for supporting the

three bills, S. 164, S. 328, and S. 347. I see where you are not supporting S. 425 the Wind Cave National Park boundary expansion.

And yet this bill, as I recall, was passed by unanimous consent already, but it did not pass all the way.

At one time it was supported by the Park Service, and I see

where, because of estimated costs of $5 million to $6 million and

the addition of 5,675 acres, I assume that is the reason why it has

opposition. Is there any question that these lands constitute an important addition to the Wind Cave National Park?

Mr. TILLER. No; they are important lands and they are worthy

lands.

Senator AKAKA. I also read where, if it were not expanded, it

would have adverse effect and destroy some of the important and

natural cultural resources that are in this area. Is that correct?

Mr. TILLER. Senator, I do not have that information. But I know

these are high quality lands.

Senator AKAKA. The Department continues to recommend that

the committee defer action on park bills to address the deferred

maintenance backlog. Can you tell me what the estimated dollar

figure is for the backlog and how much progress has been made in

reducing that amount over the last two years?

Mr. TILLER. The President, Senator, committed $4.9 billion,

based on a 1997 GAO report; $2.7 billion of that is road infrastructure. And we are in the process right now of reducing that amount.

I was trying to get some figures before coming up here today where

we are on that, and we are still in the process of trying to pull that

information together.

We are dealing with that through budget increases and realignment of expenditures with the Park Service budget annually and

also trying to implement some effective management reforms so we

do not get in that position again. But the highest marching order

that the President has given the National Park Service is to buy

down on the $4.9 billion backlog.

Senator AKAKA. Thank you. Thank you for your responses.

Senator THOMAS. Ms. Solis, glad to have you here.

Ms. SOLIS. Yes.

Senator THOMAS. Would you like to read your comments, please?

STATEMENT OF HON. HILDA L. SOLIS,

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE FROM CALIFORNIA

Ms. SOLIS. Yes. Thank you very much, Chairman Thomas, and

ranking member, Mr. Akaka. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to come to speak to you on behalf of the Ce ́sar Cha`vez study

act that has been introduced by Senator McCain. I am the sponsor

20

of the bill in the House side, H.R. 1034. And I am very happy that

this hearing has been set today.

The bill will look for ways to honor Ce ́sar Estrada Cha`vez, founder of the United Farm Workers, who was a passionate champion

for human and civil rights, as some of you may know. Specifically,

this bill directs the National Park Service to recognize Cha`vez’s

contributions to our society by looking for ways to memorialize his

life and work through the national historical sites and national

parks. It is the first step in honoring his tremendous accomplishments and the local communities where he spent his life as a child

and as an adult.

Ce ́sar Cha`vez, as many of you know, historically was well known

in the Hispanic community throughout this country for his pioneering work on behalf of farm workers, many of whom resided in the

area, Delano, where he had many Filipino farm workers working,

alongside with him, to help provide fairness and justice for those

who worked and toiled in the field.

It is fitting that we recognize him and that we ask the National

Park Service to look at areas where he grew up, particularly in

Yuma, Arizona. And I believe that is why Senator McCain is very

interested in seeing this put forward. I think it is a tribute. Hispanic-Americans look to role models. He is one of those individuals,

Ce ́sar Cha`vez, who clearly in the eyes of many in our community

look to him as a leader, much like Mahatma Gandhi and the works

of Martin Luther King. It is fitting now in this time, in this century, that we take a look at his contributions.

I would ask that the committee look favorably on this recommendation and look forward to working with Senator McCain.

This should be a bipartisan effort because it is something that

should be documented in our history books, as well as our public

lands. So I would ask for your support.

Senator THOMAS. Thank you very much for coming over. We appreciate that.

Representative SOLIS. Thank you.

[The prepared statement of Ms. Solis follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF HON. HILDA L. SOLIS, U.S. REPRESENTATIVE

FROM CALIFORNIA

Thank you for the opportunity to testify in favor of the Ce ́sar Estrada Cha`vez

Study Act, introduced in the Senate by Senator McCain. I am the sponsor of this

bill in the House, H.R. 1034, and am very happy that you are considering this important legislation.

This bill will look for ways to honor Ce ́sar Estrada Cha`vez, founder of the United

Farm Workers and passionate champion of human and civil rights. Specifically, the

bill directs the National Park Service recognize Cha`vez’s contributions to our society

by looking for ways to memorialize his life and work through National Historical

sites or National Parks. It is the first step in honoring his tremendous accomplishments and the local communities where his footprints were made.

Ce ́sar Cha`vez was a humble man. Little did anyone know the greatness that he

would bestow on future generations. In his early childhood, Ce ́sar Cha`vez was

raised as a farm worker in Yuma, Arizona. Raised during the Great Depression, his

family lost everything and was forced to join the thousands of farm workers that

wandered the Southwest to find work. During his youth, the Cha`vez family migrated throughout the Southwest, working in various farms that fed our country.

The young Ce ́sar Cha`vez experienced first-hand the hardships and injustices of the

thousand of farm workers at that time. His home was barely livable and his school

hardly fit to be called a schoolhouse. Unfair labor practices—harassment, abuse,

21

long hours, low pay, hazardous working conditions and limited educational opportunities kept farm workers from being self-sufficient and empowered citizens.

Witnessing and experiencing this lifestyle, Ce ́sar Cha`vez sought to make changes

in the way farm workers were treated. He united many others who also suffered

similar atrocities, along with those who empathized with the struggle, to become

part of the union movement.

In 1952, he left the fields and joined the Community Service Organization. There

he conducted voter registration drives and campaigns against racial and economic

discrimination.

In 1962, he took his vast experience, his compassion, and his brothers and sisters

in this multi-ethnic struggle and started the National Farmworkers Association—

today’s United Farmworkers of America. The UFW succeeded in organizing the oppressed. They overcame this oppression through boycotts and pickets—and when all

else failed, hunger strikes.

Cha`vez was a student of Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent philosophies. He knew

that you cannot unite people through violent means, but you can connect them by

joining hands in peaceful demonstration. Since its inception, the UFW has achieved

incredible results through its organization. Fair wages, health care coverage, pension benefits, housing, pesticide regulations, and countless other rights and protections are more a reality because of the UFW and in turn because of its founder—

Ce ́sar E. Cha`vez.

On a personal note, as a young Latina growing up in California, Ce ́sar Cha`vez

was an inspiration to me. His life of service was part of what inspired me to work

in government.

In the past, we have honored other heroes, like Martin Luther King, Jr. and the

Civil Rights Movement, through national parks and land. The life of Ce ́sar Cha`vez

and his family provides an outstanding opportunity to demonstrate and interpret

the history of agricultural labor in the west through the National Parks Service.

I thank the Committee for your time and encourage you to support the Ce ́sar

Cha`vez Study Act.

Senator THOMAS. Let us go back to questions then, Mr. Tiller.

You may be excused, if you want, or you are welcome to stay, of

course.

Representative SOLIS. Thank you.

Senator THOMAS. S. 328, Catoctin Mountain Recreation Area, I

notice that it has, in the bill, the authority to acquire private lands,

or interest in private lands, within the boundary. How many acres

of land could potentially be acquired for acquisition over the next

5 years or so?

Mr. TILLER. The boundary that this bill finally establishes draws

a line very neatly around all the property that we concurrently

own. My understanding is there is one small parcel of land, I think

it is about 20 acres, that we are already in the process of acquiring

from a willing seller right now. And that should be completed momentarily, as I understand it.

Therefore, everything within the boundary of this park unit are

lands that we currently own. And conversely, there is no land that

we do not own. So, condemnation or taking lands within this

boundary is not an issue. It is all our own property now.

Senator THOMAS. Why do you have authority to acquire then?

Mr. TILLER. Standard authorities that we are sort of backfilling

with this bill much needed gives us the opportunity to make small,

marginal changes to the boundary incrementally——

Senator THOMAS. This says land within the boundary of the

recreation area.

Mr. TILLER. I understand. It is not correct, sir. All the land within the boundary we do own, except for this one parcel that we have

a willing seller for; and we are in the process of buying that right

now.

22

Senator THOMAS. So, what do you propose to do with this language?

Mr. TILLER. Well, I will have to get back to you. I did not study

that for a re-write.

Senator THOMAS. It says within the boundary.

Mr. TILLER. I understand.

Senator THOMAS. Okay. I do not have anything further on that

bill. Did you, Senator?

Senator AKAKA. No.

Senator THOMAS. No more questions? Okay.

Senator AKAKA. Mr. Chairman, I would ask that Senator

Daschle’s and Senator Johnson’s statements in support of S. 425 on

the Wind Cave National Park expansion be included in the record.

Senator THOMAS. All right, sir. We will do that. Thank you.

On the Rim of the Valley study, how many acres of land does

this addition or—totally represent, should this bill’s proposal be

completed?

Mr. EDMISTON. Mr. Chairman, our GIS information shows that

410,496 acres would be added.

Senator THOMAS. What does that portion that is now forest, managed by the Forest Service—would that still remain managed by

the Forest Service?

Mr. EDMISTON. Yes.

Senator THOMAS. What difference does it make, then, if it is in

this category?

Mr. EDMISTON. Well, I think, first of all, there is significant lands

that are between the Forest Service and the National Park Service.

As you can see on this map, the map which used to be there——

Senator THOMAS. I have a map.

Mr. EDMISTON [continuing]. There is a connection there, including a portion of the San Gabriel Mountains and the Santa Susana

Mountains, in connection into the Simi Hills and then into the

Santa Monica Mountains proper, that is not under any kind of Federal protection. And that is a significant connectivity from a biological standpoint.

And as I said, I think we have two of the Nation’s premier natural resource entities, the Forest Service and the Park Service. And

we think the genius of this bill is that it directs both of them to

get together and figure out what the best way of managing is. And

I do not think we can presuppose and predetermine the outcome

of that study.

Senator THOMAS. Even including now, in the present outline

there, how much of that is private land that is within the corridor

of your current recreation area?

Mr. EDMISTON. I do not have that breakdown. But you can see

in the darker green, the light green area is national forest property. And the darker green area is publicly owned property. And

some of that is National Park Service. And the great majority of

that actually is the State of California.

Senator THOMAS. Well, that green is mostly State parks, is it

not?

Mr. EDMISTON. Yes, although there is approximately, I guess,

right now about 30,000 acres that is part of the National Park SysVerDate 11-SEP-98 13:20 May 05, 2003 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6602 J:\DOCS\86-785 SENERGY3 PsN: SENERGY3
23

tem. And then the remainder is a combination of State parks and

lands owned by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy.

Senator THOMAS. And privately owned lands interspersed, as

well?

Mr. EDMISTON. Yes.

Senator THOMAS. Then in this section that runs on up towards

the top there——

Mr. EDMISTON. Actually, I have been presented with the information about this: 47 percent is publicly owned and 53 percent is privately owned.

Senator THOMAS. What conditions are there over the private

land, any? There are not conservation easements or whatever?

Mr. EDMISTON. No. There are virtually no conservation easements that have been acquired. Almost—because of the nature of

this property, you are talking about 90 percent of the values, the

development value, anyway. There is precious little agriculture at

all in this area.

Senator THOMAS. Who manages this current Santa Monica

Mountain Recreation Area?

Mr. EDMISTON. The recreation area itself is a combination of National Park Service, State park system, and Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy properties.

Senator THOMAS. Who pays for the management of it?

Mr. EDMISTON. The National Park Service, everyone in the country, the State park system, everyone within the State of California.

Senator THOMAS. How is that divided, roughly? Is it, do you

know, half and half?

Mr. EDMISTON. Each of the three management entities have

roughly 150 employees. And so we are talking about roughly 350

employees, 150 from the National Park Service, 150 from State

parks. And that is the State government contribution, Santa

Monica Mountain Conservancy. All of our sources are local sources.

We do not have actually State money. So you have roughly onethird State, one-third local, and one-third national.

Senator THOMAS. Well, this is a huge project. There is no question about that. And now this is a study, of course, is it not, to determine——

Mr. EDMISTON. Right.

Senator THOMAS. And the Park Service is in favor of this bill?

Mr. TILLER. Yes, sir; we are.

Senator THOMAS. What about the study? Are you prepared to do

that, then?

Mr. TILLER. We are prepared to do that. We have estimated the

cost. Given the very extensive public comment it is going to require

and time to do that, given all the varied interests and stakeholders,

there are around $500,000.

Senator THOMAS. And you have that money in your pocket?

Mr. TILLER. I do not have it in my pocket but it will be in the

budget, we hope.

[Laughter.]

Senator THOMAS. Okay. Well, certainly as a study, it is a reasonable thing. It is unusual. I suppose, at some time, we have to give

some thought to what is appropriate for the National Park Service

to be involved in and what is appropriate for the State to do or the

24

local people. Since it is right in your State and so many private

things involved, why would this not make a good State activity?

Mr. EDMISTON. Well, we have been working pretty darn hard,

Mr. Chairman, since 1983, to do what we can. The significance of

this area really is the Mediterranean ecosystem, which is a unique

ecosystem. Some people simply call it brush. And we now recognize, for the last 30 years, it is one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world. And studies, the International Union for the

Conservation of Nature, which is part of the United Nations, has

identified the Mediterranean ecosystem as one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world. And the reason is that it is in southern California. The Mediterranean part of is has already been developed. You know, you cannot find a Mediterranean ecosystem left

anymore in Italy. It has all been developed.

And in southern California, it is also good to put houses on. And

so this is the fast-disappearing ecosystem. And this is the reason

we need to recognize it as part of the national park system.

And, Mr. Chairman, last year I read your testimony and was impressed by it, by the comments that you made that the Park Service should really focus in and identify. And one of the criteria in

the general authorization act of the Park Service are those properties that are not represented, those ecosystems not currently represented adequately, in the National Park System. And the Mediterranean ecosystem is not adequately represented.

In 1978, when the Santa Monica bill passed, we did not really

know the extent of the connectivity of these other mountain ranges.

And when that boundary was drawn by Congressman Phil Burton,

I was physically present when he drew it. And that was a politically determined boundary. It did not take into account the habitat.

This boundary takes into account the habitat.

Senator THOMAS. I guess I do not know what—what did you call

it, what kind of a system?

Mr. EDMISTON. Mediterranean ecosystem.

Senator THOMAS. Mediterranean. I thought that was somewhere

over in Italy.

Mr. EDMISTON. Well, it was. And you know what? The Romans

basically destroyed it. So the Mediterranean ecosystem, as it exists

today, exists in southern California and South Africa. And around

the Mediterranean, they pretty much—short shrift of it. So, we still

have some opportunity left.

And the interesting thing is that the biologists tell us they do

have almost as much species diversity in this habitat system as

you do, for example, in the rain forest. It just looks a lot different.

But it is very significant.

Senator THOMAS. Along with 17 million people.

Mr. EDMISTON. You know, 17 million people and a lot of habitat

have managed to coexist. It is an amazing thing.

Senator THOMAS. It is amazing. Well, it is unique. There is no

question. I guess I am a little accustomed to national parks that,

you know, were set aside before anyone was there except the explorers. And I understand we have different kinds of parks. I also

understand that we need to, sort of, identify what the role of the

Park Service is over time, and so on.

25

Well, in any event, this is a study; and we appreciate it. And it

will be interesting to see how that works out. The department,

then, is opposed to the Wind Cave national boundary exchange?

Mr. TILLER. Yes, Mr. Chairman.

Senator THOMAS. Is that specifically because of the cost?

Mr. TILLER. Yes, Mr. Chairman; yes.

Senator THOMAS. So if Senator Daschle is available to stir up

some money, I suppose that would be a different idea, then?

Mr. TILLER. I would not presume to say.

Senator THOMAS. Other than that, has the park looked at this?

Is this something that, aside from the cost, is a reasonable thing

to do, in terms of the resource?

Mr. TILLER. Yes, sir. These parcels of land were identified in our

approved GMP for the park as valuable additions to the park unit.

It is the cost and the President’s commitment to reducing the backlog that prevents us from supporting it at this time.

Senator THOMAS. I see. I see it would provide for continued grazing for cattle.

Mr. TILLER. Right now, my understanding is, sir, that there is no

cattle grazing on either of the parcels. There are bison herds. The

Casey family, who owns the largest piece of the land in question,

are grazing bison at the moment. There are no cattle.

Senator THOMAS. It says continued grazing of livestock. I do not

know what that means. I have been through a little problem with

cattle grazing in the park, as you know.

Mr. TILLER. I understand.

Senator THOMAS. And I do not think it is a bad idea. But some

people do. All right. Well, did you have anything further to add?

Mr. TILLER. Thank you very much.

Senator THOMAS. Mr. Edmiston?

Mr. EDMISTON. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

Senator THOMAS. Thank you for being here. We appreciate it

very much.

Senator, anything further?

Senator AKAKA. Nothing further, Mr. Chairman.

Senator THOMAS. Very well. If we have any further questions, we

will submit them. And thank you for being here. And we adjourn

the committee.

[Whereupon, at 3:17 p.m., the hearing was adjourned.]

(27)

APPENDIX

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD

TOURISM COUNCIL OF FREDERICK COUNTY, INC.

Frederick, MD, January 24, 2003.

Hon. PAUL SARBANES,

U.S. Senator, Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.

DEAR SENATOR SARBANES: On behalf of the more than two hundred members of

the Tourism Council of Frederick County (MD), Inc., I am writing in enthusiastic

support of your efforts to re-designate Catoctin Mountain Park as the Catoctin

Mountain National Recreation Area.

Frederick County is blessed with the wonderful Federal and State parks in the

northern end of our county and these draw hundreds of thousands of visitors each

year. Our organization operates the Frederick Visitor Center. The Visitor Center

staff can attest to the popularity of the parks, but also spends a good deal of time

sorting them out for visitors. Catoctin Mountain Park is frequently confused with

the adjacent Cunningham Falls State Park. This has been the case for decades.

We believe that adding the designation ‘‘National’’ to the name of Catoctin Mountain Park will help make the distinction between the neighboring parks, as well as

providing recognition that Catoctin Mountain is a unit of the National Park Service.

Designating Catoctin Mountain as a National Recreation Area further clarifies the

offerings of this wonderful facility. As you know, the rich history of the park is complemented by varied outdoor recreation opportunities including hiking, camping,

fishing, picnicking and cross-country skiing.

Frederick County is proud to be home to the bulk of Catoctin Mountain Park and

we believe that designation as Catoctin Mountain National Recreation Area will further our efforts to promote tourism in our area of Maryland. We appreciate your

initiative in submitting legislation to effect this change, and we appreciate your continued support of the heritage and natural resources of our State.

Sincerely,

JOHN J. FIESELER,

Executive Director.

BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS,

Frederick County, MD, February 6, 2003.

Hon. PAUL S. SARBANES,

U.S. Senate, Hart Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.

Re: Renaming Catoctin Mountain Park

DEAR SENATOR SARBANES: On behalf of the Board of County Commissioners of

Frederick County, Maryland, I am writing regarding your proposed bill regarding

the renaming of the Catoctin Mountain Park.

During their meeting on Thursday, February 6, 2003, the Board of County Commissioners unanimously voted to support the proposed bill that would rename the

Catoctin Mountain Park to the ‘‘Catoctin Mountain National Recreation Area.’’

We thank you for the opportunity to comment on this important legislation. If you

need anything further, please do not hesitate to contact me at (301) 694-1028.

Sincerely,

JOHN L. THOMPSON, JR.,

President.

28

STATEMENT OF JOHN L. COOPER, CABINET SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF GAME,

FISH AND PARKS, STATE OF SOUTH DAKOTA

Mr. Chairman, my name is John L. Cooper. I am the Cabinet Secretary for the

State of South Dakota, Department of Game, Fish and Parks. I want to thank you

for the opportunity to provide written testimony on behalf of the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks (GF&P) concerning S. 425, to expand the boundary of Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota.

GF&P supports S. 425. State concerns and conditions that were put forth to the

National Park Service in anticipation of this boundary expansion have been answered to our satisfaction. The working relationship between Wind Cave National

Park (Wind Cave) and the State of South Dakota has been excellent and with continued cooperation we can continue to address the complex needs of land and wildlife management in the Wind Cave area.

There are two primary issues that have been addressed:

• Cooperative Elk Management Plan

In June 2002, GF&P entered into a Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with

the National Park Service to establish standards in the project planning and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process for development of an elk management plan for Wind Cave. While management jurisdiction is clearly defined by park

boundaries, animals freely cross back and forth between these boundaries. Concerns

were put forth, and are now being addressed, on a potentially over-population of elk

in the Wind Cave and its affect on surrounding areas. Of particular concern have

been complaints from private landowners of property depredation by elk and deer,

Thus requires a regional approach to address elk management from the standpoint

of Wind Cave, the State of South Dakota, and private landowners. Scientific data

on elk populations, movements. habitat and carrying capacity are now being implemented. GF&P is continuing efforts with Wind Cave to develop a regional long-term

elk management plan.

• Chronic Wasting Disease

As part of that same MOU, a plan has been formulated and put in place to address the potential for chronic wasting disease (CWD), a disease that is lethal to

elk and deer. A positive test was returned on an ells from within the Wind Cave

boundaries in 2002, and CWD has been documented on the property proposed for

acquisition to complete the boundary expansion. It will be vital to carry on longterm monitoring and research of CWD in the expanded Wind Cave boundary area.

This will include installing and maintaining quality fences to keep lands potentially

affected with CWD segregated from other areas. The potential for spread of CWD

must be kept at zero. Work recently began to live-trap deer within Wind Cave for

CWD testing to determine the occurrence rate of the disease. There is no live test

for elk, but Wind Cave has an elk CWD monitoring plan for any animals which exhibit visual symptoms.

These are the initial steps in this cooperative effort. We understand that the National Park Service will serve as lead agency for the preparation of elk and CWD

management plans and associated Environmental Impact Statements in Wind Cave,

and will have approval authority and responsibility for any proposed actions within

Wind Cave. GF&P will act as a consultant in these management plans, and serve

as lead agency in regional management plans. Thus will allow our agencies to effectively coordinate our planning efforts and share expertise on these issues.

Another concern which arose and has subsequently been addressed was the loss

of public hunting opportunities should an 880 acre parcel of School and Public Land

have been included in the expansion. Alternative ‘‘B’’, which excludes those acres

from the Wind Cave boundary expansion, is the chosen alternative and will negate

that issue.

Other issues that have been reviewed and will need continued monitoring are

weed control (in particular Canada thistle), prairie dog management, and reintroduction of the black-footed ferret. These appear to be headed in a very positive direction and we look forward to working with Wind Cave on these efforts.

The Black Hills of South Dakota is a world-class tourist destination that has tremendous economic benefit for our state. The land has incredible beauty and has

been a prime target of private developers. Large tracts of valuable grassland and

forest habitat are being lost each year. We support efforts to maintain this vital

wildlife habitat.

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GF&P has a strong working relationship with Wind Cave. Based on the excellent

records our agencies have in cooperation, and on the agreements that have been put

forth, we support this action to expand the park boundary in western South Dakota.

This concludes my written testimony. Thank you again for this opportunity.

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