I
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4815
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance in planning,
constructing, and operating a regional heritage center in Calais, Maine,
to facilitate the management and interpretation of the Saint Croix Island
International Historic Site.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 10, 2000
Mr. BALDACCI introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Resources
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to provide assistance
in planning, constructing, and operating a regional herit-
age center in Calais, Maine, to facilitate the management
and interpretation of the Saint Croix Island International
Historic Site.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Saint Croix Island
Heritage Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—
(1) Saint Croix Island is located in the Saint
Croix River, a river that forms part of the boundary
between the State of Maine and Canada;
(2) the Island is the only international historic
site in the National Park System;
(3) in 1604, French nobleman Pierre Dugua
Sieur de Mons, accompanied by a courageous group
of adventurers that included Samuel Champlain,
landed on the Island and began the construction of
a settlement;
(4) the French settlement on the Island in
1604 and 1605 was the initial site of the first per-
manent settlement in the New World, predating the
English settlement of 1607 at Jamestown, Virginia;
(5) many people view the expedition that settled
on the Island in 1604 as the beginning of the Aca-
dian culture in North America;
(6) in October 1998, the National Park Service
completed a general management plan to manage
and interpret the Saint Croix Island International
Historic Site;
(7) the plan addresses a variety of management
alternatives, and concludes that the best manage-
ment strategy entails developing an interpretive trail
and ranger station at Red Beach, Maine, and a re-
gional heritage center in downtown Calais, Maine, in
cooperation with Federal, State, and local agencies;
(8) a 1982 memorandum of understanding,
signed by the Department of the Interior and the
Canadian Department for the Environment, outlines
a cooperative program to commemorate the inter-
national heritage of the Saint Croix Island site and
specifically to prepare for the 400th anniversary of
the settlement in 2004; and
(9) only 4 years remain before the 400th anni-
versary of the settlement at Saint Croix Island, an
occasion that should be appropriately commemo-
rated.
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this Act is to direct
the Secretary of the Interior to take all necessary and ap-
propriate steps to work with Federal, State, and local
agencies, historical societies, and nonprofit organizations
to facilitate the development of a regional heritage center
in downtown Calais, Maine, before the 400th anniversary
of the settlement of Saint Croix Island.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) ISLAND.—The term ‘‘Island’’ means Saint
Croix Island, located in the Saint Croix River, be-
tween Canada and the State of Maine.
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means
the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Di-
rector of the National Park Service.
SEC. 4. SAINT CROIX ISLAND REGIONAL HERITAGE CEN-
TER.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide as-
sistance in planning, constructing, and operating a re-
gional heritage center in downtown Calais, Maine, to fa-
cilitate the management and interpretation of the Saint
Croix Island International Historic Site.
(b) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—To carry out sub-
section (a) and in administering the Saint Croix Island
International Historic Site, the Secretary may enter into
cooperative agreements under appropriate terms and con-
ditions with other Federal agencies, State and local agen-
cies, and nonprofit organizations—
(1) to provide exhibits, interpretive services (in-
cluding employing individuals to provide such serv-
ices), and technical assistance;
(2) to conduct activities that facilitate the dis-
semination of information relating to the Saint Croix
Island International Historic Site;
(3) to provide financial assistance for the con-
struction of the regional heritage center in exchange
for space in the center that is sufficient to interpret
the Saint Croix Island International Historic Site;
and
(4) to assist with the operation and mainte-
nance of the regional heritage center.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this Act (including the de-
sign and construction of the regional heritage cen-
ter) $2,000,000.
(2) EXPENDITURE.—Paragraph (1) authorizes
funds to be appropriated on the condition that any
expenditure of those funds shall be matched on a
dollar-for-dollar basis by funds from non-Federal
sources.
(b) OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE.—There are au-
thorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary
to maintain and operate interpretive exhibits in the re-
gional heritage center.
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