109TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 938
AN ACT
To establish the Upper Housatonic Valley National
Heritage Area in the State of Connecticut and
the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and for
other purposes.
109TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 938
AN ACT
To establish the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage
Area in the State of Connecticut and the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. TABLE OF CONTENTS.
The table of contents for this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Table of contents.
TITLE I—UPPER HOUSATONIC VALLEY NATIONAL HERITAGE
AREA
Sec. 101. Short title.
Sec. 102. Findings and purposes.
Sec. 103. Definitions.
Sec. 104. Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area.
Sec. 105. Authorities, prohibitions, and duties of the management entity.
Sec. 106. Management plan.
Sec. 107. Duties and authorities of the Secretary.
Sec. 108. Duties of other Federal agencies.
Sec. 109. Requirements for inclusion of private property.
Sec. 110. Private property protection.
Sec. 111. Authorization of appropriations.
Sec. 112. Sunset.
TITLE II—ILLINOIS AND MICHIGAN CANAL NATIONAL HERITAGE
CORRIDOR ACT AMENDMENTS
Sec. 201. Short title.
Sec. 202. Transition and provisions for new management entity.
Sec. 203. Private property protection.
Sec. 204. Technical amendments.
TITLE III—ST. CROIX NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA STUDY
Sec. 301. St. Croix National Heritage Area study.
TITLE IV—NORTHERN RIO GRANDE NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA
Sec. 401. Short title.
Sec. 402. Congressional findings.
Sec. 403. Definitions.
Sec. 404. Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area.
Sec. 405. Authority and duties of the management entity.
Sec. 406. Duties of the Secretary.
Sec. 407. Private property protections; savings provisions.
Sec. 408. Sunset.
Sec. 409. Authorization of appropriations.
TITLE 
I—UPPER 
HOUSATONIC
VALLEY NATIONAL HERITAGE
AREA
SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ‘‘Upper Housatonic
Valley National Heritage Area Act’’.
SEC. 102. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following:
(1) The upper Housatonic Valley, encompassing
29 towns in the hilly terrain of western Massachu-
setts and northwestern Connecticut, is a singular
geographical and cultural region that has made sig-
nificant national contributions through its literary,
artistic, musical, and architectural achievements, its
iron, paper, and electrical equipment industries, and
its scenic beautification and environmental conserva-
tion efforts.
(2) The upper Housatonic Valley has 139 prop-
erties and historic districts listed on the National
Register of Historic Places, including—
(A) five National Historic Landmarks—
(i) 
Edith 
Wharton’s 
home, 
The
Mount, Lenox, Massachusetts;
(ii) Herman Melville’s home, Arrow-
head, Pittsfield, Massachusetts;
(iii) W.E.B. DuBois’ Boyhood Home-
site, Great Barrington, Massachusetts;
(iv) Mission House, Stockbridge, Mas-
sachusetts; and
(v) Crane and Company Old Stone
Mill Rag Room, Dalton, Massachusetts;
and
(B) four National Natural Landmarks—
(i) Bartholomew’s Cobble, Sheffield,
Massachusetts, and Salisbury, Connecticut;
(ii) 
Beckley 
Bog, 
Norfolk, 
Con-
necticut;
(iii) Bingham Bog, Salisbury, Con-
necticut; and
(iv) Cathedral Pines, Cornwall, Con-
necticut.
(3) Writers, artists, musicians, and vacationers
have visited the region for more than 150 years to
enjoy its scenic wonders, making it one of the coun-
try’s leading cultural resorts.
(4) The upper Housatonic Valley has made sig-
nificant national cultural contributions through such
writers as Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne,
Edith Wharton, and W.E.B. DuBois, artists Daniel
Chester French and Norman Rockwell, and the per-
forming arts centers of Tanglewood, Music Moun-
tain, Norfolk (Connecticut) Chamber Music Festival,
Jacob’s Pillow, and Shakespeare & Company.
(5) The upper Housatonic Valley is noted for
its pioneering achievements in the iron, paper, and
electrical generation industries and has cultural re-
sources to interpret those industries.
(6) The region became a national leader in sce-
nic beautification and environmental conservation ef-
forts following the era of industrialization and defor-
estation and maintains a fabric of significant con-
servation 
areas 
including 
the 
meandering
Housatonic River.
(7) Important historical events related to the
American Revolution, Shays’ Rebellion, and early
civil rights took place in the upper Housatonic Val-
ley.
(8) The region had an American Indian pres-
ence going back 10,000 years and Mohicans had a
formative role in contact with Europeans during the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
(9) The Upper Housatonic Valley National
Heritage Area has been proposed in order to height-
en appreciation of the region, preserve its natural
and historical resources, and improve the quality of
life and economy of the area.
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this title are as fol-
lows:
(1) To establish the Upper Housatonic Valley
National Heritage Area in the State of Connecticut
and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
(2) To implement the national heritage area al-
ternative as described in the document entitled
‘‘Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area
Feasibility Study, 2003’’.
(3) To provide a management framework to
foster a close working relationship with all levels of
government, the private sector, and the local com-
munities in the upper Housatonic Valley region to
conserve the region’s heritage while continuing to
pursue compatible economic opportunities.
(4) To assist communities, organizations, and
citizens in the State of Connecticut and the Com-
monwealth of Massachusetts in identifying, pre-
serving, interpreting, and developing the historical,
cultural, scenic, and natural resources of the region
for the educational and inspirational benefit of cur-
rent and future generations.