[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2643 Introduced in House (IH)]
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 Representatives 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 commemorating the culmination, and the winter
encampment, of the Lewis and Clark Expedition following its
successful 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 expansion 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 historic
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 interpreting the Station Camp site.
(7) Expansion of Fort Clatsop National Memorial requires
Federal legislation because the size of the memorial is
currently limited by statute to 130 acres.
(8) Congressional action to allow for the expansion 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 before 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 Oregon 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 commemoration 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 MEMORIAL, 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 subsections:
``(b) Authorized Expansion.--The Fort Clatsop National Memorial
shall also include the lands depicted on the map entitled `Fort Clatsop
Boundary Map', numbered `405-80016-CCO', and dated June 1996. The
Secretary 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 subsection:
``(b) Limitation.--The lands depicted on the map referred to in
section 2(b) may be acquired only by donation 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 MEMORIAL.
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 Pacific 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 significance of
these sites for inclusion in the National Park System. The study shall
be conducted in accordance with section 8 of Public Law 91-383 (16
U.S.C. 1a-5).
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