[House Hearing, 107 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
H.R. 38 AND H.R. 1925
=======================================================================
LEGISLATIVE HEARING
before the
SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS, RECREATION, AND PUBLIC LANDS
of the
COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED SEVENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
October 4, 2001
__________
Serial No. 107-64
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Resources
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COMMITTEE ON RESOURCES
JAMES V. HANSEN, Utah, Chairman
NICK J. RAHALL II, West Virginia, Ranking Democrat Member
Don Young, Alaska, George Miller, California
Vice Chairman Edward J. Markey, Massachusetts
W.J. ``Billy'' Tauzin, Louisiana Dale E. Kildee, Michigan
Jim Saxton, New Jersey Peter A. DeFazio, Oregon
Elton Gallegly, California Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, American
John J. Duncan, Jr., Tennessee Samoa
Joel Hefley, Colorado Neil Abercrombie, Hawaii
Wayne T. Gilchrest, Maryland Solomon P. Ortiz, Texas
Ken Calvert, California Frank Pallone, Jr., New Jersey
Scott McInnis, Colorado Calvin M. Dooley, California
Richard W. Pombo, California Robert A. Underwood, Guam
Barbara Cubin, Wyoming Adam Smith, Washington
George Radanovich, California Donna M. Christensen, Virgin
Walter B. Jones, Jr., North Islands
Carolina Ron Kind, Wisconsin
Mac Thornberry, Texas Jay Inslee, Washington
Chris Cannon, Utah Grace F. Napolitano, California
John E. Peterson, Pennsylvania Tom Udall, New Mexico
Bob Schaffer, Colorado Mark Udall, Colorado
Jim Gibbons, Nevada Rush D. Holt, New Jersey
Mark E. Souder, Indiana James P. McGovern, Massachusetts
Greg Walden, Oregon Anibal Acevedo-Vila, Puerto Rico
Michael K. Simpson, Idaho Hilda L. Solis, California
Thomas G. Tancredo, Colorado Brad Carson, Oklahoma
J.D. Hayworth, Arizona Betty McCollum, Minnesota
C.L. ``Butch'' Otter, Idaho
Tom Osborne, Nebraska
Jeff Flake, Arizona
Dennis R. Rehberg, Montana
Allen D. Freemyer, Chief of Staff
Lisa Pittman, Chief Counsel
Michael S. Twinchek, Chief Clerk
James H. Zoia, Democrat Staff Director
Jeff Petrich, Democrat Chief Counsel
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SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS, RECREATION, AND PUBLIC LANDS
GEORGE P. RADANOVICH, California, Chairman
DONNA M. CHRISTENSEN, Virgin Islands Ranking Democrat Member
Elton Gallegly, California Dale E. Kildee, Michigan
John J. Duncan, Jr., Tennessee Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, American
Joel Hefley, Colorado Samoa
Wayne T. Gilchrest, Maryland Frank Pallone, Jr., New Jersey
Walter B. Jones, Jr., North Tom Udall, New Mexico
Carolina, Mark Udall, Colorado
Vice Chairman Rush D. Holt, New Jersey
Mac Thornberry, Texas James P. McGovern, Massachusetts
Chris Cannon, Utah Anibal Acevedo-Vila, Puerto Rico
Bob Schaffer, Colorado Hilda L. Solis, California
Jim Gibbons, Nevada Betty McCollum, Minnesota
Mark E. Souder, Indiana
Michael K. Simpson, Idaho
Thomas G. Tancredo, Colorado
C O N T E N T S
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Page
Hearing held on October 4, 2001.................................. 1
Statement of Members:
Bereuter, Hon. Doug, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Nebraska.......................................... 2
Prepared statement on H.R. 38............................ 4
Edwards, Hon. Chet, a Representative in Congress from the
State of Texas............................................. 5
Prepared statement on H.R. 1925.......................... 5
Haynes, Gary, Professor and Chair, Department of
Anthropology, University of Nevada, Letter submitted
for the record on H.R. 1925............................ 7
Radanovich, Hon. George P., a Representative in Congress from
the State of California.................................... 1
Prepared statement on H.R. 38 and H.R. 1925.............. 2
Statement of Witnesses:
Maurstad, Hon. David I., Former Lieutenant Governor, State of
Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska................................ 12
Prepared statement on H.R. 38............................ 14
Riedesel, Laureen, President, Friends of Homestead National
Monument of America, Inc., Beatrice, Nebraska.............. 17
Prepared statement on H.R. 38............................ 19
Smith, Dr. Calvin B., Chairman, Department of Museum Studies,
and Director, Mayborn Museum Complex, Baylor University,
Waco, Texas................................................ 28
Prepared statement on H.R. 1925.......................... 30
Soukup, Dr. Michael, Associate Director, Natural Resource
Stewardship and Science, National Park Service, U.S.
Department of the Interior, Washington, DC................. 8
Prepared statement on H.R. 38............................ 10
Prepared statement on H.R. 1925.......................... 11
LEGISLATIVE HEARING ON H.R. 38, TO PROVIDE FOR ADDITIONAL LANDS TO BE
INCLUDED WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF THE HOMESTEAD NATIONAL MONUMENT OF
AMERICA IN THE STATE OF NEBRASKA; AND H.R. 1925, TO DIRECT THE
SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR TO STUDY THE SUITABILITY AND FEASIBILITY OF
DESIGNATING THE WACO MAMMOTH SITE AREA IN WACO, TEXAS, AS A UNIT OF THE
NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM.
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Thursday, October 4, 2001
U.S. House of Representatives
Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation, and Public Lands
Committee on Resources
Washington, DC
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The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:04 a.m., in
Room 1334, Longworth House Office Building, Hon. George
Radanovich, [Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding.
STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE GEORGE RADANOVICH, A REPRESENTATIVE
IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA
Mr. Radanovich. Good morning, and welcome to today's
hearing of the National Parks Subcommittee of the Committee on
Resources. The Subcommittee will come to order, and this
morning the Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation, and
Public Lands will hear testimony on two bills: H.R. 38 and H.R.
1925.
The first bill, H.R. 38, as introduced by Congressman
Bereuter, provides for additional lands to be included within
the boundaries of the Homestead National Monument of America in
the State of Nebraska. The additional land will allow the Park
Service to build a modern visitors center to enhance the
educational experience and better protect the 17,000 artifacts
stored at the monument.
The other bill is H.R. 1925, introduced by Congressman Chet
Edwards. It directs the Secretary of the Interior to study the
suitability and feasibility of designing the Waco Mammoth Site
Area near Waco, Texas, as a unit of the National Park System.
The Waco Mammoth Site Area is an important site for scientific
study and has attracted international attention.
Mr. Radanovich. I want to thank Congressmen Edwards and
Bereuter for introducing these bills and look forward to
today's testimony.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Radanovich follows:]
Statement of the Honorable George P. Radanovich, Chairman, Subcommittee
on National Parks, Recreation and Public Lands
Good morning and welcome to the hearing today. The Subcommittee
will come to order. This morning, the Subcommittee on National Parks,
Recreation, and Public Lands will hear testimony on two bills - H.R. 38
and H.R. 1925.
The first bill, H.R. 38, introduced by Congressman Doug Bereuter,
provides for additional lands to be included within the boundaries of
the Homestead National Monument of America in the State of Nebraska.
The additional land will allow the Park Service to build a modern
visitor center to enhance the educational experience and better protect
the 17,000 artifacts stored at the Monument.
The other bill, H.R. 1925, introduced by Congressman Chet Edwards,
directs the Secretary of the Interior to study the suitability and
feasibility of designating the Waco Mammoth Site Area in Waco, Texas,
as a unit of the National Park System. The Waco Mammoth Site Area is an
important site for scientific study and has attracted international
attention.
I want to thank Congressmen Edwards and Congressman Bereuter for
introducing these bills and look forward to today's testimony. At this
time, I would like to ask unanimous consent that Congressman Edwards
and Congressman Bereuter be permitted to sit on the dias following
their statements. Without objection [PAUSE], so ordered.
I would like to thank all of our witnesses for being here today to
testify on these bills and now turn the time to the Ranking Member, Ms.
Christensen for an opening statement.
______
Mr. Radanovich. At this time I would like to ask unanimous
consent that Congressman Edwards and Congressman Bereuter be
permitted to sit at the dais following their statements.
Obviously, no objection, so ordered.
And I would like to thank all of our witnesses for being
here today to testify on these bills, and I would want to then,
I think, go ahead with the opening statements.
I just wanted to mention to the audience we have got a lot
on the agenda in Washington today with the farm bill on the
floor and quite a few other things. So I am sure that there
will be members coming in and out, and our ranking member, Mrs.
Christensen, couldn't be here because of a death in the family,
and our prayers and thoughts are with her at this time.
So, with that, I would like to introduce Congressman Doug
Bereuter. Doug, welcome, and have at it.
STATEMENT OF THE HON. DOUG BEREUTER, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEBRASKA
Mr. Bereuter. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and
congratulations on your Chairmanship of this Subcommittee. As I
mentioned to you, I spent my first 4 years on this Subcommittee
and enjoyed that experience. In fact, I will have to go to the
floor for the ag bills shortly myself since I have four
amendments they want to take up.
I am pleased to testify on behalf of H.R. 38, which I
introduced this year. In the past Congress, I introduced the
same legislation, and as a matter of fact, it is not in my
written testimony, but $400,000 in appropriation was received
to implement this boundary change in the last Congress. And so
we have been waiting anxiously to see the expansion of the
Homestead National Monument by approximately 38 acres.
I am very pleased, too, that David Maurstad, the former
mayor of Beatrice, the closest community to the Homestead
National Monument, and the former State senator from the area
and the man who served as our Lieutenant Governor until last
week when he resigned to become FEMA Director for the Rocky
Mountain region, is here to testify today, as well as Laureen
Riedesel, the president of the Friends of Homestead and the
chief librarian for the city of Beatrice, who is here to speak
and will follow me.
The legislation is rather a straightforward bill. It is
also, I think, noncontroversial. The bill would simply adjust
the boundaries of the Homestead National Monument to permit the
acquisition of four small parcels to the Homestead. It is
consistent with the General Management Plan, which calls for a
minor boundary expansion exactly in these areas. The
acquisition outside the existing boundaries as recommended by
the General Management Plan would allow a new Homestead
Heritage Center to be constructed outside the floodplain. The
current one is within the 100-year floodplain, and they have
not been able to expand it for some period of time. They have
not been able to display so many of the tremendous artifacts
that they have.
So when we are able to purchase the additional land, this
would enable us then to come to the Congress at a later date
and seek funds for a new center to replace the existing one.
As the bill makes clear, the land for the Heritage Center
would be acquired on a willing-seller basis. It is my
understanding that all of the individuals--and the State of
Nebraska, which owns part of it, a small part--that would be
involved in the boundary adjustment have expressed a
willingness to sell for a negotiated price.
The Homestead National Monument of America commemorates the
lives and the accomplishments of all the pioneers and the
changes to the land and the people as a result of the Homestead
Act of 1862. This is said to be the first or perhaps one of the
first two or three homesteads filed that first day that the
Homestead Act was implemented.
I think it is a truly unique treasure among the National
Park System jewels. The authorization legislation makes it
clear that Homestead was intended to have a special place among
the Park Service units, and I have given you some details from
the original document that established it here.
Clearly, I think, Mr. Chairman, this authorizing
legislation will help us meet some lofty goals, but I believe
that H.R. 38 is a small step but necessary step so that we can
use the appropriation received by the last Congress to expand
by a total of about 38.5 acres.
I would be happy to answer any questions you might have,
and I know the two people accompanying me will be anxious to
provide any details that you might like as well.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Bereuter follows:]
Statement of the Honorable Doug Bereuter, a Representative in Congress
from the State of Nebraska
Chairman Hefley, Delegate Christensen, and members of the
Subcommittee: I would like to begin by thanking you for the opportunity
to present testimony regarding H.R. 38, a bill I introduced on January
3, 2001. During the past 106th Congress, I introduced the same
legislation.
I am pleased that David Maurstad, the former mayor of Beatrice (the
closest community to the Homestead National Monument), the former state
senator for the area, and the man who served as Lieutenant Governor of
Nebraska until this past week when he resigned to become the FEMA
director of the Rocky Mountain region will testify today. Also, I'm
very pleased to have Laureen Riedesel, President of the Friends of
Homestead, here to speak in support of H.R. 38.
This legislation, the Homestead National Monument of America
Additions Act, is a straightforward bill. It is also non-controversial.
The bill would simply adjust the boundaries of Homestead National
Monument of America and allow a small amount of additional land to be
included within its boundaries.
The bill reflects the recommendations in the recently completed
General Management Plan (GMP) calling for a minor boundary expansion
for Homestead National Monument. Unfortunately, the current visitor
center is located in a 100-year flood plain. The acquisition of land
outside the existing boundaries as recommended in the GMP would allow a
new ``Homestead Heritage Center'' to be constructed outside the
floodplain. This would offer greater protection to the Monument's
collections, interpretive exhibits, public research facilities, and
administrative offices.
As the bill makes clear, the land for the Heritage Center is to be
acquired on a willing-seller basis. It is my understanding that all of
the individuals who would be involved in the boundary adjustment have
expressed a willingness to sell for a negotiated price.
Homestead National Monument of America commemorates the lives and
accomplishments of all pioneers and the changes to the land and the
people as a result of the Homestead Act of 1862, which is recognized as
one of the most important laws in U.S. history. This Monument was
authorized by legislation enacted in 1936. The fiscal year 96 Interior
Appropriations Act directed the National Park Service to complete a
General Management Plan to begin planning for improvements at
Homestead. The General Management Plan, which was completed last year,
made recommendations for improvements that are needed to help ensure
that Homestead is able to reach its full potential as a place where
Americans can more effectively appreciate the Homestead Act and its
effects upon the nation.
Homestead National Monument of America is truly a unique treasure
among the National Park Service jewels. The authorizing legislation
makes it clear that Homestead was intended to have a special place
among Park Service units. According to the original legislation:
``It shall be the duty of the Secretary of the Interior to lay
out said land in a suitable and enduring manner so that the
same may be maintained as an appropriate monument to retain for
posterity a proper memorial emblematic of the hardships and the
pioneer life through which the early settlers passed in the
settlement, cultivation, and civilization of the great West. It
shall be his duty to erect suitable buildings to be used as a
museum in which shall be preserved literature applying to such
settlement and agricultural implements used in bringing the
western plains to its present state of high civilization, and
to use the said tract of land for such other objects and
purposes as in his judgment may perpetuate the history of this
country mainly developed by the homestead law.''
Clearly, this authorizing legislation sets some lofty goals. I
believe that H.R. 38 would help the Monument achieve the potential
which was first described in its authorizing legislation.
______
Mr. Radanovich. Thanks, Doug. And I know that this is well
thought out, and all the people involved seem like they support
it. So I am looking forward to the testimony of the witnesses,
and I certainly understand your need to leave if you have to.
But it sounds like a good project.
Mr. Bereuter. Thank you.
Mr. Radanovich. Okay. Good morning, Mr. Edwards, and I know
you are here to provide an opening statement on--what is it?--
H.R. 1925.
Mr. Edwards. That is correct, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Radanovich. Feel free to speak about your project.
STATEMENT OF THE HON. CHET EDWARDS, A REPRESENTATIVE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF TEXAS
Mr. Edwards. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will be very brief.
In fact, I will probably join with Mr. Bereuter in saying that
we would ask our friends and constituents and others who are
going to testify to forego their testimony if you would like to
just pass this bill by unanimous consent of the Committee this
morning.
[Laughter.]
Mr. Radanovich. You know, I think I could right now.
Mr. Edwards. Hearing no objection.
Thank you so much. I will be brief because of the others
testifying. But basically we are simply asking that the
Secretary of Interior be directed to do a study to determine
whether the Waco Mammoth Site should be a part of the National
Park System. We don't draw any conclusions today. We simply ask
the Committee's consideration of having the Secretary actually
evaluate that and report back to the Committee and Congress
over the next 6 months.
It is obvious why someone from Waco, Texas, might support
this idea, but let me just briefly quote, and then I will
finish. I would like to quote from Dr. Gary Haynes, who is the
Chairman of the Department of anthropology at the University of
Nevada. He is an anthropologist and archaeologist who has
worked at the Smithsonian Institution as well as at Catholic
University, George Washington University, as well as his
present university in Nevada. He says, ``In my view, the Waco
Mammoth Site is worth preserving with the most vigor and
support the United States Government can provide. It is a part
of America's rich heritage from the far past, when a much
diverse animal community populated the continent.''
Mr. Chairman, it is my understanding that this is the
largest single site in the country where a herd of mammoths
died at the same event 28,000 years ago, even the remains of
one female mother mammoth who was trying to push one of the
babies up above the mudslide. It is a spectacular site, and I
just appreciate your consideration of this bill and that of the
Committee.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Edwards follows:]
Statement of the Honorable Chet Edwards, a Representative in Congress
from the State of Texas
Chairman Radanovich, Ranking Member Christensen, and Members of the
Subcommittee:
Thank you for allowing me to testify today on the significance of
the Waco Mammoth Site, located in my district, and the need for this
site to be added as a unit of the National Park System. I appreciate
the subcommittee's interest in this very important issue and for giving
it the consideration of this hearing.
The Waco Mammoth Site is the largest known concentration of
prehistoric elephants dying from the same event in the world. That is
what makes it a significant national site.
The Site is found within the city limits of Waco, Texas, where the
Brazos and Bosque rivers merge. First discovered in 1978, this site has
been excavated by numerous Baylor University researchers. Twenty-three
Columbian mammoths have been unearthed so far.
The mammoths were suddenly overcome by a mud flood over 28,000
years ago, and while not able to move to safety, were able to form a
protective stance over their young. In fact, the mud engulfed one 45
year-old female elephant as she tried to lift her young to safety. This
motherly instinct is the first known recording in history.
Experts such as Dr. Gary Haynes of the University of Nevada at Reno
have said that the Waco Mammoth Site is a valuable and unique treasure
that should not be lost. Dr. Haynes states that the Mammoth site ``is a
part of America's rich heritage from the far past, when a much more
diverse animal community populated the continent.''
The Waco Mammoth Site has the complete backing of the Waco
community. More specifically, individuals, corporations, foundations,
and other special interest groups are committed to preserving the
Mammoth Site, and making it a part of the National Park System. As a
national park, the Mammoth Site will attract numerous tourists and
travelers wanting to learn more about this paleontological discovery
and our early beginnings. The Mammoth Site can also be a valued
learning tool for school children of various grade levels throughout
much of Texas.
I believe that a study will show the value of the Waco Mammoth Site
and its importance to the scientific community. Thank you for your
consideration of funding such a study.
______
[A letter attached to Mr. Edwards' statement follows:]
[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T5529.004
Mr. Radanovich. Thank you, Mr. Edwards. And one of the
nicest things about being Chairman of this Committee is you
become familiar with a lot more interesting sites all across
the country. So I, too, am looking forward to the testimony of
the witnesses today, and I appreciate both of you coming to the
Committee to share your views on these bills.
Mr. Edwards. Thank you very much.
Mr. Radanovich. Thank you very much.
Mr. Radanovich. With that, we will call Panel 2, which is
Dr. Michael Soukup, the Associate Director of National Resource
Stewardship and Science, National Park Service, the Department
of Interior, in Washington, D.C., to speak on both issues, both
bills. And I think that we are going to go ahead and combine
Panel 2 and Panel 3, and so with that we will call up the
Honorable David Maurstad, who is Lieutenant Governor of the
State of Nebraska; Ms. Laureen Riedesel, president of the
Friends of the Homestead--I heard that pronounced--it looks
like Beatrice, but it is Beatrice?
Ms. Riedesel. Beatrice.
Mr. Radanovich. Beatrice, Nebraska. And ten Dr. Calvin
Smith, Chairman of Museum Studies and director of the Mayborn
Museum Complex at Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
Good morning to everybody and thank you for being here
today. Mr. Soukup, we will begin with your testimony, and just
to give you a rundown on the lighting structure here, you will
see these little boxes in front of you. Green means talk,
yellow means sum up, and red means don't say another word. I
just want to make sure that everybody gets their information
out today, but if you can do it within that 5-minute time
frame, that would be just terrific. If you need to go on, just
ask, but, you know, just little guidelines.
Doctor, welcome and please begin if you would like.
STATEMENT OF MICHAEL SOUKUP, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, NATURAL
RESOURCE STEWARDSHIP AND SCIENCE, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, UNITED
STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, WASHINGTON, D.C.
Mr. Soukup. Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to
present our views of the Department on these two bills. I am
not certain how you want to proceed. Would you like me to do
both bills at one time?
Mr. Radanovich. That would not be a problem. Go ahead and
address both at the same time.
Mr. Soukup. Okay. Let me summarize our testimony on both
bills and proceed.
The Department supports the enactment of H.R. 38. We
believe it is a very important bill for us. Homestead National
Monument of America was established in 1936. The language was
to provide ``...a proper memorial emblematical of the hardships
and the pioneer life through which the early settlers passed in
settlement, cultivation, and civilization of the Great
West...'' If enacted, the bill will add four small but
important parcels of land to the Monument. The total amount of
land, in our calculation, is less than 30 acres, and the
private landowners, as you previously heard, have agreed in
principle to this proposed legislation, and the State of
Nebraska has agreed, as well, to donate its land as provided in
the bill.
The four parcels to be added are as follows:
The Graff Property, 15.98 acres adjacent to and overlooking
the Monument's grounds. Addition of these lands would serve two
purposes. First, it would ensure protection of the Nation's
oldest restored prairie. Second, this property, located on
higher ground, as you previously heard, could be used as an
alternative location, outside of the floodplain, for the
Monument's primary cultural resource, the Palmer-Epaid cabin,
as well as the visitor facility.
The Pioneer Acres Green parcel consists of approximately 3
acres of privately owned land. Inclusion of this property in
the boundary would provide additional protection to park
resources, and it is owned by a willing seller.
A segment of State Highway 4 consists of approximately 1.4
acres of Nebraska State Highway 4, and its addition would
protect natural and archaeological resources and provide a site
to support education efforts through interpretive wayside
exhibits.
The State Triangle lands would be a parcel containing
approximately 8.3 acres and is bounded by the Monument on two
sides and by State Highway 4 on the third side. This property
is immediately adjacent to the site of the original homestead
cabin and will allow for maximizing interpretive efforts and
maintaining the integrity of the Monument's boundaries.
Mr. Chairman, the Department supports the enactment of H.R.
38, and we thank you for the opportunity to provide these
comments.
This concludes my remarks and I will now refer to my other
testimony.
Mr. Radanovich. Why don't you move on to 1925.
Mr. Soukup. Okay. Thank you, sir.
H.R. 1925 will require the Secretary of the Interior to
conduct a study to determine the suitability and feasibility of
designating the Waco Mammoth Site in Waco, Texas, as a unit of
the National Park System.
The Department supports this legislation in concept and
believes that it is wholly appropriate for the National Park
System to undertake a study of this nature. However, in light
of the President's commitment to reducing the backlog of
deferred maintenance needs within the National Park System, we
would not anticipate funding or beginning the study until at
least fiscal year 2003. Funds for this fiscal year have already
been committed to ongoing and newly authorized studies, and the
first budget that we could get it into would be the fiscal year
2003 budget.
Additionally, our support for this legislation should not
be interpreted to mean that the Department would necessarily
support designation of a new area.
H.R. 1925 calls for the completion of a study of the Waco
Mammoth Site that determines the suitability and feasibility of
designating the site as a unit of the National Park System. The
bill calls for this study to be completed under the guidelines
in Public Law 91-383 and submission of the study results to
Congress 30 days after it has been completed.
As you just heard, the Waco Site is located near the
confluence of the Brazos and the Bosque rivers in Central
Texas, not far from the city of Waco. It is the largest known
concentration of mammoths dying from the same event.
We recommend some technical amendments to this bill that
would make it consistent with the requirements for studying new
areas to be added to the National Park System that are
specified in Section 303 of the National Park System Omnibus
Management Act of 1998. That is Public Law 105-391. This public
law requires studies of new areas to consider whether the area
under study possesses nationally significant natural or
cultural resources and represents one of the most important
examples of a particular resource type in the country, and is a
suitable and feasible addition to the system.
To make the terms of this study consistent with those that
the Park Service uses to study other potential new sites of the
National Park System, we recommend referring to the study as a
``special resource study,'' and to specifically state that the
study should determine the ``national significance, suitability
and feasibility'' of adding the Waco Mammoth Site Area to the
National Park System. Also, studies of this type often involve
consultation with many State and local groups and are difficult
to complete within the 6-month time frame specified in the
bill. We suggest that the report to Congress in subsection 1(c)
be required within 3 fiscal years after the funds are first
made available, which reflects the standard timing for
submitting studies of this type.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my statement, and I would be
pleased to answer any questions you might have.
[The prepared statements of Mr. Soukup follow:]
Statement of Dr. Michael Soukup, Associate Director, Natural Resource
Stewardship and Science, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the
Interior, Concerning H.R. 38
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present the views of
the Department on H.R. 38. This bill provides for additional lands to
be included within the boundaries of Homestead National Monument of
America in the State of Nebraska.
The Department supports the enactment of H. R. 38. Acquisition of
these additional lands has been recommended by the Homestead National
Monument of America's 1999 General Management Plan, and costs to
administer this boundary modification are expected to be minimal.
Funding to acquire the privately owned properties was included in the
Fiscal Year 2001 Interior Appropriations Act, and we anticipate that
management of the acquired lands can be accomplished with existing park
resources.
Homestead National Monument of America (Monument) was established
in 1936. The Monument's enabling legislation states that the purpose of
the Monument is to establish ``...a proper memorial emblematical of the
hardships and the pioneer life through which the early settlers passed
in settlement, cultivation, and civilization of, the Great West...''
The legislation also specifies that the Secretary of the Interior will
``...erect suitable buildings to be used as a specific museum in which
shall be preserved literature applying to such settlement and
agriculture implements used to bring the western plains to its present
state of high civilization, and to use the said tract of land for such
other objects and purposes as in his judgment may perpetuate the
history of this country mainly developed by the homestead law.''
If enacted, the bill will add four small, but important, parcels of
land to the Monument. These additions will allow the opportunity for
greater protection of the Monument's primary cultural resource, will
protect the Monument from encroaching development, and will provide the
opportunity for improved visitor and interpretive services. The total
amount of land to be added is less than 30 acres. The private
landowners affected have agreed in principle to this proposed
legislation and the State of Nebraska has agreed, as well, to donate
its lands as provided for in the bill.
The four parcels to be added to the Monument and the purposes for
the addition of each are as follows:
THE GRAFF PROPERTY:
This privately owned parcel consists of approximately 15.98 acres
adjacent to and overlooking the Monument's grounds. Addition of the
property would serve two purposes. First, it would ensure protection
for the nation's second oldest restored prairie, which holds important
educational, research, and scientific values. Second, this property,
located on higher ground, could be used as an alternative location,
outside of the floodplain, for the Monument's primary cultural
resource, the Palmer-Epaid cabin, as well as the visitor facility.
PIONEER ACRES GREEN:
This parcel consists of approximately 3 acres of privately owned
land. Inclusion of this property in the boundary will provide
additional protection to park resources from nearby development.
SEGMENT OF STATE HIGHWAY 4:
This parcel consists of approximately 1.4 acres of Nebraska State
Highway 4 and its addition will protect natural and archeological
resources and provide a site to support education efforts through
interpretive wayside exhibits. The State of Nebraska is currently
examining proposals to reroute State Highway 4, which would allow for
this existing road to serve as an access road to the Monument.
STATE TRIANGLE:
This parcel consists of approximately 8.3 acres and is bounded by
the Monument on two sides and by State Highway 4 on the third side. The
property is immediately adjacent to the site of the original homestead
cabin and will allow for maximizing interpretive efforts and
maintaining the integrity of the Monument's boundaries.
At the request of the landowner, the property described in
subsection (b)(1) the Graff Property must be acquired within five years
after the date of the enactment of this Act. The family, which has been
a strong supporter of the Monument, made this request in order to
better plan for the future and to minimize the impacts on their lives.
If this legislation is enacted, meeting the request should not be
difficult since the funds for acquisition have already been
appropriated.
Mr. Chairman, the Department supports the enactment of H. R. 38,
and we thank you again for the opportunity to appear today. This
concludes my prepared remarks. I will be pleased to answer any
questions you or other committee members might have.
______
Statement of Dr. Michael Soukup, Associate Director, Natural Resource
Stewardship and Science, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the
Interior, Concerning H. R. 1925
Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to present the
Department of the Interior's views on H. R. 1925. This bill would
require the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to determine
the suitability and feasibility of designating the Waco Mammoth Site in
Waco, Texas as a unit of the National Park System.
The Department supports this legislation in concept and believes
that it is wholly appropriate for the National Park Service to
undertake a study of this nature. However, in light of the President's
commitment to reducing the backlog of deferred maintenance needs within
the National Park System, we will neither request funding for this
study in this fiscal year, so as to focus available time and resources
on completing previously authorized studies, nor be able to begin the
study until at least fiscal year 2003, as there are 39 authorized
studies that are pending, and we only expect to complete a few of those
this year. Furthermore, in order to better plan for the future of our
national parks, we believe that studies should carefully examine the
full life cycle operation and maintenance costs that would result from
each alternative considered. Additionally, our support of this study
legislation should not be interpreted to mean that the Department would
necessarily support designation of a new area.
H.R. 1925 calls for the completion of a study of the Waco Mammoth
Site that determines the suitability and feasibility of designating the
site as a unit of the National Park System. The bill calls for the
study to be completed under the guidelines in P.L. 91-383 and
submission of the study results to Congress 30 days after it has been
completed.
The Waco Mammoth Site area is located near the confluence of the
Brazos and the Bosque rivers in Central Texas, not far from the city of
Waco. Baylor University has been investigating the site since 1978
after hearing about bones emerging from eroding creek banks that led to
the uncovering of portions of five mammoths. Since then several
additional mammoth remains have been uncovered - making this the
largest known concentration of mammoths dying from the same event.
The discoveries have received international attention, with
archaeologists and paleontologists from Sweden and Great Britain
visiting the site. Many of the remains have been excavated and are in
storage or still being researched. The University and the city of Waco
have been working together to protect the site, as well as develop
further research and educational opportunities.
We recommend some technical amendments to the bill that would make
it consistent with the requirements for studying new areas to be added
to the National Park System that are specified in Section 303 of the
National Park System Omnibus Management Act of 1998 (P.L. 105-391).
P.L. 105-391 requires studies of new areas to consider whether the area
under study possesses nationally significant natural or cultural
resources and represents one of the most important examples of a
particular resource type in the country, and is a suitable and feasible
addition to the system.
To make the terms of this study consistent with those the National
Park Service uses to study other potential new areas of the National
Park System, we recommend referring to the study as a ``special
resource study,'' and to specifically state that the study should
determine the ``national significance, suitability and feasibility'' of
adding the Waco Mammoth Site Area to the National Park System. Also,
studies of this type often involve consultation with many State and
local groups and are difficult to complete in the six-month time period
specified in the bill. We suggest that the report to Congress in
subsection 1(c) be required within three fiscal years after the funds
are first made available, which reflects the standard timing for
submitting studies of this type. The proposed technical amendments are
attached to this testimony.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my statement. I would be pleased to
answer any questions you or other members of the subcommittee may have.
Proposed technical amendments to H.R. 1925, Waco Mammoth Site Study
On page 1, line 5, strike ``6 months'' and insert ``three years''.
On page 1, lines 7 and 8, strike ``a study regarding the
suitability and feasibility'' and insert ``a special resource study
regarding the national significance, suitability, and feasibility''.
______
Mr. Radanovich. Thank you, Mr. Soukup.
I think we will hear from Mr. Maurstad and Ms. Riedesel,
and then perhaps open up for questions, and then move to 1925
afterwards.
If that is okay, then, Mr. Maurstad, welcome and we are
glad to have you here.
STATEMENT OF DAVID MAURSTAD, FORMER LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, STATE
OF NEBRASKA, LINCOLN, NEBRASKA
Mr. Maurstad. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to
request that the full extent of my written testimony be made a
part of the record.
Mr. Radanovich. There being no objection, so ordered.
Mr. Maurstad. I am very honored to appear before you today
as the former Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska, mayor of
Beatrice, and a Nebraska State senator.
I have lived in Beatrice nearly all my life and own a
small, independent insurance agency located on main street.
While not a part of his administration anymore, I can
assure you that Governor Mike Johanns is in full support of
H.R. 38, and I am here today to express my strong support for
H.R. 38.
Homestead National Monument has existed since 1936 to
commemorate and interpret the profound influence of the
Homestead Act upon the Nation and the world, as well as its
influence on you, me, and millions of other individuals.
The idea of ``free land'' that culminated with President
Abraham Lincoln's signature of the Homestead Act in 1862 had
its roots in the earliest days of our Republic. ``As few as
possible should be without a little portion of land,'' wrote
Virginia planter Thomas Jefferson.
Interestingly, much of the land later opened to
homesteading was acquired by the United States through the
Louisiana Purchase, which was made at the direction of
President Thomas Jefferson. Both of these events represent the
pioneer spirit that played such a large role in the westward
expansion of our great country.
Nearly every aspect of American life was somehow touched by
the passage of the Homestead Act. Immigration and migration
patterns were greatly altered. The agricultural production of
our Nation also skyrocketed thanks to the Homestead Act. In
response to the demand for newer, better, and stronger
agricultural implements, many Eastern mills and factories were
forced to modernize their operations. It may be said that the
Homestead Act was one of the driving forces behind this
Nation's Industrial Revolution.
The Homestead Act also severely affected American Indian
tribes throughout the West. These few examples demonstrate the
national and international scope and importance of homesteading
history.
In 1936, it was decided to construct a national monument to
commemorate the influence of the Homestead Act in honor of the
accomplishments of all homesteaders. That same year, the
Secretary of the Interior was authorized to purchase the
original homestead claim of Daniel Freeman.
Freeman was among the first to claim a homestead on January
1, 1863. His 160-acre tract in Beatrice was seen as an ideal
place to demonstrate to the public the great changes brought
about to the land and to America by the Homestead Act.
Since 1936, the National Park Service has ably administered
the Homestead National Monument and shared the important and
fascinating history of homesteading with hundreds of thousands
of visitors from all over the country and the world.
Today, however, the monument has reached an impasse.
Increasing visitation has rendered the current visitor center
too small to accommodate everyone, including those with special
needs. The exhibits inside the museum are not adequate.
Cultural resources are at risk due to being located within a
100-year floodplain.
Deficiencies also exist within the cultural landscape,
where the interpretive story is missing 36 years of artifacts
out of a possible 74 due to a lack of space. An additional
11,000 items are stored in a facility 45 miles away because of
this lack of storage.
H.R. 38 represents the next important step in realizing the
future plans of the monument as well as addressing its current
shortfalls and challenges. Most important, H.R. 38 will allow
the National Park Service to obligate funds already
appropriated by Congress for this boundary expansion.
Last year I had the opportunity to meet Representative
Ralph Regula when he toured Homestead National Monument with
our own representative, Doug Bereuter. I very much enjoyed the
time I was able to spend with them as they walked through the
museum and wandered across the 100 acres of tallgrass prairie.
Like all visitors to the monument, they were able to get a real
sense of the truly epic scope of the Homestead Act. They were
also able to witness firsthand the tremendous amount of local,
State, and regional support for Homestead National Monument.
In order to present this story as fairly and accurately as
possible, Homestead National Monument of America must be given
the means to modernize and improve its facilities. With the
approval of H.R. 38, this Congress can continue that process
and take the next step forward in providing information,
education, and inspiration to the citizens of this Nation and
the world.
Today I urge you to support passage of H.R. 38, not only
for the benefits of the present but also for the honoring of
the past and the promise of the future.
We really appreciate Congressman Bereuter's continued and
strong support for Homestead National Monument of America, and
that will conclude my comments.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Maurstad follows:]
Statement of the Honorable of David I. Maurstad, Former Lieutenant
Governor of Nebraska
Members of the Committee:
I am very honored to appear before you today as a former Lieutenant
Governor of Nebraska. I resigned that position earlier this week to
accept the appointment by President Bush to serve our nation as the
Director of Region VIII of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Previously I served as Mayor of Beatrice, Nebraska from 1991 to 1994
and as a Nebraska State Senator representing the Beatrice and Gage
County area from 1995 to 1998.
I have lived in Beatrice nearly all my life and own a small,
independent insurance agency located on main street.
I am here today to express my strong support for H.R. 38, known as
the ``Homestead National Monument of America Additions Act.''
Homestead National Monument of America has existed since 1936 to
commemorate and interpret the profound influence of the Homestead Act
upon the nation and the world, as well as its influence on you, me, and
millions of other individuals in our nation and across the globe.
The ``free land idea'' that culminated with President Abraham
Lincoln's signature of the Homestead Act in 1862 had its roots in the
earliest days of our republic. A piece of land to call one's own was a
goal of nearly every American even prior to the revolution against
England. Many who took up arms in rebellion were rewarded for their
service with land grants from the new government. Veterans of the War
of 1812 and other military actions also received land bounties as
rewards for their service to America. However, some of our country's
most famous dignitaries supported the idea of giving land not just to
veterans, but to everyone who met certain criteria. ``As few as
possible should be without a little portion of land,'' wrote Virginia
planter Thomas Jefferson. ``The earth is given as a common stock for
man to labor and live on. The small landholders are the most precious
part of the state.''
Interestingly, much of the land later opened to homesteading was
acquired by the United States through the Louisiana Purchase, which was
made at the direction of President Thomas Jefferson. The upcoming
bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition presents a wonderful
opportunity to link the histories of the Louisiana Purchase and the
Homestead Act. Both of these events represent the pioneer spirit that
played such a large role in the westward expansion of our great
country.
The debate over free land for settlers continued through the
sectional disputes of the 19 th century. The first homestead bill to
pass both houses of Congress was vetoed by President James Buchanan in
1860. During his presidential campaign of the same year, Abraham
Lincoln announced his support for the homestead bill and stated that he
would sign it if elected to the presidency. He made good on this
promise by affixing his signature to the Homestead Act on May 20, 1862.
The Act, which became effective on January 1, 1863, permitted
qualified individuals to file for claims of up to 160 acres of the
public domain. Filing fees totaling 18 dollars were the only financial
payments required to make a homestead claim. Settlers had to remain on
their claims for a five-year residency period; cultivate a certain
percentage of the land; construct a home on the property; and make
other general improvements to the land. When the five-year period had
passed and all filing and paperwork procedures had been completed, the
homesteader was granted the title, or patent, to that piece of
property. It was now that person's private property, free and clear.
The Homestead Act represents the largest giveaway of land to
private individuals ever undertaken by the U.S. government. Many later
amendments and separate land laws changed some aspects of the Homestead
Act. For example, the Kinkaid Act of 1904 permitted homesteaders in the
dry Sandhills of western Nebraska to claim a full section of 640 acres
rather than merely a quarter section of 160. In 1889, Congress's annual
Indian Appropriations Bill allowed for many millions of acres of
American Indian reservation lands to be opened to homesteading as well.
This set off the first of several famous Oklahoma Land Rushes. However,
the overall design and purpose of the Act remained the same: it
provided people an opportunity to become independent landowners and
farmers.
Nearly every aspect of American life was somehow touched by the
passage of the Homestead Act. Immigration and migration patterns were
greatly altered. Many citizens of other nations now came to America
specifically to claim homesteading lands. Since the Homestead Act did
not require a claimant to be an American citizen-only to declare an
intention to become one-hundreds of thousands of immigrants from five
of the seven continents entered this nation and proceeded west to stake
out their homesteads.
The agricultural production of our nation also skyrocketed thanks
to the Homestead Act. So many thousands of new farmers began producing
unprecedented amounts of crops that by the early 20th century the
United States was being called the ``breadbasket of the world.'' In
response to the demand for newer, better, and stronger agricultural
implements, many eastern mills and factories were forced to modernize
their operations. It may therefore be said that the Homestead Act was
one of the driving forces behind this nation's Industrial Revolution.
As mentioned previously in the example of Oklahoma, the Homestead
Act also severely affected American Indian tribes throughout the west.
These few examples demonstrate the national and international scope and
importance of homesteading history.
The Homestead Act remained valid and legal in the 48 contiguous
United States until 1976. It remained so in Alaska until 1986. This
span of time from the Act's effective date of January 1, 1863 until its
final repeal in 1986 represents 123 years of American history. During
this almost unfathomable number of years, some two million individuals
filed homestead claims in 30 different states. Under the provisions of
the Homestead Act, the federal government gave to settlers
approximately 285 million acres of land-about ten percent of all the
land in the lower 48 states.
In 1936, while homesteading was still going on in many parts of the
country, it was decided to construct a national monument to commemorate
the influence of the Homestead Act and honor the accomplishments of all
homesteaders. That same year, the Secretary of the Interior was
authorized to purchase the original homestead claim of Daniel Freeman
from his descendants for the purpose of constructing this Monument on
the property.
Freeman was among the first to claim a homestead on January 1,
1863, the very day the Act became effective. His 160-acre tract in
Beatrice, Nebraska was seen as an ideal place to demonstrate to the
public the great changes brought about to the land and to America by
the Homestead Act.
Since 1936, the National Park Service has ably administered
Homestead National Monument of America and shared the important and
fascinating history of homesteading with hundreds of thousands of
visitors from all over the country and the world.
Today, however, the Monument has reached an impasse. Increasing
visitation has rendered the current visitor center too small to
accommodate everyone, including those with special needs. The exhibits
inside the museum are not adequate. They are narrow in focus, promote
stereotyping, and are not engaging to the young. Cultural resources
such as the Palmer-Epard Cabin and the 6,000-item museum collection are
at risk due to being located within a 100-year floodplain.
Deficiencies also exist within the cultural landscape, where the
interpretive story is missing 36 years of artifacts out of a possible
74 due to a lack of space for museum pieces. An additional 11,000 items
are stored in a facility 45 miles away because of this lack of storage
space. Government property is at risk due to improper storage. Working
conditions are cramped, and the Monument's legislation has not been
realized.
The Act of Congress that created the Monument in 1936 specifically
directed the Secretary of the Interior to ``retain for posterity a
proper memorial emblematical of the hardships and the pioneer life
through which the early settlers passed the settlement and cultivation
of the Great West'' and to ``erect suitable buildings to be used as a
museum in which shall be preserved literature applying to such
settlement and agricultural implements used in bringing the western
plains to its present high state of civilization.'' The most important
types of such literature are the original case files of all two million
homesteaders.
On a daily basis, visitors to Homestead National Monument of
America ask to see the homestead records of ancestors. These citizens
of our nation are entitled to have convenient access to these records.
What better place to view copies of homestead records than the one
national park dedicated solely to the commemoration of the Homestead
Act?
Homestead records are among the most useful, informative, and
fascinating primary sources available to researchers and genealogists.
They may contain information about where a homesteader constructed
fences; what types of animals were kept on the property; where wells
were dug, and what crops were planted. They may also include the names
and birth dates of any children born on the land; information about
military service for homesteaders who were veterans; naturalization
papers for those who immigrated to the United States; and other
information not readily available anywhere else.
For example, the homestead case file of Charles Ingalls-father of
author Laura Ingalls Wilder and among the most celebrated of all
homesteaders-states that his family left their property for two
consecutive winters so that his children could attend school. For
obvious reasons, these records are much sought after by historians,
researchers, and genealogists, as well as the millions of living
descendants of homesteaders.
H.R. 38 represents the first important step in realizing the future
plans of the Monument as well as addressing its current shortfalls and
challenges. Specifically, H.R. 38 will allow the National Park Service
to do the following:
1. LPurchase the approximately 16-acre private property owned by
the Graff family. This land is in a perfect location to house the new
Homestead Heritage Center approved in the Monument's 1999 General
Management Plan. It provides a wide, complete view of the Monument's
restored tallgrass prairie. It is also outside the 100-year floodplain,
so artifacts and the historic 134-year old Palmer-Epard cabin would be
much safer from flooding.
2. LAcquire 1.4 acres of Nebraska State Highway 4. This will aid in
the protection of the park's natural and cultural resources as well as
provide education by facilitating the establishment of a parkway-style
setting complete with roadside exhibits. It will also provide
continuity between the segments of the road presently found within the
Monument.
3. LPurchase the 3-acre Pioneer Acres Green. This is privately
owned land located next to a housing unit directly adjacent to the
Monument's boundary. Acquisition of this land will prevent future
development and intrusion on the scenic landscape.
4. LAcquire the 8.3-acre area known as the ``State Triangle.'' This
land also lies adjacent to the Monument. By purchasing it, the National
Park Service will be able to maximize interpretive efforts and maintain
the integrity of the Monument's restored tallgrass prairie.
With this boundary expansion, H.R 38 presents the National Park
Service with the opportunity to be a good neighbor in that the
government will only secure land from willing sellers. From what I
understand, all landowners involved in this plan have indicated a
willingness to negotiate with the National Park Service. We are very
fortunate that this federal park site has such neighbors who are
interested in aiding the nation in telling and understanding the
incredible story of homesteading.
H.R. 38 will also allow the National Park Service to obligate funds
already appropriated by Congress for this boundary expansion.
Interest in and support of Homestead National Monument of America
and H.R. 38 has received a great deal of attention through our regional
media outlets. Many different governmental organizations and citizen
groups are demonstrating their commitment to the Monument in a number
of ways.
The Nebraska Education Task Force has provided resources to develop
plans for educational opportunities centered around the implementation
of the Monument's General Management Plan.
The Southeast Nebraska Distance Learning Consortium is presently
working to install $200,000 worth of distance learning technology that
will allow the Monument to reach students in both rural and urban
environments.
Numerous organizations have expressed an interest in partnering
with the Monument to acquire copies of homesteader case files.
The Nebraska Department of Roads is engaged in planning activities
that will remove from the Monument a state highway traveled by heavy
trucks. The Department of Roads also recently named a 40-mile stretch
of road between Beatrice and the state capital of Lincoln the
``Homestead Expressway.''
As you can tell from these examples, Nebraskans and Americans of
all walks of life hold Homestead National Monument of America in very
high esteem.
Last year I had the opportunity to meet Representative Ralph Regula
when he toured Homestead National Monument of America with our own
representative, Doug Bereuter. I very much enjoyed the time I was able
to spend with them as they walked through the museum and wandered
across the 100 acres of tallgrass prairie. They rediscovered the
lessons taught in a one-room school and felt the quiet but massive
power of a 22,000-pound steam powered tractor.
Like all visitors to the Monument, they were able to get a real
sense of the truly epic scope of the Homestead Act just by visiting the
place. They were also able to witness first hand the tremendous amount
of local, state, and regional support for Homestead National Monument
of America. This story must be preserved so that it can be presented to
our next generation, and the next, and the next.
In order to present this story as fairly and accurately as
possible, Homestead National Monument of America MUST be given the
means to modernize and improve its facilities. With the approval of
H.R. 38, this Congress can begin that process and take the first step
forward in providing information, education, and inspiration to the
citizens of this nation and the world.
Today I urge you to support the passage of H.R. 38, not only for
the convenience of the present, but also for the honoring of the past
and the promise of the future.
Thank you.
______
Mr. Radanovich. Thank you, Mr. Maurstad.
Ms. Riedesel?
STATEMENT OF LAUREEN RIEDESEL, PRESIDENT, FRIENDS OF HOMESTEAD
NATIONAL MONUMENT
Ms. Riedesel. Thank you. As a citizen, I think I am in
charge of show-and-tell. I am also here in support of this. My
name is Laureen Riedesel, as you said, and I am the president
of Friends of Homestead. I am also lucky enough to be the
descendant of homesteaders. I have four homesteaders on every
line of my family. Unlike Dave, I have not lived in Beatrice my
whole life. I chose to move there, and the edge was Homestead
National Monument of America. It is a very exciting portion of
history.
To show you an example of local support, I am going to just
do that: show it to you. This poster was paid for completely by
private funds, and over 500 of them were produced. And if you
visit any of the Nebraska Representatives, they should have one
framed here in Washington and also in their offices back in
Nebraska, I believe, as well. And this one is yours. I
apologize. I thought it was too dangerous to bring it in a tube
on a plane, so it got folded to fit into my suitcase. But it is
here for you.
Mr. Radanovich. Thank you very much.
Ms. Riedesel. I also wanted to show you something else that
happened. We found the last homesteader this year, which was
very exciting. It is not often that our local newspaper--
Beatrice is a town of 12,000. In Nebraska, that is the 14th
largest town but, still, there are only 12,000 of us. We paid
to send a reporter and also to have someone from the Park
Service visit the last homesteader, and this is a special
edition of all those news articles, and I brought a copy for
every member of the Committee. So I wanted you to be able to
see for yourselves.
I also tested airport security to show you what an artifact
can involve. You hear about Nebraska as the cornhuskers. This
is the kind of tool that makes you a real cornhusker. This was
used as a peg to shuck corn. It doesn't belong to the Park
Service yet, but the local individual whose husband spent his
life collecting these is donating artifacts, the whole set, to
the Park Service. I started out with seven different examples
to show you how this evolved as farmers tried different tools.
I was afraid it would look like some kind of uprising, so I
brought only the one that I thought was the most interesting
along for you.
We look for supporters everywhere, and as a result, I am
happy to tell you that you and all the members of the Committee
are now members of the Tallgrass Prairie Club as volunteers.
This entitles you to come and visit, and when you are here, we
will put you to work. But never fear, we are counting on you
working for us here in Washington as well. So although we would
love to have you come and visit, we know you can do some good
work here.
I also wanted to make sure that you, like me, we can
advertise Homestead National Monument wherever we go. So I did
bring you three different forms of pins, and, again, there
should be one here for every Committee member so that we are
not far from your thoughts.
Mr. Radanovich. Thank you.
Ms. Riedesel. You are welcome. That is my gift. Now, of
course, for what I want.
When I was hearing them talk about the people and
supporters, there is something I think you should know about
the Graff family. When Daniel Freeman went off to Brownville to
file that first claim--and he did that classic thing of even
getting them to open the land office at 1 minute after midnight
so that he could be number one, and locally he got people to
call him ``Old Number One.'' He was promoting Homestead
National Monument of America before it ever existed.
The people who took care of his cattle and who made sure
that he could leave were the Graff family. In other words, if
it weren't for the Graff family, he wouldn't be able to do
that. These folks are very committed to this project. They have
served as officers within the Friends of Homestead
organization, and this is a voluntary sale. And I just wanted
to assure you of that, that they sat in on as many meetings as
they thought were appropriate. And we even had a situation of
men sending their wives to public meetings because they didn't
want anything to appear to be improper. So we have been working
with the neighbors, and this is something that they truly do
support.
When I came here, I flew into Baltimore this time, and so I
had a little jaunt over here, 31 miles, or whatever it is. And
I was in a car with three other ladies, or in a shuttle bus,
and everyone was telling why they were coming and what kind of
trips they had had. It turned out to be two nuns and an
organizational development consultant. They are all over at
Washington University today studying.
When they heard why I was coming, I immediately had a nun
from St. Louis tell me a homesteading from Kansas story from
her family. This happens to me continually. People from coast
to coast have homesteading connections. This is one of those
stories that underlines so much of our history that we can't
even see it anymore. There are so many homesteaders, so many
people living on homesteaded land. It is such a draw. Even
people who never lived on a farm have that connection from
people who dreamed about free land. And they may never have
even made it out of New York City or Baltimore or the other
port cities. But they were so excited, they went for it.
I know I am supposed to stop, but I will just say one more
thing.
Mr. Radanovich. That is fine.
Ms. Riedesel. It is those homesteaders that overran Castle
Garden and created Ellis Island. If it weren't for this free
land promise, many, many people never would have left Europe.
Thank you for your time. As I mentioned, obviously I am
support of this, and I am counting on all the things I didn't
get to say, which was a 20-minute speech, going into the
official record. Thank you very much.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Riedesel follows:]
Statement of Laureen Riedesel, President, Friends of Homestead National
Monument of America, Inc.
My name is Laureen Riedesel. I am President of the Friends of
Homestead National Monument of America here to testify in support of
H.R 38. I am honored to be speaking to all of you, but I feel most
honored to be speaking on behalf of the two million homesteaders, their
families and descendants. These people claimed land in thirty states
and, in the process, helped to make this country the great land that it
is today. Today, those thirty states produce a gross product of $4.63
trillion, 54.2% of the Gross Domestic Product, according to the latest
statistics available from 1998. The earliest homesteaders came West
from states that were the original thirteen colonies, such as
Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey and Virginia, and
other states located east of the Mississippi, such as Tennessee, so the
Homestead story begins with a truly national emphasis. However, the
great impact of the Homestead Act was international in scope. With the
notable exception of the Chinese and other Far Eastern people,
individuals from other countries could come to America and file for
government land, based upon their intention to become citizens. And
they did both. Despite the restrictions, people with ancestry from five
continents came to the United States and homesteaded. Millions of
people came to America because of the promise of ``free land.'' Many of
them never left New York City or the other ports where they arrived,
but that dream of a place of their own had drawn them like a magnet
across the ocean. Others traveled to Chicago or St. Louis or other
larger cities in the United States before they, too, settled down in
businesses they knew from home, but it was that homestead idea that
gave them the courage to move. Many made it to smaller communities and
settled there rather than braving the adventures of turning the sod,
being the first to claim individual ownership of 160 acres of land, and
walking ten miles to plow just one acre! Still others saw the homestead
land that was available and decided to work and save to buy someplace
else, like Texas! None of these people were homesteaders under the
definition of the 1862 Homestead Act passed by Congress, but the
homesteading promise brought them to this country where they and their
children became part of the reality of the great ``American Dream.''
What about the two million who actually filed? They are the people
we honor at Homestead National Monument, the ones who followed their
hearts to new places and committed all they had and more to make
undeveloped federal land into their homes. Many of them succeeded and
passed along that land, so that it is still in their families to this
very day. Others used one homestead to finance the next and moved from
heartland states like Iowa and Nebraska to coastal states like Oregon
and Washington, all because of the Homestead Act. Some failed for
reasons as varied as their abilities as farmers, the marginal nature of
the land, the climate, the economy and combinations of all these
factors and more. However, these first-generation homesteaders'
failures became the foundation for the next landowners' successes.
Congressman Bereuter's family purchased land that had originally been
an unsuccessful homestead claim; he represents that large group of
hardy settlers who were able to understand the land and transform it
into successful farm operations. These pioneers sometimes characterized
themselves as the true homesteaders because they made the dream a
reality; they created the American Bread Basket that today feeds the
world.
Homestead National Monument of America is unusual. It is not
beautiful like the Grand Tetons, although there is certainly beauty in
acres of native tall-grass prairie. It is not a patriotic symbol like
the Statue of Liberty, although an 1867 hand-hewn log cabin is
certainly an American icon. Nor is it considered hallowed ground such
as Gettysburg, although there is something sacred about growing the
food that sustains life. However, it is significant at both the
national and international levels. This former farm in Nebraska
represents the millions of farms and millions of dreams of Americans
who took up the U.S. Congress' offer of ``free land.'' It represents a
second chance for many citizens who moved into new territories, and it
represents a new life for many immigrants who had come to find a home.
The possibilities seemed as unlimited as the prairie horizon and the
hope seemed as great as the stars in the sky. And all of that promise
did lead to stars - on the flag. When the Homestead Act was passed in
1862, there were 35 states. When in ended in 1986, there were, of
course, 50.
Homestead National Monument of America is located on one claim that
was selected to represent many. Appropriately, it was one of the many
``first'' claims filed on January 1, 1863, and it is THE FIRST of those
that were ``proved-up'' five years later to become the personal
property of Daniel Freeman. Because it is just one of the literally
millions of claims, the responsibility of educational interpretation is
enormous. The Monument was founded in 1936 during the Great Depression,
the time of the greatest challenge to American agriculture since the
passage of the Homestead Act. At a time when virtually no one was
thinking about the value of native prairie, a decision was made to
attempt to restore a tall-grass prairie at the newly-established
Homestead National Monument of America. Of all the choices that could
have been made, this is probably the one that has the most to offer
today's visitor. In a rural state like Nebraska, it is possible to see
farming everywhere, the modern-day version of the original farms
created by the homesteaders. It is not that easy to find acres of
native prairie, particularly the tall-grass variety, and yet that is
what the early homesteaders saw and transformed into farms. The result
of taking the Homestead National Monument land back to its origins is
the second oldest restored tall-grass prairie in this country, now a
landmark in itself. However, this is only one of the landforms that
greeted (or intimidated) homesteaders. The Monument cannot use just its
own landscape to tell the full story of homesteading and the variety of
land that was made available for claims. It is only if the Homestead
National Monument is able to utilize a full range of technological
options that the true scope of the Homestead Story can be understood.
As part of a National Park improvement program in the late sixties,
a Visitor Center was constructed at Homestead National Monument of
America. It emphasized the basic legislative history of the Homestead
Act as well as information about the Beatrice, Nebraska location. These
exhibits have served the Park Service well because they are still in
place over thirty years later. Unfortunately, the Visitor Center did
not meet the original mission established for Homestead National
Monument of America when it was founded in 1936, and it certainly does
not meet it today.
There are a number of key elements missing from both the
interpretation and the services offered. I will begin with the
interpretation. First, there is no exhibit about the displacement of
native people. One of the ironies related to the Homestead Act is that,
in the process of making homesteads available to some, others were
relocated from their traditional homes. Second, there is no significant
mention of the immigrants who did so much to make the Homestead Act as
popular as it was; the people who left virtually everything behind to
pursue that promise off ``free land.'' These new arrivals actually
overwhelmed the immigrant facilities at New York's Castle Garden and
created the need for Ellis Island. Although many of the immigrants did
not homestead, the promise of owning their own land pulled them across
the Atlantic from the places where they were born. While the Homestead
Act is not remembered in many families any more that the names of the
ships that brought them, the ``free land'' possibility became part of
the larger promise of freedom that was as compelling to their
nineteenth century ancestors as it had been to the Mayflower pilgrims
in 1620! For many African-Americans, the Homestead Act provided their
first chance to file for land of their own after years of living as
slaves in this country. It was also an opportunity for women to claim
land in their own right at a time when they were still decades from the
right to vote.
Another missing element in the exhibits at Homestead National
Monument of America is the power of the Homestead Act as a catalyst for
the continuation of the Industrial Revolution through agriculture. In
order to realize the potential of the acres and acres of land in
America, new equipment and supplies had to be developed - from sod
cutters to barbed wire. Nebraska's Representative Tom Osborne will be
happy to know that his homesteading relatives could have been true
Cornhuskers with newly-patented husking pegs developed for the farms of
the Great Plains. This was the time of transition from farming by hand
to farming with machines, with the government's offer of ``free land''
as a driving force behind this national phenomenon. The Homestead Act
began in Nebraska and ended in Alaska. This represents many different
climates, crops, and machines. As the sole symbol of this huge story,
Homestead National Monument of America is not currently equipped to
tell it effectively.
A service that is lacking at Homestead National Monument relates to
its mission of persevering historic equipment in order to trace the
development of American agriculture. Recently, a local group of steam
engine enthusiasts raised money to purchase a 1912 Case steam-powered
tractor. They consider it a real bargain at $10,000! This magnificent
machine has been characterized as a ``locomotive off the rails'' by
Mark Engler, Homestead National Monument's Superintendent. He is
absolutely correct. This incredible piece of history is always a big
attraction when it is brought to the Monument for special occasions.
Its whistle cannot be ignored! The steam engine organization would like
to have this housed permanently at Homestead National Monument, and the
staff agrees that it is a perfect fit in telling an important part of
Homestead story. However, no appropriate facility exists for exhibit or
storage. This is one of the many needs that could be addressed in a new
facility.
Although I have mentioned the end in 1986, most homesteading
activity took place between 1863 and 1937. That was a long time ago,
and it requires more imagination than the average person has to
envision the reality of that period. This becomes more challenging as
the audience becomes more urban, since this is an account of early
rural life. On the subject of audience, the most important group to
impress with the value of history is the young. They are also the most
challenging group to convince. While the restored prairie provides a
unique experience, it is located beside a State Highway and across the
road from a modern housing development. In order to better understand
the homsteaders' reality, the best of modern technology is needed to
invoke the experiences that are the very foundations of a work ethic
that characterizes Americans to this very day. The homesteaders'
tenacious hold on their dreams is one of the most valuable lessons we
can pass on to our children, particularly at this challenging time in
our history.
From the beginning, Homestead National Monument of America was
given the responsibility of creating a comprehensive library related to
the Homestead Act and homesteading. (This is the one missing service I
mentioned earlier.) The reality of this goal has never been fulfilled
because the full scope of this mission could never be realized until
now. In addition to all the books and other published information about
homesteading that could and should be at Homestead National Monument
(and isn't!), I am referring to the files of the two million
homesteading claims, including an estimated thirty million records. The
second-most asked question at Homestead National Monument of America is
``Can I find out about a homesteader in my family? I am not sure
exactly where he homesteaded, but I do know his name.'' This is a
perfectly reasonable request based on the perfectly reasonable
expectation that the one national monument dedicated to telling the
story of the Homestead Act would have access to these records. In the
past, it has never been possible to provide this information because
there is only one copy of each record located, appropriately enough, in
the National Archives. There is no index available by personal name or
common geographic area. These are land records, and it requires section
and range information to access them. Now it is possible to copy these
records and use automation technology to create files by both name and
geographic headings. Just as immigration records are vital to Ellis
Island, the homestead records are vital to Homestead National Monument
of America. However, the difference is that records are available at
Ellis Island; they are not available at Homestead National Monument.
The people of this country, many of them descendants of these
homesteaders, have the right to expect to find this valuable public
information available to them at and through Homestead National
Monument of America. This year, the current Homestead web site has
received over 7,000 hits per month. Just imagine its potential for
providing information from homestead records to people worldwide and
how much it would be used if these records were available from this
source.
Homestead National Monument recognizes this responsibility and has
received funding to develop the plans for copying and indexing the
homestead files. As part of the planning process, I was fortunate
enough to be allowed to travel with Park Service employees to visit the
Bureau of Land Management and Archives I and II. As a professional
librarian, the closed storage areas of the National Archives are one of
the most exciting places I ever expect to be! I had the opportunity to
look at the early homestead records from the Brownville, Nebraska Land
Office where our area's earliest claims were filed. The only thing that
could have made me happier would have been seeing the records of my own
relatives. I have homesteaders on four sides of my family. Two of my
relatives homesteaded at least twice. All of them proved-up on at least
one claim. Unfortunately, I do not know the location of many of these
claims, so I cannot access those records. If this seems whimsical or
like an exercise in historical trivia, I would point out that many
homesteaders moved from one side of this country to the other. They
left family members along the way, people who lost track of each other.
In a day and time of tissue matches and donor organs, I believe that
these records may actually help relatives find each other and even save
lives!
All of this requires a different type of facility than the one that
currently exists at Homestead National Monument of America. It also
needs to be located in a different place. One of the most basic
concepts in the Homestead Act was the division of land into 160-acre
claims. Today, that amount of land is virtually meaningless to people
accustomed to lots and blocks. The new plan for Homestead National
Monument would allow the visitor to see what 160 acres means, something
that is difficult to visualize while standing on the land rather than
viewing it as a whole from a nearby location. The acquisition of land
(the Graff plot) overlooking the Monument would fulfill this need in a
way that no other available land can.
The ``free land'' promise defines America. I visited England this
past June and had the chance to visit the birthplace of my great-great
grandfather in Cornwall. While waiting for the bus to his little
village, I was asked why I was visiting this remote place. When I
explained about my family, the first question they asked was ``Did he
get any land?'' When I told them about his 60-acre farm in Wisconsin,
they were disappointed. ``What about that 160 acres he could get from
the government?'' They didn't refer to the Homestead Act, but that's
what they meant. I explained that his son had married a homesteader's
daughter, so that the 160 acres came into the family that way. They
just beamed, ``He got land,'' they said, ``he got land.''
I also visited one of the oldest tourist sites in England -
Canterbury. I met an eighty-year old miner who wanted to know something
about where I lived in America. I just mentioned the words ``First
Homestead'' when he interrupted me to tell me his version of the
Sooners in Oklahoma. He certainly understood about the eagerness to get
that government land. And, of course, the Sooners are some of the most
famous of the homesteaders! I didn't even try to explain the
differences between Nebraska and Oklahoma. As he had already told me,
``You don't have a country - you have a continent.'' He was correct in
this and in his understanding that it was the government's free land
offer the encouraged settlement ``from sea to shining sea.''
We haven't been able to transform all of that interest in the
``free land'' into visitors to Homestead National Monument of America,
but we would certainly appreciate your help in our effort to do so in
the future. Homestead National Monument has over 40,000 visitors a
year. This is a mere trickle compared to the true potential of this
site. Like the country as a whole, tourism is the number three
contributor to the economy in Nebraska. We are working to make this a
stronger number three. Homestead National Monument is located 50
minutes from Interstate 80, the busiest cross-country roadway in the
United States. The present Visitor Center was an improvement when it
was built in the 1960s. (The first center I visited as a child is now
used as a the maintenance building.) And the Visitor Center should have
a continued use as an Education Center, linking our corner of the world
to many other corners of the world via telecommunication. We even have
a planning grant from a local, educational non-profit organization to
help implement this. But the present Visitor Center is not the facility
that is needed to tell the Homestead story. We want to place a
wonderful new facility on the gentle rise just beyond the graves of the
Freemans, our first homesteaders, so that our visitors can look over
this beautiful 160-acre spread with its restored tall-grass prairie,
winding tree-lined creek, and historic Osage Orange hedge planted to
mark the property line before barbed wire was even invented.
Today, we find ourselves valuing our country anew. We are thinking
about those characteristics that are special about the United States
and the experiences that are uniquely American. One of the most
important of these is homesteading. It is a true story of this country
that has become mythic in the slogan ``free land.'' The Homestead Act
is legislation that made the American dream a reality for thousands of
people. It gave five generations of Americans economic opportunities
unavailable anywhere else in the entire world. It began with Daniel
Freeman, a Civil War Veteran and ended with Ken Deardorff, a Vietnam
Veteran. It taught us that people from many different places with many
different experiences could come together and create something bigger
and better than any of them had ever imagined. It encouraged us to
believe in ourselves and cooperate with our neighbors. After all,
nobody raises a barn alone! The fact is that the 1862 Homestead Act had
a big hand in making us what we are today as Americans. We need to
remember this story and comprehend its meaning in order to face our
future!
We are just beginning to really understand this story. It was not
until the 1990s that a political publication identified the Homestead
Act as Number Three on a Top Ten list of the most important legislative
acts in America. All of you have a better idea than I do about how many
acts have been passed by Congress. I just know that it is very
significant to have made it to the Top Ten of that large number! There
is still much that we are just learning, and we do want to thank you
for making it possible to have a historian to help with this quest. We
do know that Willa Cather wouldn't have written the books she did
without the Homestead Act. For that matter, neither would Laura Ingalls
Wilder. Who would want to miss out on Little House on the Prairie? Yes
- you guessed it - a homestead story! George Washington Carver was a
homesteader, and you thought he was just famous for all those clever
uses of peanuts! Perhaps Lawrence Welk would have made Champagne Music
without the Homestead Act, but fortunately we don't have to find out of
that is true! Lawrence Welk's parents homesteaded in North Dakota,
where they played music during those long, cold nights on their
homestead. The rest is history!
Without the Homestead Act, we know the world would be a very
different place. We would literally not be the people we are if our
ancestors from different states and countries had not met in America.
Many problems of the Old World (increased population, crop failures,
political unrest) would have had different outcomes without the
solution offered by emigration to the New World. And Thomas Jefferson's
prediction that it would take a ``full forty generations just to
explore the full United States'' might have been more accurate without
the incentive for settlement offered by the Homestead Act.
There are two million stories to tell, accounts from states as
varied as Florida and Minnesota, from climates that range from
subtropical to arctic, and from desert to tundra. Nebraska is a
wonderful state full of amazing contrasts, but this is too much for
even it to handle! In fact, no one place can tell the story of the
others without help, and that is what we are asking of you. We want you
and every other visitor to enter a building where the variety of
climates, structures and daily life of the homesteaders can be
experienced vicariously through both authentic artifacts and
technological re-creations. We want you to be able to research your
homesteading relations by simply entering their names in a computer, or
by entering that places name where you know some relative once lived.
And if you don't have any homesteading connections, then we really want
you to visit and to learn how important it is!
There was never any ``free land.'' People paid all along the way.
This is a story of sweat equity, of deep despair and wild success, of
dashed hopes and dreams come true! It is the story of America. It is a
story that makes us understand where we came from, who we are and, if
we are really paying attention, it may just help us figure out where we
are going!
______
[Attachments to Ms. Riedesel's statement follow:]
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Mr. Radanovich. Thank you very much. I appreciate your
enthusiasm for the monument.
I think if it is okay, I am going to start off with a
couple of questions, and I wanted to ask Dr. Soukup, tell me
about the Homestead Heritage Highway, Doctor. Is that part of
the National Park Service's plan for this monument? And I guess
I am thinking of--I am near Yosemite, born and raised near
Yosemite National Park, and there is a Park Service program
that allows the park to spend time and money outside the park
to dedicate highways. I am wondering if it is similar to the
one that is expressed here, and how important is Heritage
Highway to the monument itself?
Mr. Soukup. As I understand it, the original part of the
Heritage Highway will be that part that is ceded by the State
of Nebraska, that part that is within the monument boundary.
That road is going to serve as an access road, but also be used
as an interpretive opportunity with waysides and pullouts and
perhaps a radio station kind of access for the visitor to
understand what they see.
It is hoped that the additional section of road in the
direction of Beatrice will become the rest of that Heritage
Highway, but this bill doesn't speak to that, and our testimony
really concerns only that part of the road that is within the
boundary or within that area of the park.
Mr. Radanovich. Right, okay. Mr. Maurstad, I want to
congratulate you on your recent appointment as director of
region--what would it be?--8 of FEMA.
Mr. Maurstad. Yes, sir.
Mr. Radanovich. I want to congratulate you on that, and I
appreciate the job that you are doing in this time of terror in
the United States. I appreciate the work that you are doing
there and wish you good luck.
Ms. Riedesel, tell me how you think that the additional
land that would be added to the monument would help you meet
some of the shortcomings or problems that you would see facing
it, if I can get an idea of how you would view this addition of
property to help out some of the problems you are facing there.
Ms. Riedesel. I will just deal with three of them and set
the Graff property aside. Three of them just basically make
official things that look to the passerby like they belong to
the monument. So that is just almost land housekeeping, if
there is such a concept. And, again, they often relate to the
highway and the change in the highway from the past and then,
again, what we are hoping to do in the future in terms of
better integrating that highway into a linkage between the
sites rather than having it be such a barrier and a division
and distraction.
The fourth part of the property, the Graff property that
overlooks the land, I think is very important both to offer an
overview--part of the story is the 160 acres, and it will allow
a person to look over the native prairie and actually see that
land, see how it is laid out. It also would allow a modern,
state-of-the-art, if you will, type of museum, not just a
visitors center but actually an opportunity to exhibit
artifacts and to make the interpretation of this more
appropriate to the 21st century. We have done very well with
the exhibits we have had, but they are now about 40 years old
and that does show.
More importantly yet, it gives us an opportunity in terms
of the records. Like Ellis Island, the records for homesteading
are pretty crucial. And as we have seen with the recent World
Trade Center, it is pretty important to have records more than
one place, and to be able to access those records at the very
site that is dedicated to homesteading and the Homestead Act
seems both natural to the people who come there to visit, and
this facility would allow it to be done in a way that would be
a modern library research type setting.
Then, of course, there is the whole issue of people who are
used to Disneyland-style experiences. Not being able to
imagine--just taking them on the prairie does not help them.
And taking them on the prairie doesn't help them understand the
tundra or the Alaska or Arizona adventures in homesteading.
So we are looking for a facility that will actually use
technology to provide that vicarious experience.
Mr. Radanovich. I see. Okay. Thank you very much.
Doug, did you have any questions?
Mr. Bereuter. No. Thank you.
Mr. Radanovich. Well, I want to thank you for being here,
and I think with that we are going to move on to H.R. 1925,
and, Mr. Smith, welcome, and please take your time to comment
on the project.
STATEMENT OF CALVIN B. SMITH, CHAIRMAN, DEPARTMENT OF MUSEUM
STUDIES, AND DIRECTOR, MAYBORN MUSEUM COMPLEX, BAYLOR
UNIVERSITY, WACO, TEXAS
Mr. Smith. Thank you very much. It is a privilege to be
here. I would like to mention that I had three colleagues lined
up to assist in the testimony, all of which are now at the
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology Annual Meeting, so they
couldn't be here this week.
Four things I think make the Waco Mammoth Site unique.
First of all, it is the largest concentration of a single herd
dying from the same event known to science in the world. That
is considering, certainly, those sites like South Dakota, Hot
Springs, South Dakota, and those sites in Eurasia where there
are many more animals, but it happened over thousands of years.
So this was a single event that occurred between the Bosque and
the Brazos rivers some 28,000 years ago.
Secondly, there were actually two--Congressman Edwards
mentioned the 45-year-old female that was trying to extricate
the juvenile. There was also--and the only time that this has
been recorded, the only bull in the herd was trying to
extricate a 13-year-old animal and went down in what we call
the sudden death syndrome position, and that has been cast in
situ, making it the largest field cast ever made. And it is now
an exhibit called ``Elephants'' that is touring the country.
Then, thirdly, these two protective behavioral examples are
the first in prehistoric proboscidean behavior that have been
recorded. So this becomes unique to this particular site, and
certainly from the standpoint of comparison between this site
and modern proboscidean behavior, it becomes an example of
study.
The fourth thing which makes it important globally is that
potentially this is the most significant contribution the
Mammoth Site can offer in the areas of research and
interpretation, is the evidence that the herd was under severe
environmental stress. Now, this occurs at the end of one of the
major glacial periods at the late Pleistocene. So perhaps this
study will lead to further investigations that might reveal
extreme droughts at the end of each glacial period, which is a
brand-new thought, brand-new concept. I have been requested by
researchers from both Great Britain and Sweden to come and
visit this site.
The site was actually--the bone mass was--the land where
the bone mass is was donated by Mr. Sam Jack McGlasson to the
city of Waco in 1996, and then in the past 2 years, with the
help of Mr. and Mrs. Buddy Bostick and Don and Pam Moes of
Waco, we have been able to acquire the 100 acres adjacent to
this particular site. So it solidifies our need for a buffer to
make sure that there is no further development in that
immediate area.
But now that the land has been acquired and the site is
secure with a fence, the number one objective from our point is
to protect the existing skeletal material remaining in situ.
The only way to do this without removing and then destroying
much evidence is literally to build a structure over the site.
The pavilion, by necessity, would need to encompass the
original discoveries, current specimens, and future potential
excavations, which we know that there is one more animal, the
24th animal, about 70 feet away. The facility would need to be
about 140 by 140, approximately 20,000 square feet. It would
need an ADA-accessible ramp allowing the experience of seeing
how the site was discovered and an overview of the entire
investigations leading to the interpretive and administrative
support areas.
The key in this venture is to identify who is taking the
lead during the development process and at what point the land
transfers--and I mean literally from Baylor to who, the city,
the Nation, whomever--might be made to maximize their
effectiveness in matching grants and funding to establish the
resulting parameters for the maintenance and operations of the
site.
Dr. Gary Haynes made this comment the last time he was on
the site, and he said this is ``the most important
paleontological site of its kind in the world today.'' Very
rarely does a university, a city, a State, or even a nation
have something of this magnitude and significance to make it
truly one of the world's largest or one of the most important
anything.
Recognizing existing priorities, strained budgets, and
uncertain income of national, State, municipal, and academic
organizations, this project necessitates an innovative approach
to successfully reaching its full potential. In other words, I
am thinking that we all need to get together and make this
happen.
To save not only the integrity of this globally unique site
but also the significance of what it can provide the immediate
area, which we just received an economic analysis stating that
this would assist the city of Waco and the immediate area some
$8 to $10 million per year if it were made--if we were able to
develop this. It can provide entertainment, tourism, education,
and continued contributions to the scientific community, and
that should be a major consideration in the decisionmaking
process of all the entities that would derive benefit from the
investments made.
The enactment to study the suitability and feasibility of
designating the Waco Mammoth Site as a unit of the National
Park System would honor the city of Waco, Baylor University,
and the Mayborn Museum Complex, our patrons, the foundations
who have supported us, and would enable all interested partners
to work toward an educational and recreational facility second
to none in the field of proboscidean research and
interpretation.
Thank you very much.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Smith follows:]
Statement of Calvin B. Smith, Chairman, Department of Museum Studies
and Director, Mayborn Museum Complex, Baylor University, Waco, Texas
The Waco Mammoth Site located between and just above the confluence
of the Bosque and Brazos Rivers within the city limits of the City of
Waco, Texas represents the largest concentration of prehistoric
proboscideans (elephants) dying from the same event in the world.
In 1978 Paul Barron and Eddie Bufkin found a bone eroding out of
the bank of a small tributary of the Bosque River and brought it to the
attention of David Lintz of Baylor University's Strecker Museum and
thus the paleontological discovery was brought to light.
Thusfar, twenty-three Mammuthus columbi (Columbian mammoths) have
been excavated by researchers from Baylor University since the site was
discovered. Caught in a sudden and probably severe deluge they were
entrapped by a mudflow some 28,000 years ago. Although the adults of
the nursery herd had time to form a defensive posture around the young
they were covered quickly and completely by the catastrophe that
preserved their remains until the small tributary of the Bosque was
created within the past century.
One of the specimens, a 45 year old female was entombed as she
tried to extricate a juvenile from the mire and went down in an upright
position with her tusks still under its chest and belly.
The herd bull, a 55 year old male, with 8-foot tusks would have
stood 13.5 feet at the shoulder, weighted 5-6 tons, required up to 600
pounds of food and 35 gallons of water a day also succumbed to the
ravages of the event with his right tusk under another juvenile in an
attempt to save the youth by lifting it to safety. Both of these
specimens have now been cast in situ (as they were exposed) still in
matrix (the soil) that surrounds them resulting in the largest field
cast ever made which is being shown in a traveling exhibition called
``Elephants'' currently touring the United States and to date it has
been seen by over 1 M people.
These two protective behavioral examples are the first ever
recorded in prehistoric settings and was part of a presentation made to
the 30th International Geological Congress held in Beijing, China
during the summer of 1996, by site Director, Calvin Smith, making it
well known globally in the scientific community.
Approximately five acres encompassing the existing discoveries was
donated by the late Mr. Sam Jack McGlasson to the City of Waco in 1996.
Plans for the future development include a pavilion to be placed over
the site, with interpretive exhibits, gift shop, offices, meeting room,
curatorial lab and restroom facilities.
In 2000 purchase of an additional 55 acres was made by Baylor,
which secured access to the Bosque River with gifts from Mr. and Mrs.
Buddy Bostick and Don and Pam Moes of Waco.
This year with a major reduction of the initial cost by Mrs.
McGlasson and additional funding received from Mr. and Mrs. Bostick
Baylor purchased the 50 acres leading up to Steinbeck Bend Road
providing access from a major highway and enough frontage for entry and
a 250-space parking area.
Estimates for future attendance to the site (without National Parks
Service designation) range between 100,000 to 200,000 per year with
excellent regional appeal and special interest group participation
expected. The only other similar presentation with on-going
proboscidean excavations that can be viewed by the general public is
the Hot Springs, South Dakota site which has over 100,000 visitors per
year.
Promotion of this attraction will help Waco in their effort to
become a destination for tourists who might be lured off the Interstate
simply because it affords and even greater diversity of cultural and
educational opportunities for the traveler. Visitors from as far away
as the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, Austin, San Antonio and Houston
areas can be expected as the offerings are made known and are made
available to the public.
Special interest groups, other individuals, corporations, and
foundations within the community are interested in helping assure the
permanency of the site, but a comprehensive plan is needed with all of
the participants in agreement with all of the future responsibilities
and operational parameters clearly understood.
Now that the land has been acquired to secure the site from unknown
questionable future development, the number one objective is to protect
the existing skeletons remaining in situ. The only way to preserve the
bone in its original context is to establish a climate-controlled
structure over the site.
This pavilion would by necessity need to encompass the original
discoveries, current specimens, and future excavations. The minimal
projected size is 140-ft. X 140 ft. or approximately 20,000 square
feet. The facility would provide an ADA accessible ramp allowing the
experience of seeing how the site was discovered and an over view of
the entire investigations leading to interpretive and administrative
support areas.
The exit would allow visitors to go back to the parking lot or
enter the nature trail leading to a nature center and the Bosque River.
Utilization of the 55 acre tract would follow the proposals made by
Don and Pam Moes which fits ideally with the purposes an requirements
outlined in the Texas Parks and Wildlife grant.
These two objectives are totally compatible and each could be
pursued simultaneously and/or jointly depending on the interest of the
donors and/or other granting agencies.
The additional 50 acres leading up to the main vehicle artery to
and from the Waco Regional Airport opens many avenues to future funding
from TX DOT as well.
The key in this venture is to identify who is taking the lead
during the development process and at what point land transfers might
be made to maximize their effectiveness for matching grants/funding and
establish the resulting parameters for the eventual maintenance and
operations of the site and faculties.
``The most important paleontological site of its kind in the world
today'', according to Dr. Gary Haynes formerly with the Smithsonian
Institution now at the University of Nevada, is in danger. The
remaining specimens located in situ are experiencing bone degradation
at an escalating rate making their preservation the most critical issue
in considering what happens next.
Very rarely does a University, a City, State or even a Nation have
something of this magnitude and significance to make it truly ``one of
the world's largest or most important'' anything.
Recognizing existing priorities, strained budgets, and the
uncertain income of national, state, municipal, and academic
organizations this project necessitates an innovative approach to
successfully reach its full potential.
To save not only the integrity of this globally unique site but
also the significance of what the immediate area can provide in the way
of entertainment, tourism, education, and continued contributions to
the scientific community is, or should be, a major consideration in the
decision making process of all the entities who will derive some
benefit form the investments made.
The enactment to study the suitability and feasibility of
designating the Waco Mammoth Site Area as a unit of the National Park
System would honor the City of Waco, Baylor University the Mayborn
Museum Complex, patrons and foundations, and would enable all the
interested partners to work toward an educational and recreational
facility second to none in the field of proboscidean research and
interpretation.
Thank you, for this opportunity to testify before your committee.
Recommendations for the Waco Mammoth Site
1. LProtection of a resource unique in the world for understanding
behavioral pattern of extinct proboscideans
a. LNothing to inhibit future research and excavation
b. LSecure buildings and fences with mechanical interior and
perimeter monitoring
c. LControl of entrance and exit to the park
2. LCreation of a world-renown tourist destination with use fees
partially supporting maintenance and operation
a. LAdequate parking and restroom facilities
b. LBuffer from residential areas to the east and west
c. LMaintenance facilities and service roads
3. LCreation of multiple educational programs for under standing
current and past ecosystems of a river bottom biome supporting rich and
diverse plant and animal life
a. LA climate controlled pavilion over the on-going excavation
site, which contains interpretive exhibits on the process of
paleontological research, restrooms, gift shop, and tours by trained
docents.
b. LFacilities for summer day camps and mini conferences
c. LYouth and family paleontology ``dig'' area
4. LProvide a continuous green corridor through the fastest growing
area of Waco with open space remaining to meet future family
recreation, entertainment, and educational needs of Waco citizens as
defined by the Waco Parks Plan.
a. LBird attracting habitat and viewing stations
b. LNative plant display gardens
c. LTall and short grass prairie restoration project
SUMMARY
1978 Waco Mammoth Site discovered by Paul Barron and Eddie Bufkin
1978-1981 LWaco Mammoth Site excavations led by David Lintz and
George Naryshkin unearthed five Mammuthus columbi in a thanatocose
assemblage and were reported on by Naryshkin in a senior geology thesis
entitled, ``The Significance of the Waco Mammoth Site to Central Texas
Pleistocene History''
1984 LFebruary: Calvin Smith, Director of the Strecker Museum finds
portions of three additional mammoths eroding from the bank of the
small draw in the immediate vicinity of the original discoveries
LMarch: First grant received from the Cooper Foundation of Waco to
continue excavations
LMay: Datum and 1-meter squares established, and all of the matrix
sifted trough 1/4 inch and window screens. No artifacts, gnaw marks or
cut marks found associated with the bone
LJuly: Announcement to the media that eleven specimens had been
found and an educational exhibit prepared for use at the local Heart of
Texas Fair, Richland Mall, etc.
LOct: A 5 1/2 inch rain inundates the site with some dislocation of
bone material (most of which was recovered) exposing additional
specimens including a 45 year old female with her tusks under a
juvenile in an attempt to extricate it from the mire
LNov: A second grant is received from the Cooper Foundation that
allows the museum to construct a diversion dam around the site, put up
a tent over the exposed bone and hire Ralph Vinson as the chief
excavator
LDec: A total of 15 mammoths are evident making the site the
largest concentration of a single herd of prehistoric proboscideans
dying from the same causative event known to science
1985 LC-14 analysis dating by Dr. Herbert Haas of Southern
Methodist University produces a date of 28670 +/- 720 BP
1987 LBaylor University, The Cooper Foundation and the Strecker
Museum host the Symposium ``Mammoths, Mastodons and Human Interaction''
in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Texas Archaeological
Society. Over 500 attend prompting the gathering to be called the
``Woodstock of Proboscidean Research''
1990 LThe remaining excavated specimens are field jacketed and
relocated to storage with the help of numerous volunteers and a grant
of $16,975 from the Cooper Foundation and continuing inkind
contributions of equipment and operators by F. M. Young of Waco
1991 LThe Sixteenth mammoth is excavated in direct association with
the sixth individual found indicating protective/rescue behavior
LA trench is begun above the 45-year-old female attempting to save
the juvenile in an effort to determine an escape route and
stratigraphic sequences running into the bone concentration
1992 LProceedings of the Symposium are published as Proboscidean
and Paleo-Indian Interactions, by the Markham Press Fund of Baylor
University Press
1990-1994 LNumbers seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-
one, twenty two and camel are excavated including the only bull in the
herd who also had a juvenile on top of his right tusk making it the
only such occurrence of its kind ever recorded
LDuring this period three grants totaling $34,775 from the Cooper
Foundation were received for tents, supplies, limited salaries and
preservation materials
LBetween April 1 and June 3 of 1994 the bull and juvenile were cast
in situ by Joe Taylor of Mt. Blanco Fossil Casing Co. from Crosbyton,
Texas which involved forty-five separate sections and became the
largest field cast ever made
LThe Cooper Foundation provided an additional $14,300 for the
necessary materials and labor to create the cast
1995 LDr. Gary Haynes returns to the site to age the bull (55),
juvenile (13) and to identify number twenty, the smallest/youngest
member of the group, a malnourished, diminutive 3 1/2 year old lending
further credence to the herd being under sever environmental stress
1996 LDepartment of Geology at Baylor University conducts Ground
Penetrating Radar and Magnetometer surveys and a Geology/Museum Studies
major drills test holes to determine the exact location of the bone
concentrations on the third terrace above the current Bosque River
stream bed. The sixth and final boring reveals another mammoth (number
twenty-four) at the same depth and seventy feet from number twenty-
three. This most recent discovery assures years more of actual
excavations are required to fully explore and understand the extent and
scientific importance of the site
1999 LThe first Development Plan for the proposed ``Park'' was
produced for study and evaluation by all interested parties
2000 LA follow-up, reduced, revised, plan is published resulting in
support from several donors to protect the site from future
encroachment
LThe 55 acres connecting the site with the Bosque River is
purchased with gifts from Mr. & Mrs. Buddy Bostick, Don and Pam Moes
and Mike Bradle
2001 LThe 50 acres leading up to Steinbeck Bend Road (the Airport
Highway) is purchased after additional gifts from the same donors as
the cost is reduced by Mrs. McGlasson
______
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Mr. Radanovich. All right. Thank you, Mr. Smith. I
appreciate your testimony. It is very, very interesting.
Can you tell me, I am sure not all archaeological sites are
considered for entry into the National Park System. In your
view--and it seems to me that, you know, you want to be able to
study and sometimes keeping people out would be preferable to
keeping them in. What is the idea behind making it a monument
or a national park?
Mr. Smith. Because of its uniqueness. I think that the
opportunity to use this as an educational facility, at all
levels, from the young students who would come through all the
way from Dallas-Fort Worth to Houston, plus the opportunity to
have researchers able to come in and work on the site while the
visitors are there. This is an opportunity for everyone to
learn more about archaeological and paleontological techniques
and methods and appreciate the discovery, that in case they
find something, that they would then bring it to the attention
of professionals and not try to do it themselves.
Mr. Radanovich. I see. And I noticed a map here that showed
quite a few different archaeological sites, at least in Texas,
in the State of Texas, notwithstanding the rest of the country.
Mr. Smith. Right.
Mr. Radanovich. And in your view, this is one of the major
ones?
Mr. Smith. Absolutely. And, again, from the standpoint of--
we have looked for humans the last 18 years and haven't found
them. This was unique in that way as well, because we can now
compare the assemblage with those sites that do have human
involvement and see--even if we don't know, we can help
determine differences in analysis relating to the different
types of sites.
Mr. Radanovich. I see. Dr. Soukup, and I realize that we
are looking at a bill that would authorize a study. But do you
care to comment on what you think this--whether you think it is
worthy for the National Park Service designation? You know,
this is not a typical unit, although it may very well be--it
looks to me like it would qualify. But you have got--how would
you--you know, part of the charter of the National Park Service
is for visitation and such. Do you see problems there that
might be--you know, to protect, I guess, the resources against
some of the people that would really deserve to see it?
Mr. Soukup. Mr. Chairman, I don't think that would be a
problem. We are trying to develop the idea that parks are in a
sense living laboratories and inviting a lot of scientific
effort in parks to understand how they work. And the public is
very interested in how we know what we know about national
parks and how much we know about how they actually work and how
we are going to protect them for the future. So I don't see
that as a problem.
We would have a very diverse team look at this. A lot of
professional societies would be approached, and we have, you
know, archaeological teams within the National Park Service,
and they would look at that whole spectrum of significance and
suitability as well as feasibility. Can you protect the site
and still accommodate visitors? But I don't think the access of
visitors would be a problem, and it might be a great
opportunity.
Mr. Radanovich. I see. Well, I want to thank you, everyone,
for the testimony on these two bills, and it does, I think,
bring us to the close of the hearing, unless I need to say
anything in particular.
Ms. Riedesel, I am looking forward to all those gifts, and
I appreciate--
[Laughter.]
Ms. Riedesel. I was just going to ask, I will leave them
all behind.
Mr. Radanovich. We will make sure they get distributed as
well.
Ms. Riedesel. Thank you.
Mr. Radanovich. With that, this hearing is adjourned, and,
again, thank you very much.
[Whereupon, at 10:45 a.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]
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