I
107TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 2643
To authorize the acquisition of additional lands for inclusion in the Fort
Clatsop National Memorial in the State of Oregon, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 25, 2001
Mr. WU (for himself, Mr. BAIRD, and Mr. SOUDER) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources
A BILL
To authorize the acquisition of additional lands for inclusion
in the Fort Clatsop National Memorial in the State
of Oregon, 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 ‘‘Fort Clatsop National
Memorial Expansion Act of 2001’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Fort Clatsop National Memorial is the only
unit of the National Park System solely dedicated to
the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
(2) In 1805, the members of the Lewis and
Clark Expedition built Fort Clatsop at the mouth of
the Columbia River near Astoria, Oregon, and they
spent 106 days at the fort waiting for the end of
winter and preparing for their journey home.
(3) In 1958, Congress enacted Public Law 85–
435 authorizing the establishment of Fort Clatsop
National Memorial for the purpose of commemo-
rating the culmination, and the winter encampment,
of the Lewis and Clark Expedition following its suc-
cessful crossing of the North American continent.
(4) The 1995 General Management Plan for
Fort Clatsop National Memorial, prepared with
input from the local community, recommends the ex-
pansion of the memorial to include the trail used by
expedition members to access the Pacific Ocean from
the fort and the shore and forest lands surrounding
the fort and trail to protect their natural settings.
(5) The area near present day McGowan,
Washington, where the Lewis and Clark Expedition
first camped after reaching the Pacific Ocean,
known as the ‘‘Station Camp’’ site, and where they
performed detailed surveying and conducted the his-
toric vote to determine where to spend the winter,
is of undisputed national significance.
(6) The National Park Service and State of
Washington should identify the best alternative for
adequately and cost effectively protecting and inter-
preting the Station Camp site.
(7) Expansion of Fort Clatsop National Memo-
rial requires Federal legislation because the size of
the memorial is currently limited by statute to 130
acres.
(8) Congressional action to allow for the expan-
sion of Fort Clatsop National Memorial to include
both the trail to the Pacific Ocean and the Station
Camp site would be both timely and appropriate be-
fore the start of the bicentennial celebration of the
Lewis and Clark Expedition planned to take place
during the years 2004 through 2006.
(9) The National Park Service, in a formal
partnership with the States of Washington and Or-
egon and relevant Indian tribes, should conduct a
comprehensive study of alternative mechanisms for
the long-term protection of, and visitation to, Lewis
and Clark sites along the lower Columbia River and
the short-term implementations of bicentennial com-
memoration activities. The sites which should be
studied include the Megler Rest Area and Fort
Canby State Park with the goal of adding these sites
to the Fort Clatsop National Memorial in a fashion
that is mutually agreeable to the National Park
Service and the States of Washington and Oregon.
SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF FORT CLATSOP NATIONAL MEMO-
RIAL, OREGON.
(a) REVISED BOUNDARIES.—Section 2 of Public Law
85–435 (16 U.S.C. 450mm–1) is amended—
(1) by inserting ‘‘(a) INITIAL DESIGNATION OF
LANDS.—’’ before ‘‘The Secretary’’;
(2) by striking ‘‘coast:’’ and all that follows
through the end of the sentence and inserting
‘‘coast.’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
sections:
‘‘(b) AUTHORIZED EXPANSION.—The Fort Clatsop
National Memorial shall also include the lands depicted
on the map entitled ‘Fort Clatsop Boundary Map’, num-
bered ‘405–80016–CCO’, and dated June 1996. The Sec-
retary shall maintain in an undeveloped state a visual
buffer zone between a commemorative trail that will run
through the property and adjacent private lands.
‘‘(c) MAXIMUM DESIGNATED AREA.—The total area
designated as the Fort Clatsop National Memorial shall
not exceed 1,500 acres.’’.
(b) AUTHORIZED ACQUISITION METHODS.—Section
3 of Public Law 85–435 (16 U.S.C. 450mm–2) is
amended—
(1) by inserting ‘‘(a) ACQUISITION
METH-
ODS.—’’ before ‘‘Within’’; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section:
‘‘(b) LIMITATION.—The lands depicted on the map
referred to in section 2(b) may be acquired only by dona-
tion or purchase from willing sellers, with the exception
of corporately owned timberlands.’’.
SEC. 4. STUDY OF STATION CAMP SITE AND OTHER AREAS
FOR POSSIBLE INCLUSION IN NATIONAL ME-
MORIAL.
The Secretary of the Interior shall conduct a study
of the area near McGowan, Washington, where the Lewis
and Clark Expedition first camped after reaching the Pa-
cific Ocean and known as the ‘‘Station Camp’’ site, as well
as the Megler Rest Area and Fort Canby State Park, to
determine the suitability, feasibility, and national signifi-
cance of these sites for inclusion in the National Park Sys-
tem. The study shall be conducted in accordance with sec-
tion 8 of Public Law 91–383 (16 U.S.C. 1a–5).
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