[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 20 (Tuesday, February 29, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H519-H520]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  DESIGNATING WILSON CREEK IN NORTH CAROLINA AS COMPONENT OF NATIONAL 
                     WILD AND SCENIC RIVERS SYSTEM

  Mr. SHERWOOD. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1749) to designate Wilson Creek in Avery and Caldwell 
Counties, North Carolina, as a component of the National Wild and 
Scenic Rivers System, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 1749

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

     SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF WILSON CREEK IN NORTH CAROLINA AS A 
                   WILD, SCENIC, AND RECREATIONAL RIVER.

       Section 3(a) of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (16 U.S.C. 
     1274(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
     paragraph:
       ``(161) Wilson Creek, North Carolina.--(A) The 23.3 mile 
     segment of Wilson Creek in the State of North Carolina from 
     its headwaters to its confluence with Johns River, to be 
     administered by the Secretary of Agriculture in the following 
     classifications:
       ``(i) The 2.9 mile segment from its headwaters below 
     Calloway Peak downstream to the confluence of Little Wilson 
     Creek, as a scenic river.
       ``(ii) The 4.6 segment from Little Wilson Creek downstream 
     to the confluence of Crusher Branch, as a wild river.
       ``(iii) The 15.8 segment from Crusher Branch downstream to 
     the confluence of Johns River, as a recreational river.
       ``(B) The Forest Service or any other agency of the Federal 
     Government may not undertake condemnation proceedings for the 
     purpose of acquiring public right-of-way or access to Wilson 
     Creek against the private property of T. Henry Wilson, Jr., 
     or his heirs or assigns, located in Avery County, North 
     Carolina (within the area 36 deg., 4 min., 21 sec. North 
     81 deg., 47 min., 37 deg. West and 36 deg., 3 min., 13 sec. 
     North and 81 deg. 45 min. 55 sec. West), in the area of 
     Wilson Creek designated as a wild river.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Sherwood) and the gentleman from American Samoa (Mr. 
Faleomavaega) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Sherwood).
  Mr. SHERWOOD. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 1749 was introduced by our esteemed colleague, 
the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Ballenger), and would designate 
Wilson Creek in Avery and Caldwell Counties, North Carolina, as a 
component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
  When the Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health held a hearing on 
August 3, 1999, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Ballenger) and 
the Forest Service testified in support of the bill. The bill was 
amended at subcommittee to make a technical correction.
  Both the subcommittee and the full committee favorably reported this 
bill, as amended by voice vote.

                              {time}  1415

  I strongly urge passage of H.R. 1749.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, first I would like to certainly commend the gentleman 
from North Carolina (Mr. Ballenger), my good friend, for his 
sponsorship of this legislation.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 1749 would designate 23.3 miles of Wilson Creek 
in Avery and Caldwell Counties, North Carolina, as a component of the 
National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Approximately 2.9 miles would 
be designated as scenic, 4.6 miles as wild, and 15.8 miles as 
recreational area.
  The Forest Service deemed the creek, which is rich in aquatic and 
plant life, eligible and suitable for wild and scenic status since 
1990. There is a great deal of local support in this legislation, and I 
urge my colleagues to support it.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SHERWOOD. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
North Carolina (Mr. Ballenger), the author of the bill.
  Mr. BALLENGER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, 
H.R. 1749, to designate Wilson Creek in my congressional district as a 
Wild and Scenic River. And I want to thank the gentleman from Alaska 
(Chairman Young) and the gentlewoman from Idaho (Mrs. Chenoweth-Hage), 
chairwoman of the subcommittee, for their support of this bill and 
their diligent efforts to get this bill to the floor.
  Madam Speaker, I would like to invite any of my colleagues from 
Congress that get to our area, if they want to see something fabulously 
beautiful, look at the Wilson Creek. Wilson Creek is a free-flowing, 
crystal clear waterway which passes through some of the most beautiful 
scenery in the Nation. It provides pristine habitat for a multitude of 
fish species and plant life which live within the creek and along its 
banks.
  From its headwaters below Calloway Peak on Grandfather Mountain in 
Avery County, to where it empties into Johns River in Caldwell County, 
Wilson Creek meets and exceeds all the requirements for such an 
important designation.
  Specifically, my bill would designate 23.3 miles of Wilson Creek as a 
Wild and Scenic River. And in my opinion, having this creek designated 
as Wild and Scenic would help maintain its natural beauty while helping 
to improve the quality of recreational opportunities like hunting, 
fishing, camping, canoeing, and other activities for thousands of 
people who visit it each year.
  Madam Speaker, the potential designation of Wilson Creek as a Wild 
and Scenic River has received tremendous support from the County 
Commissioners of both Avery and Caldwell Counties, as well as the local 
residents and outdoor enthusiasts. In fact, when I met with the County 
Commissioner in Caldwell and Avery Counties prior to the introduction 
of my bill, I was presented with letters of support from local 
residents, positive newspaper articles and editorials, and a letter 
from the U.S. Forest Service which indicated a willingness to help us 
in this effort.
  Madam Speaker, I am convinced that the designation of Wilson Creek as 
a Wild and Scenic River is well supported within the communities which 
surround it. I know CBO is trying to find some cost for it. They have 
not been able to. There is no expense. And I believe this is an 
excellent bill that would do much to preserve Wilson Creek, making it 
both a natural asset and a natural treasure, and I urge its passage.
  Mr. BURR of North Carolina. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of 
H.R. 1749, designating Wilson Creek in northwest North Carolina as a 
wild and scenic river.
  Madam Speaker, one of the hidden beauties--and there are few--of the 
ever changing North Carolina congressional district map is that in any 
given election, with the blessing of the electorate, the members our 
delegation are given the honor of serving different parts of different 
counties for short periods of time. During my first two terms of 
Congress, I had the opportunity to serve parts of Caldwell County that 
we are honoring today.
  Although the majority of the legwork here in Washington was done by 
my colleague Mr. Ballenger and his staff, the reason the designation is 
becoming a reality is the process by which it matured. You see, Mr. 
Speaker, this was not a decision forced upon the people of Avery and 
Caldwell County by a Federal bureaucracy with little or no local input. 
This project has been the result of local initiative, spearheaded by 
county commissioners and community leaders. These officials, at every 
step of the way, explained the process and benefits of wild and scenic 
designation to the local community and landowners, enlisting the advice 
and counsel of the local U.S. Forest Service. The professionalism of 
Forest Supervisor John Ramey, District Ranger Mike Anderson and 
Recreation Planner Kathy Ludlow quickly put to rest any misconceptions 
or fears

[[Page H520]]

the local community may have harbored towards seeking this Federal 
designation.
  Madam Speaker, this designation will do more than protect the 23 
miles of river which rolls through the shadow of Grandfather Mountain. 
What also is being affirmed here is an example of how our Federal 
conservation policy should be administered--from local decisions by 
local leaders working in partnership with the Federal Government 
towards a universal goal of preserving the most pristine and natural 
resources of our country.
  I thank Mr. Ballenger for bringing this bill forward and I ask for 
its immediate approval.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SHERWOOD. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Emerson). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Sherwood) that the 
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1749, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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