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 suit-
ability and feasibility of establishing the site as a unit 
of the National Park System, 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. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Hudson River Valley 
Special Resource Study Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
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(1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
(2) STUDY AREA.—The term ‘‘study area’’— 
(A) means the portion of the Hudson River 
that flows from Rodgers Island at Fort Edward 
to the southern-most boundary of Westchester 
County, New York; and 
(B) includes any relevant sites and land-
scapes within the counties in New York that 
abut the area described in subparagraph (A). 
SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds as follows: 
(1) The Hudson River Valley possesses impor-
tant and unique cultural, historical, natural, rec-
reational and scenic resources that have been central 
to the development and sustainment of our Nation. 
(2) The Hudson River Valley encompasses a 
rich array of sensitive natural resources ranging 
from the River itself and its vast estuarine district, 
to its wetlands, refuges, parks, forests, farmlands, 
preserves, cliffs, mountains and valleys. 
(3) The Hudson River and its tributaries are 
home to a number of rare and threatened animal 
species, habitats, and plants. 
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(4) The Hudson River Valley is home to myriad 
biking, heritage, pedestrian and scenic trail systems 
on the eastern and western sides of the River that 
are now connected by the Walkway Over the Hudson 
bridge, which has been designated as a National 
Recreation Trail. 
(5) Throughout history, the Hudson River Val-
ley has played a central role in the development of 
our nation, starting from the vibrant Native Amer-
ican communities that first inhabited the land, to 
Henry Hudson’s voyage up the river later named for 
him in the vessel Half Moon in 1609 and later with 
the American Revolution, the debate on our Con-
stitution, the first successful steamboat voyage by 
Robert Fulton in 1807, the Industrial Revolution, 
and the modern labor and environmental move-
ments. 
(6) The Hudson River Valley gave birth to im-
portant movements in American art, architecture 
and literature through the work of Andrew Jackson 
Downing, Alexander Jackson Davis, Thomas Cole, 
Frederick Church and their associates from the 
Hudson River School of Art, as well as through au-
thors such as Washington Irving, James Fenimore 
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Cooper, William Cullen Bryant, Susan and Anna 
Warner, and John Burroughs. 
(7) The depictions and descriptions of the Hud-
son River Valley’s renowned scenery and natural re-
sources played a central role in the recognition of 
the value of the landscape and the development of 
an American esthetic and environmental ideal. 
(8) A 1996 National Park Service study called 
the Hudson River Valley ‘‘the landscape that defined 
America.’’ 
(9) The Hudson River Valley has been the sub-
ject of multiple State and Federal inventories, stud-
ies, and plans that should greatly assist a National 
Park Service special resource study. 
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF STUDY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—As soon as funds are made avail-
able for this purpose, the Secretary shall complete a study 
of the Hudson River Valley in the State of New York to 
evaluate— 
(1) the national significance of the area; and 
(2) the suitability and feasibility of designating 
the area as a unit of the National Park System. 
(b) STUDY GUIDELINES.—In conducting the study 
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 
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(1) use the criteria for the study of areas for 
potential inclusion in the National Park System in-
cluded in section 8 of Public Law 91–383, as 
amended by section 303 of the National Parks Om-
nibus Management Act of 1998 (Public Law 105– 
391; 112 Stat. 3501); and 
(2) closely examine park unit models, in par-
ticular national river and recreation areas, as well as 
other landscape protection models, that— 
(A) encompass large areas of non-Federal 
lands within their designated boundaries; 
(B) foster public and private collaborative 
arrangements for achieving National Park Serv-
ice objectives; and 
(C) protect and respect the rights of pri-
vate land owners. 
SEC. 5. REPORT. 
Not later than 24 months after the date that funds 
are first made available for this purpose, the Secretary 
shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Re-
sources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Re-
sources of the House of Representatives a report on the 
findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the study 
authorized by this Act. 
Æ 
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