I

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 2485

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

OCTOBER 6, 2000

Referred to the Committee on Resources

AN ACT

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance

in planning and constructing a regional heritage center

in Calais, Maine.

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Saint Croix Island

5 Heritage Act’’.
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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—

3 (1) Saint Croix Island is located in the Saint

4 Croix River, a river that is the boundary between

5 the State of Maine and Canada;

6 (2) the Island is the only international historic

7 site in the National Park System;

8 (3) in 1604, French nobleman Pierre Dugua

9 Sieur de Mons, accompanied by a courageous group

10 of adventurers that included Samuel Champlain,

11 landed on the Island and began the construction of

12 a settlement;

13 (4) the French settlement on the Island in

14 1604 and 1605 was the initial site of the first per15 manent settlement in the New World, predating the

16 English settlement of 1607 at Jamestown, Virginia;

17 (5) many people view the expedition that settled

18 on the Island in 1604 as the beginning of the Aca19 dian culture in North America;

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

21 completed a general management plan to manage

22 and interpret the Saint Croix Island International

23 Historic Site;

24 (7) the plan addresses a variety of management

25 alternatives, and concludes that the best manage26 ment strategy entails developing an interpretive trail
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1 and ranger station at Red Beach, Maine, and a re2 gional heritage center in downtown Calais, Maine, in

3 cooperation with Federal, State, and local agencies;

4 (8) a 1982 memorandum of understanding,

5 signed by the Department of the Interior and the

6 Canadian Department for the Environment, outlines

7 a cooperative program to commemorate the inter8 national heritage of the Saint Croix Island site and

9 specifically to prepare for the 400th anniversary of

10 the settlement in 2004; and

11 (9) only 4 years remain before the 400th anni12 versary of the settlement at Saint Croix Island, an

13 occasion that should be appropriately commemo14 rated.

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

16 the Secretary of the Interior to take all necessary and ap17 propriate steps to work with Federal, State, and local

18 agencies, historical societies, and nonprofit organizations

19 to facilitate the development of a regional heritage center

20 in downtown Calais, Maine before the 400th anniversary

21 of the settlement of Saint Croix Island.

22 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

23 In this Act:
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1 (1) ISLAND.—The term ‘‘Island’’ means Saint

2 Croix Island, located in the Saint Croix River, be3 tween Canada and the State of Maine.

4 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means

5 the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Di6 rector of the National Park Service.

7 SEC. 4. SAINT CROIX ISLAND REGIONAL HERITAGE CEN8 TER.

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide as10 sistance in planning, constructing, and operating a re11 gional heritage center in downtown Calais, Maine, to fa12 cilitate the management and interpretation of the Saint

13 Croix Island International Historic Site.

14 (b) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—To carry out sub15 section (a), in administering the Saint Croix Island Inter16 national Historic Site, the Secretary may enter into coop17 erative agreements under appropriate terms and condi18 tions with other Federal agencies, State and local agencies

19 and nonprofit organizations—

20 (1) to provide exhibits, interpretive services (in21 cluding employing individuals to provide such serv22 ices), and technical assistance;

23 (2) to conduct activities that facilitate the dis24 semination of information relating to the Saint Croix

25 Island International Historic Site;
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1 (3) to provide financial assistance for the con2 struction of the regional heritage center in exchange

3 for space in the center that is sufficient to interpret

4 the Saint Croix Island International Historic Site;

5 and

6 (4) to assist with the operation and mainte7 nance of the regional heritage center.

8 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

9 (a) DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION.—

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

11 appropriated to carry out this Act (including the de12 sign and construction of the regional heritage cen13 ter) $2,000,000.

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

15 funds to be appropriated on the condition that any

16 expenditure of those funds shall be matched on a

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

18 sources.

19 (b) OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE.—There are au20 thorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary

21 to maintain and operate interpretive exhibits in the re22 gional heritage center.

Passed the Senate October 5 (legislative day, September 22), 2000.

Attest: GARY SISCO,

Secretary.