National Discovery Trails Act of 1997

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Discovery Trails Act of 
1997''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL TRAILS SYSTEM ACT AMENDMENTS.

    (a) National Discovery Trails Established.--
            (1) In general.--Section 3(a) of the National Trails System 
        Act (16 U.S.C. 1242(a)) is amended by inserting after paragraph 
        (4) the following:
            ``(5) National discovery trails, established as provided in 
        section 5, which will be extended, continuous, interstate 
        trails so located as to provide for outstanding outdoor 
        recreation and travel and to connect representative examples of 
        America's trails and communities. National discovery trails 
        should provide for the conservation and enjoyment of 
        significant natural, cultural, and historic resources 
        associated with each trail and should be so located as to 
        represent metropolitan, urban, rural, and backcountry regions 
        of the Nation.''.
            (2) Feasibility requirements; cooperative management 
        requirement.--Section 5 of such Act (16 U.S.C. 1244) is amended 
        by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(g)(1) For purposes of subsection (b), a trail shall not be 
considered feasible and desirable for designation as a national 
discovery trail unless it meets all of the following criteria:
            ``(A) The trail must link to one or more areas within the 
        boundaries of a metropolitan area (as those boundaries are 
        determined under section 134(c) of title 23, United States 
        Code). It should also join with other trails, tying the 
        National Trails System to significant recreation and resources 
        areas.
            ``(B) It must be supported by a competent trailwide 
        nonprofit organization. Each trail should have extensive local 
        and trailwide support by the public, by user groups, and by 
        affected State and local governments.
            ``(C) It must be extended and pass through more than one 
        State. At a minimum, it should be a continuous, walkable route.
    ``(2) The appropriate Secretary for each national discovery trail 
shall administer the trail in cooperation with a competent trailwide 
nonprofit organization.''.
    (b) Designation of the American Discovery Trail as a National 
Discovery Trail.--Section 5(a) of such Act (16 U.S.C. 1244(a)) is 
amended--
            (1) by redesignating the paragraph relating to the 
        California National Historic Trail as paragraph (18);
            (2) by redesignating the paragraph relating to the Pony 
        Express National Historic Trail as paragraph (19); and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(20) The American Discovery Trail, a trail of 
        approximately 6,000 miles extending from Cape Henlopen State 
        Park in Delaware to Point Reyes National Seashore in 
        California, extending westward through Delaware, Maryland, the 
        District of Columbia, West Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky, where 
        near Cincinnati it splits into two routes. The Northern Midwest 
        route traverses Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and 
        Colorado, and the Southern Midwest route traverses Indiana, 
        Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Colorado. After the two routes 
        rejoin in Denver, Colorado, the route continues through 
        Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and California. The trail is generally 
        described in Volume 2 of the National Park Service feasibility 
        study dated June 1995 which shall be on file and available for 
        public inspection in the office of the Director of the National 
        Park Service, Department of the Interior, the District of 
        Columbia. The American Discovery Trail shall be administered by 
        the Secretary of the Interior in cooperation with a competent 
        trailwide nonprofit organization and other affected land 
        managing agencies. No lands or interests outside the exterior 
        boundaries of federally administered areas may be acquired by 
        the Federal Government solely for the American Discovery Trail. 
        This trail is specifically exempted from the provisions of 
        sections 7(e), 7(f), and 7(g).''.
    (c) Comprehensive National Discovery Trail Plan.--Section 5 of such 
Act (16 U.S.C. 1244) is further amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection:
    ``(h) Within three complete fiscal years after the date of 
enactment of any law designating a national discovery trail, the 
administering Federal agency shall enter into arrangements with a 
competent trailwide nonprofit organization to submit a comprehensive 
plan for the protection, management, development, and use of the trail, 
to the Committee on Resources of the United States House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of 
the United States Senate. The Secretary shall ensure that the 
comprehensive plan does not conflict with any existing agency direction 
and that the nonprofit organization consults with affected land 
managing agencies, the Governors of the affected States, county and 
local political jurisdictions, and local organizations maintaining 
components of the trail. Mandatory components of the comprehensive plan 
include--
            ``(1) specific objectives and practices to be observed in 
        the administration and management of the trail, including the 
        identification of all significant natural, historical, and 
        cultural resources to be preserved, model agreements necessary 
        for joint trail administration among and between interested 
        parties, and an identified carrying capacity of the trail and a 
        plan for its implementation;
            ``(2) a trail protection plan to preserve the values for 
        which the trail is being established and recognized by the 
        Federal Government;
            ``(3) general and site-specific development plans including 
        anticipated costs; and
            ``(4) the process to be followed by the nonprofit 
        organization, in cooperation with the appropriate Secretary, to 
        implement the trail marking authorities in section 7(c) 
        conforming to approved trail logo or emblem requirements.''.

SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

    The National Trails System Act is amended--
            (1) in section 2(b) (16 U.S.C. 1241(b)), by striking 
        ``scenic and historic'' and inserting ``scenic, historic, and 
        discovery'';
            (2) in the section heading to section 5 (16 U.S.C. 1244), 
        by striking ``and national historic'' and inserting ``, 
        national historic, and national discovery'';
            (3) in section 5(a) (16 U.S.C. 1244(a)), in the matter 
        preceding paragraph (1)--
                    (A) by striking ``and national historic'' and 
                inserting ``, national historic, and national 
                discovery''; and
                    (B) by striking ``and National Historic'' and 
                inserting ``, National Historic, and National 
                Discovery'';
            (4) in section 5(b) (16 U.S.C. 1244(b)), in the matter 
        preceding paragraph (1), by striking ``or national historic'' 
        and inserting ``, national historic, or national discovery'';
            (5) in section 5(b)(3) (16 U.S.C. 1244(b)(3)), by striking 
        ``or national historic'' and inserting ``, national historic, 
        or national discovery'';
            (6) in section 7(a)(2) (16 U.S.C. 1246(a)(2)), by striking 
        ``and national historic'' and inserting ``, national historic, 
        and national discovery'';
            (7) in section 7(b) (16 U.S.C. 1246(b)), by striking ``or 
        national historic'' each place such term appears and inserting 
        ``, national historic, or national discovery'';
            (8) in section 7(c) (16 U.S.C. 1246(c))--
                    (A) by striking ``scenic or national historic'' 
                each place it appears and inserting ``scenic, national 
                historic, or national discovery'';
                    (B) in the second proviso, by striking ``scenic, or 
                national historic'' and inserting ``scenic, national 
                historic, or national discovery''; and
                    (C) by striking ``, and national historic'' and 
                inserting ``, national historic, and national 
                discovery'';
            (9) in section 7(d) (16 U.S.C. 1246(d)), by striking ``or 
        national historic'' and inserting ``national historic, or 
        national discovery'';
            (10) in section 7(e) (16 U.S.C. 1246(e)), by striking ``or 
        national historic'' each place such term appears and inserting 
        ``, national historic, or national discovery'';
            (11) in section 7(f)(2) (16 U.S.C. 1246(f)(2)), by striking 
        ``National Scenic or Historic'' and inserting ``national 
        scenic, historic, or discovery trail'';
            (12) in section 7(h)(1) (16 U.S.C. 1246(h)(1)), by striking 
        ``or national historic'' and inserting ``national historic, or 
        national discovery''; and
            (13) in section 7(i) (16 U.S.C. 1246(i)), by striking ``or 
        national historic'' and inserting ``national historic, or 
        national discovery''.

Summary: National Discovery Trails Act of 1997 - Amends the National Trails System Act (the Act) to provide for the establishment, as components of the National Trails System, of national discovery trails which shall be extended, continuous interstate trails located so as to provide for outdoor recreation and travel and to connect representative examples of America's trails and communities. 
Prohibits a trail from being considered feasible and desirable for designation as a national discovery trail unless it:  (1) links to one or more areas within the boundaries of a metropolitan area and joins with other trails, tying the National Trails System to significant recreation and resources areas; (2) is supported by a competent trailwide nonprofit organization and has extensive local and trailwide support by the public, user groups, and affected State and local governments; and (3) extends and passes through more than one State and, at a minimum, is a continuous, walkable route. 
Requires the appropriate Secretary for each national discovery trail to administer the trail in cooperation with a competent trailwide nonprofit organization. 
Designates as a national discovery trail the 6,000-mile American Discovery Trail which shall extend from Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware to Point Reyes National Seashore in California, traveling northern and southern routes from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Denver, Colorado.  Requires the administering Federal agency, within three complete fiscal years after designation of a national discovery trail, to enter into arrangements with a competent trailwide nonprofit organization to submit to specified congressional committees a comprehensive plan for the protection, management, development, and use of the trail.