[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 112 (Friday, August 3, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1546]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  THE RIM OF THE VALLEY CORRIDOR STUDY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 2, 2001

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce H.R. 2715, the Rim 
of the Valley Corridor Study Act, directing the Secretary of the 
Interior to study the feasibility of expanding the Santa Monica 
Mountains National Recreation Area to include the mountains and canyons 
in Southern California that are part of the Rim of the Valley Corridor 
designated by the State of California.
  For many families, the mountains above our communities are a nearby 
haven to enjoy nature, a refuge from the noise and commotion of Los 
Angeles. The National Park Service oversees the highly successful Santa 
Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, the world's largest urban 
park, spanning from the mountains to the sea and protected in 
perpetuity by Congress in 1978. In the Santa Monica Mountains, Park 
Service rangers work with state and local authorities and community 
groups on conservation and recreation projects.
  I am introducing the Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act in an 
effort to bring back federal resources and expertise to the mountains 
above the San Fernando, La Crescenta, Santa Clarita, Simi and Conejo 
valleys as well as the famed Arroyo Seco canyon, home of Pasadena's 
Rose Bowl. Our mountains can and should be places where city-dwellers 
can easily go to enjoy such activities as hiking, camping, mountain 
biking, horseback riding, observing wildlife or even just to admire 
nature's scenic beauty, up close or afar from our communities.
  The Secretary of the Interior would complete the study within one to 
three years, consulting an advisory committee of representatives of the 
Los Angeles Mayor, Los Angeles County Supervisors, Ventura County 
Supervisors, and City Councils of Thousand Oaks, Agoura Hills, Westlake 
Village, Malibu, Calabasas, Burbank, Glendale, La Canada Flintridge, 
Pasadena, South Pasadena, Sierra Madre, Santa Clarita, Moorpark, as 
well as others. It would then be necessary for Congress to enact 
subsequent legislation to implement the recommendations of the study.
  I am pleased to report that this legislation has bipartisan support. 
With Reps. Howard Berman, David Dreier, Elton Gallegly, Howard ``Buck'' 
McKeon, Brad Sherman and Hilda Solis as principal cosponsors of the Rim 
of the Valley Corridor Study Act, every Member of Congress whose 
district includes portions of the Rim of the Valley Corridor is 
supporting the legislation. It is my hope that the Rim of the Valley 
Corridor Study Act will result in an initiative creating a lasting 
legacy of nearby natural open space for our children--and their 
children--to enjoy.

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