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.
(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-
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.
(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
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,
Summit, Medina, Huron, Lorain, Erie, Ottawa, and Ash-
land in Ohio.
Passed the House of Representatives September 21,
2004.
Attest:
Clerk.