Expressing support for maintaining the designation of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

Expressing support for maintaining the designation of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

Whereas the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area—

(1) is a national recreation area located in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, encompassing nearly 70,000 acres;

(2) provides numerous opportunities for recreation to visitors and local residents, including fishing, hunting, hiking, boating, camping, canoeing, and others;

(3) is home to numerous rare, threatened, and endangered species of plants and animals;

(4) is managed as a national recreation area, a unit of the National Park System established by Congress to promote recreation and public access in close cooperation with surrounding municipalities and gateway communities; and

(5) has at times been the subject of proposals to change the designation of the Delaware Water Gap from a national recreation area to a national park and preserve;

Whereas, if enacted, a redesignation of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area as a national park and preserve would—

(1) limit or prohibit access to certain recreational activities in certain areas of the park currently enjoyed by visitors and local residents;

(2) result in more centralized Federal management and a corresponding reduction in the longstanding cooperative relationship with surrounding municipalities and gateway communities; and

(3) cause significant strain on the infrastructure and resources surrounding the Delaware Water Gap and financial and economic losses to the surrounding area; and

Whereas it is fitting and proper for the House of Representatives to express opposition to proposals, such as those to change the designation of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area from a national recreation area to a national park and preserve, in order to—

(1) protect the freedom of local residents and visitors to enjoy all of the recreational activities the Delaware Water Gap has to offer;

(2) preserve the longstanding cooperative relationship between the surrounding communities and Federal agencies in managing this area; and

(3) prevent further strain on local resources and economic losses that may result: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that—

(1) the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area should remain designated as a national recreational area;

(2) Congress should continue to support this and other national recreational areas to protect local access to outdoor recreational opportunities;

(3) Congress should continue to foster strong, locally driven relationships with communities surrounding and nearby our natural and tourism resources; and

(4) no funds should be used to support the redesignation of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area as a national park and preserve.