I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2278
To establish the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Corridor 
in the State of Alaska, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 22, 2003
Mr. YOUNG of Alaska introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Resources 
A BILL 
To establish the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National 
Heritage Corridor in the State of Alaska, 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 ‘‘Kenai Mountains-
Turnagain Arm National Heritage Corridor Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm 
transportation corridor is a major gateway to Alaska 
and includes a range of transportation routes used
first by indigenous people who were followed by pio-
neers who settled the Nation’s last frontier. 
(2) The natural history and scenic splendor of 
the region are equally outstanding; vistas of nature’s 
power include evidence of earthquake subsidence, re-
cent avalanches, retreating glaciers and tidal action 
along Turnagain Arm, which has the world’s second 
greatest tidal range. 
(3) The cultural landscape formed by indige-
nous people and then by settlement, transportation 
and modern resource development in this rugged and 
often treacherous natural setting stands as powerful 
testimony to the human fortitude, perseverance, and 
resourcefulness that is America’s proudest heritage 
from the people who settled the frontier. 
(4) There is a national interest in recognizing, 
preserving, promoting, and interpreting these re-
sources. 
(5) The Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm re-
gion is geographically and culturally cohesive be-
cause it is defined by a corridor of historic routes—
trail, water, railroad, and roadways through a dis-
tinct landscape of mountains, lakes, and fjords. 
(6) National significance of separate elements 
of the region include, but are not limited to, the
Iditarod National Historic Trail, the Seward High-
way National Scenic Byway, and the Alaska Rail-
road National Scenic Railroad. 
(7) National Heritage Corridor designation pro-
vides for the interpretation of these routes, as well 
as the national historic districts and numerous his-
toric routes in the region as part of the whole pic-
ture of human history in the wider transportation 
corridor including early Native trade routes, connec-
tions by waterway, mining trail, and other routes. 
(8) National Heritage Corridor designation also 
provides communities within the region with the mo-
tivation and means for ‘‘grass roots’’ regional coordi-
nation and partnerships with each other and with 
borough, State, and Federal agencies. 
(9) National Heritage Corridor designation is 
supported by the Kenai Peninsula Historical Asso-
ciation, the Seward Historical Commission, the Sew-
ard City Council, the Hope and Sunrise Historical 
Society, the Hope Chamber of Commerce, the Alas-
ka Association for Historic Preservation, the Cooper 
Landing Community Club, the Alaska Wilderness 
Recreation and Tourism Association, Anchorage 
Historic Properties, the Anchorage Convention and 
Visitors Bureau, the Cook Inlet Historical Society,
the Moose Pass Sportsman’s Club, the Alaska His-
torical Commission, the Girdwood Board of Super-
visors, the Kenai River Special Management Area 
Advisory Board, the Bird/Indian Community Coun-
cil, the Kenai Peninsula Borough Trails Commis-
sion, the Alaska Division of Parks and Recreation, 
the Kenai Peninsula Borough, the Kenai Peninsula 
Tourism Marketing Council, and the Anchorage Mu-
nicipal Assembly. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to recognize, preserve, and interpret the his-
toric and modern resource development and cultural 
landscapes of the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm 
historic transportation corridor, and to promote and 
facilitate the public enjoyment of these resources; 
and 
(2) to foster, through financial and technical 
assistance, the development of cooperative planning 
and partnerships among the communities and bor-
ough, State, and Federal Government entities. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) HERITAGE CORRIDOR.—The term ‘‘Herit-
age 
Corridor’’ 
means 
the 
Kenai 
Mountains-
Turnagain Arm National Heritage Corridor estab-
lished by section 4(a). 
(2) MANAGEMENT ENTITY.—The term ‘‘man-
agement entity’’ means the 11 member Board of Di-
rectors of the Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm Na-
tional Heritage Corridor Communities Association, a 
non-profit corporation, established in accordance 
with the laws of the State of Alaska. 
(3) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—The term ‘‘manage-
ment plan’’ means the management plan for the 
Heritage Corridor. 
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
SEC. 4. KENAI MOUNTAINS-TURNAGAIN ARM NATIONAL 
HERITAGE CORRIDOR. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the 
Kenai Mountains-Turnagain Arm National Heritage Cor-
ridor. 
(b) BOUNDARIES.—The Heritage Corridor shall com-
prise the lands in the Kenai Mountains and upper 
Turnagain Arm region generally depicted on the map enti-
tled ‘‘Kenai Peninsula/Turnagain Arm National Heritage 
Corridor’’, numbered Map #KMTA–1, and dated August 
1999. The map shall be on file and available for public 
inspection in the offices of the Alaska Regional Office of
the National Park Service and in the offices of the Alaska 
State Heritage Preservation Officer. 
SEC. 5. MANAGEMENT ENTITY. 
(a) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.—To carry out the 
purposes of this Act, the Secretary shall enter into a coop-
erative agreement with the management entity. The coop-
erative agreement shall be prepared with public participa-
tion and shall include information relating to the objec-
tives and management of the Heritage Corridor, including 
the following: 
(1) A discussion of the goals and objectives of 
the Heritage Corridor. 
(2) An explanation of the proposed approach to 
conservation and interpretation of the Heritage Cor-
ridor. 
(3) A general outline of the protection measures 
to which the management entity commits. 
(b) LIMITS.—Nothing in this Act authorizes the man-
agement entity to assume any management authorities or 
responsibilities on Federal lands. 
(c) DEVELOPMENT
AND
IMPLEMENTATION
OF 
PLAN.—Representatives of other organizations shall be in-
vited and encouraged to participate with the management 
entity and in the development and implementation of the 
management plan, including but not limited to: The State
Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation; the State Divi-
sion of Mining, Land and Water; the Forest Service; the 
State Historic Preservation Office; the Kenia Peninsula 
Borough, the Municipality of Anchorage; the Alaska Rail-
road, the Alaska Department of Transportation; and the 
National Park Service. 
SEC. 6. AUTHORITIES AND DUTIES OF MANAGEMENT ENTI-
TY. 
(a) MANAGEMENT PLAN.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after 
the Secretary enters into a cooperative agreement 
with the management entity, the management entity 
shall develop a management plan for the Heritage 
Corridor, taking into consideration Federal, State, 
borough, and local plans. 
(2) CONTENTS.—The management plan shall 
include, but not be limited to—
(A) comprehensive recommendations for 
conservation, funding, management, and devel-
opment of the Heritage Corridor; 
(B) a description of agreements on actions 
to be carried out by public and private organi-
zations to protect the resources of the Heritage 
Corridor;
(C) a list of specific and potential sources 
of funding to protect, manage, and develop the 
Heritage Corridor; 
(D) an inventory of the known cultural and 
historic resources contained in the Heritage 
Corridor; and 
(E) a description of the role and participa-
tion of other Federal, State, and local agencies 
that have jurisdiction on lands within the Herit-
age Corridor. 
(b) PRIORITIES.—The management entity shall give 
priority to the implementation of actions, goals, and poli-
cies set forth in the cooperative agreement with the Sec-
retary and the management plan, including assisting com-
munities within the region in—
(1) carrying out programs that recognize impor-
tant resource values in the Heritage Corridor; 
(2) encouraging economic viability in the af-
fected communities; 
(3) establishing and maintaining interpretive 
exhibits in the Heritage Corridor; 
(4) improving and interpreting heritage trails; 
(5) increasing public awareness and apprecia-
tion for the natural, historical, and cultural re-
sources and modern resource development of the 
Heritage Corridor; 
(6) restoring historic buildings and structures 
that are located within the boundaries of the Herit-
age Corridor; and 
(7) ensuring that clear, consistent, and appro-
priate signs identifying public access points and sites 
of interest are placed throughout the Heritage Cor-
ridor. 
(c) PUBLIC MEETINGS.—The management entity 
shall conduct 2 or more public meetings each year regard-
ing the initiation and implementation of the management 
plan for the Heritage Corridor. The management entity 
shall place a notice of each meeting in a newspaper of gen-
eral circulation in the Heritage Corridor and shall make 
the minutes of the meeting available to the public. 
SEC. 7. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY. 
In accordance with the terms and conditions of the 
cooperative agreement, upon the request of the manage-
ment entity, and subject to the availability of funds, the 
Secretary may provide administrative, technical, financial, 
design, development, and operations assistance to carry 
out the purposes of this Act.
SEC. 8. SAVINGS PROVISIONS. 
(a) REGULATORY AUTHORITY.—Nothing in this Act 
shall be construed to grant powers of zoning or manage-
ment of land use to the management entity. 
(b) EFFECT ON AUTHORITY OF GOVERNMENTS.—
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to modify, enlarge, 
or diminish any authority of the Federal, State, or local 
governments to manage or regulate any use of land as pro-
vided for by law or regulation. 
(c) EFFECT ON BUSINESS.—Nothing in this Act shall 
be construed to obstruct or limit business activity on pri-
vate development or resource development activities. 
SEC. 9. PROHIBITION ON THE ACQUISITION OR REAL PROP-
ERTY. 
The management entity may not use funds appro-
priated to carry out the purposes of this Act to acquire 
real property or interests in real property. 
SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) FIRST YEAR.—For the first year $350,000 is au-
thorized to be appropriated to carry out the purposes of 
this Act, and is made available upon the Secretary and 
the management entity entering into a cooperative agree-
ment under section 3. 
(b) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated not more than $1,000,000 to carry out the pur-
poses of this Act for any fiscal year after the first year.
Not more than $10,000,000, in the aggregate, may be ap-
propriated for the Heritage Corridor. 
(c) MATCHING FUNDS.—Federal funding provided 
under this Act shall be matched at least 25 percent by 
other funds or in-kind services. 
(d) SUNSET PROVISION.—The Secretary may not 
make any grant or provide any assistance under this Act 
beyond 15 years from the date that the Secretary and the 
management entity enter into a cooperative agreement.
Æ