IIB 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3257
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
SEPTEMBER 22, 2004
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources 
AN ACT 
To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a 
study to determine the suitability and feasibility of estab-
lishing the Western Reserve Heritage Area.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Western Reserve Herit-
age Areas Study Act’’. 
SEC. 2. NATIONAL PARK SERVICE STUDY REGARDING THE 
WESTERN RESERVE, OHIO. 
(a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following: 
(1) The area that encompasses the modern-day 
counties of Trumbull, Mahoning, Ashtabula, Portage, 
Geagua, Lake, Cuyahoga, Summit, Medina, Huron, 
Lorain, Erie, Ottawa, and Ashland in Ohio with the 
rich history in what was once the Western Reserve, 
has made a unique contribution to the cultural, polit-
ical and industrial development of the United States. 
(2) The Western Reserve is distinctive as the 
land settled by the people of Connecticut after the 
Revolutionary War. The Western Reserve holds a 
unique mark as the original wilderness land of the 
West that many settlers migrated to in order to begin 
life outside of the original 13 colonies. 
(3) The Western Reserve played a significant 
role in providing land to the people of Connecticut 
whose property and land was destroyed during the 
Revolution. These settlers were descendants of the 
brave immigrants who came to the Americas in the 
17th century.
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(4) The Western Reserve offered a new destina-
tion for those who moved west in search of land and 
prosperity. The agricultural and industrial base that 
began in the Western Reserve still lives strong in these 
prosperous and historical counties. 
(5) The heritage of the Western Reserve remains 
transfixed in the counties of Trumbull, Mahoning, 
Ashtabula, Portage, Geagua, Lake, Cuyahoga, Sum-
mit, Medina, Huron, Lorain, Erie, Ottawa, and Ash-
land in Ohio. The people of these counties are proud 
of their heritage as shown through the unwavering at-
tempts to preserve agricultural land and the indus-
trial foundation that has been embedded in this re-
gion since the establishment of the Western Reserve. 
Throughout these counties, historical sites, and mark-
ers preserve the unique traditions and customs of its 
original heritage. 
(6) The counties that encompass the Western Re-
serve continue to maintain a strong connection to its 
historic past as seen through its preservation of its 
local heritage, including historic homes, buildings, 
and centers of public gatherings. 
(7) There is a need for assistance for the preser-
vation and promotion of the significance of the West-
ern Reserve as the natural, historic and cultural her-
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itage of the counties of Trumbull, Mahoning, Ash-
tabula, Portage, Geagua, Lake, Cuyahoga, Summit, 
Medina, Huron, Lorain, Erie, Ottawa and Ashland 
in Ohio. 
(8) The Department of the Interior is responsible 
for protecting the Nation’s cultural and historical re-
sources. There are significant examples of such re-
sources within these counties and what was once the 
Western Reserve to merit the involvement of the Fed-
eral Government in the development of programs and 
projects, in cooperation with the State of Ohio and 
other local governmental entities, to adequately con-
serve, protect, and interpret this heritage for future 
generations, while providing opportunities for edu-
cation and revitalization. 
(b) STUDY.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall, in con-
sultation with the State of Ohio, the counties of 
Trumbull, Mahoning, Ashtabula, Portage, Geagua, 
Lake, Cuyahoga, Summit, Medina, Huron, Lorain, 
Erie, Ottawa, and Ashland, and other appropriate or-
ganizations, carry out a study regarding the suit-
ability and feasibility of establishing the Western Re-
serve Heritage Area in these counties in Ohio.
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(2) CONTENTS.—The study shall include anal-
ysis and documentation regarding whether the Study 
Area—
(A) has an assemblage of natural, historic, 
and cultural resources that together represent 
distinctive aspects of American heritage worthy 
of recognition, conservation, interpretation, and 
continuing use, and are best managed through 
partnerships among public and private entities 
and by combining diverse and sometimes non-
contiguous resources and active communities; 
(B) reflects traditions, customs, beliefs, and 
folklife that are a valuable part of the national 
story; 
(C) provides outstanding opportunities to 
conserve natural, historic, cultural, or scenic fea-
tures; 
(D) provides outstanding recreational and 
educational opportunities; 
(E) contains resources important to the 
identified theme or themes of the Study Area 
that retain a degree of integrity capable of sup-
porting interpretation; 
(F) includes residents, business interests, 
nonprofit organizations, and local and State
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governments that are involved in the planning, 
have developed a conceptual financial plan that 
outlines the roles for all participants, including 
the Federal Government, and have demonstrated 
support for the concept of a national heritage 
area; 
(G) has a potential management entity to 
work in partnership with residents, business in-
terests, nonprofit organizations, and local and 
State governments to develop a national heritage 
area consistent with continued local and State 
economic activity; 
(H) has a conceptual boundary map that is 
supported by the public; and 
(I) has potential or actual impact on pri-
vate property located within or abutting the 
Study Area. 
(c) BOUNDARIES OF THE STUDY AREA.—The Study 
Area shall be comprised of the counties of Trumbull, 
Mahoning, Ashtabula, Portage, Geagua, Lake, Cuyahoga,
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Summit, Medina, Huron, Lorain, Erie, Ottawa, and Ash-
land in Ohio.
Passed the House of Representatives September 21, 
2004. 
Attest: 
JEFF TRANDAHL, 
Clerk.