I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4003 

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study 

to evaluate resources in the Hudson River Valley in the State of New 

York to determine the suitability and feasibility of establishing the site 

as a unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 3, 2009 

Mr. HINCHEY (for himself, Mrs. LOWEY, and Mr. ENGEL) introduced the 

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

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special 

resource study to evaluate resources in the Hudson River 

Valley in the State of New York to determine the suitability and feasibility of establishing the site as a unit 

of the National Park System, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Hudson River Valley 

5 Special Resource Study Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 


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1 (1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

2 the Secretary of the Interior. 

3 (2) STUDY AREA.—The term ‘‘study area’’— 

4 (A) means the portion of the Hudson River 

5 that flows from Rodgers Island at Fort Edward 

6 to the southern-most boundary of Westchester 

7 County, New York; and 

8 (B) includes any relevant sites and land9 scapes within the counties in New York that 

10 abut the area described in subparagraph (A). 

11 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 

12 Congress finds as follows: 

13 (1) The Hudson River Valley possesses impor14 tant and unique cultural, historical, natural, rec15 reational and scenic resources that have been central 

16 to the development and sustainment of our Nation. 

17 (2) The Hudson River Valley encompasses a 

18 rich array of sensitive natural resources ranging 

19 from the River itself and its vast estuarine district, 

20 to its wetlands, refuges, parks, forests, farmlands, 

21 preserves, cliffs, mountains and valleys. 

22 (3) The Hudson River and its tributaries are 

23 home to a number of rare and threatened animal 

24 species, habitats, and plants. 


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1 (4) The Hudson River Valley is home to myriad 

2 biking, heritage, pedestrian and scenic trail systems 

3 on the eastern and western sides of the River that 

4 are now connected by the Walkway Over the Hudson 

5 bridge, which has been designated as a National 

6 Recreation Trail. 

7 (5) Throughout history, the Hudson River Val8 ley has played a central role in the development of 

9 our nation, starting from the vibrant Native Amer10 ican communities that first inhabited the land, to 

11 Henry Hudson’s voyage up the river later named for 

12 him in the vessel Half Moon in 1609 and later with 

13 the American Revolution, the debate on our Con14 stitution, the first successful steamboat voyage by 

15 Robert Fulton in 1807, the Industrial Revolution, 

16 and the modern labor and environmental move17 ments. 

18 (6) The Hudson River Valley gave birth to im19 portant movements in American art, architecture 

20 and literature through the work of Andrew Jackson 

21 Downing, Alexander Jackson Davis, Thomas Cole, 

22 Frederick Church and their associates from the 

23 Hudson River School of Art, as well as through au24 thors such as Washington Irving, James Fenimore 


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1 Cooper, William Cullen Bryant, Susan and Anna 

2 Warner, and John Burroughs. 

3 (7) The depictions and descriptions of the Hud4 son River Valley’s renowned scenery and natural re5 sources played a central role in the recognition of 

6 the value of the landscape and the development of 

7 an American esthetic and environmental ideal. 

8 (8) A 1996 National Park Service study called 

9 the Hudson River Valley ‘‘the landscape that defined 

10 America.’’ 

11 (9) The Hudson River Valley has been the sub12 ject of multiple State and Federal inventories, stud13 ies, and plans that should greatly assist a National 

14 Park Service special resource study. 

15 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF STUDY. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—As soon as funds are made avail17 able for this purpose, the Secretary shall complete a study 

18 of the Hudson River Valley in the State of New York to 

19 evaluate— 

20 (1) the national significance of the area; and 

21 (2) the suitability and feasibility of designating 

22 the area as a unit of the National Park System. 

23 (b) STUDY GUIDELINES.—In conducting the study 

24 under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 


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1 (1) use the criteria for the study of areas for 

2 potential inclusion in the National Park System in3 cluded in section 8 of Public Law 91–383, as 

4 amended by section 303 of the National Parks Om5 nibus Management Act of 1998 (Public Law 105– 

6 391; 112 Stat. 3501); and 

7 (2) closely examine park unit models, in par8 ticular national river and recreation areas, as well as 

9 other landscape protection models, that— 

10 (A) encompass large areas of non-Federal 

11 lands within their designated boundaries; 

12 (B) foster public and private collaborative 

13 arrangements for achieving National Park Serv14 ice objectives; and 

15 (C) protect and respect the rights of pri16 vate land owners. 

17 SEC. 5. REPORT. 

18 Not later than 24 months after the date that funds 

19 are first made available for this purpose, the Secretary 

20 shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Re21 sources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Re22 sources of the House of Representatives a report on the 

23 findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the study 

24 authorized by this Act. 

Æ 


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