[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 79 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 H. R. 79

 To authorize a study of the struggle for American Independence within 
                         the Northern Frontier.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 5, 1993

 Mr. Boehlert introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize a study of the struggle for American Independence within 
                         the Northern Frontier.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

                         congressional findings

    Section 1. The Congress finds and declares that:
            (1) The area comprising historic Tryon County in the Mohawk 
        Valley of New York State and the Country of the Six Nations 
        (Iroquois Confederacy), the ``Northern Frontier'', offers 
        excellent opportunities to study a little known or understood 
        aspect of the American Revolution--the frontier experience.
            (2) The Northern Frontier territory was extremely valuable 
        to both sides and hotly contested because of its unique 
        geopolitical, military, agricultural, transportation, and 
        commercial attributes.
            (3) Because such a complex social, economic, and political 
        society was emerging on the Northern Frontier, the Continental 
        Congress established the Northern Indian Department to conduct 
        affairs there, and the English made the area, and its Indian 
        population, the centerpiece of its strategy to split the 
        colonies.
            (4) Due to the struggle to control the Northern Frontier, 
        profound privation and hardship were inflicted upon nearly all 
        who lived there; a diverse mix of ethnic and racial groups 
        willingly and unwillingly thrust into the struggle for 
        independence, leaving many of them dead, homeless, orphaned, or 
        dislocated by the end of the hostilities.
            (5) The tensions on the Northern Frontier reached such a 
        pitch that a civil war erupted, and pitted neighbors, families, 
        tribes, and clans against each other and led to among the 
        bloodiest, intensely savage, and most destructive battles of 
        the Revolution.
            (6) New interpretations and interdisciplinary studies of 
        this human drama are not only necessary, but timely because of 
        the abundant supply of assets in the area, including sites, 
        buildings, celebrations, folklore, and collections, many safely 
        preserved and many at risk.
            (7) If these Northern Frontier assets can be thematically 
        related and portrayed for the education and enjoyment of 
        Americans and foreign visitors, an important and often 
        overlooked chapter in America's heritage will be displayed for 
        the benefit and edification of all peoples.

                                 study

    Sec. 2. The Secretary of the Interior (hereinafter referred to as 
the ``Secretary'') shall conduct a study to identify potential means to 
preserve and interpret the cultural resources in the Northern Frontier 
associated with the American Revolution. As part of the study, the 
Secretary shall propose alternatives for cooperation in the 
preservation and interpretation of the resources.

                           contents of study

    Sec. 3. The study of the Secretary shall contain, but not be 
limited to, findings with respect to--
            (1) the role played by the Northern Frontier in the 
        American Revolution;
            (2) the historical, cultural, natural, and outdoor 
        recreational values of the Northern Frontier;
            (3) the types of Federal, State, and local programs that 
        are available to preserve, develop, and make accessible the 
        Northern Frontier;
            (4) the use of, and coordination with, Federal, State, and 
        local programs to manage in the public interest the historical, 
        cultural, natural, and recreational resources of the Northern 
        Frontier; and
            (5) the possible kinds and general intensities of 
        development that could be associated with public enjoyment and 
        use of, and conservation and protection of, the resources, 
        including location and anticipated costs.

                          congressional review

    Sec. 4. The Secretary shall transmit the study to the Committee on 
Interior and Insular Affairs of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate within twelve 
months after funding is made available for the study.

                              consultation

    Sec. 5. In preparing the study the Secretary shall consult with the 
public, representatives of the affected communities and the State of 
New York, historians, planners, recreation specialists, and historic 
preservationists knowledgeable in American history and historic 
preservation. The Secretary shall seek expertise from both local and 
national organizations.

                    authorizations of appropriations

    Sec. 6. There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act.

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