[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 22 (Thursday, February 6, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E168-E169]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF THE RANCHO CORRAL DE TIERRA GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL 
                RECREATION AREA BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 5, 2003

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, today I introduced H.R. 532, the ``Rancho 
Corral de Tierra Golden Gate National Recreation Area Boundary 
Adjustment Act'' to improve the world's largest urban park.
  One of the nation's most visited national parks, Golden Gate National 
GGNRA comprises numerous sites, including Alcatraz, Marin Headlands, 
Fort Funston, Fort Mason, as well as Muir Woods National Monument, Fort 
Point National Historic Site, and the Presidio of San Francisco.
  The Rancho Corral de Tierra addition to the GGNRA includes one of the 
largest undeveloped parcels on the San Mateo coast south of San 
Francisco, and it contains rugged land that is unparalleled in other 
areas of the park. These lands consist of some of the last undeveloped 
acreage adjacent to existing parkland in the Bay Area. Permanent 
protection of these open spaces will protect and preserve unique 
coastal habitats of threatened, rare and endangered plant and animal 
species, curb future disruptive development along the coast, and 
provide important scenic and recreation opportunities for Bay Area 
residents and visitors to our area.
  This important land conservation legislation was near enactment in 
the last Congress. In fact both Houses of Congress approved this 
legislation, but because our bill was included in a package with other 
unrelated provisions it was not approved in the same form by both 
Houses.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in seizing this unique, 
exciting and significant opportunity for a public-private-partnership 
to preserve open space. Companion legislation is being introduced today 
in the Senate by Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Barbara Boxer.
  H.R. 532, the ``Rancho Corral de Tierra Golden Gate Boundary 
Adjustment Act'' will add three new areas to the GGNRA. These lands are 
critically situated between existing parkland and would connect 
national parklands with State parkland and San Mateo County parklands. 
Adding these lands to park areas in the City of Pacifica would help 
round out the uneven boundary along the Pacific coast and create a 
logical and appropriate entrance to the GGNRA for visitors from the 
south. The lands will also provide important regional trail links 
between the existing parklands, and would link the congressionally 
mandated Bay Area Ridge Trail with the California Coastal Trail. The 
lands would also provide a wildlife corridor for the diverse array of 
wildlife that inhabit Montara Mountain.
  Mr. Speaker, the largest parcel of land included in this bill is 
comprised of 4,262 acres, and is known as the Rancho Corral de Tierra.

[[Page E169]]

This parcel shares three miles of boundary with the GGNRA as well as 
with a California state park and a San Mateo County park. Its 
relatively untouched upper elevations preserve habitat for several 
threatened and endangered plant and animal species. This property also 
contains four important coastal watersheds, which provide riparian 
corridors for steel head trout, coho salmon and other aquatic species.
  When the owner of Rancho Corral de Tierra recently put this property 
on the market the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) negotiated to 
purchase the property. POST acquired the site for $29.75 million to 
save the site from development, to preserve this important natural 
area, and to donate, through private contributions, a substantial 
amount for the federal acquisition of Rancho Corral de Tierra.
  Mr. Speaker, POST is a local land conservancy trust in the San 
Francisco Bay Area. It has a remarkable track record in working with 
and assisting the federal government with the protection of other 
important open space in the Bay Area. In 1994, POST negotiated 
acquisition of the Phleger Estate in Woodside and its inclusion in the 
GGNRA. This provided local residents some 1,300 acres of pristine 
second-growth redwood forest, and the area has become a primary hiking 
destination in the mid-Peninsula area. I introduced the legislation 
that added this important parcel to the GGNRA, and I worked closely 
with my neighbor and colleague, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, who took the 
lead in securing the federal funding of one-half of the purchase price. 
In this case, POST also provided one half of the purchase price through 
private donations. POST also assisted the federal government with the 
protection and acquisition of Bair Island, an important wildlife refuge 
in San Francisco Bay, which is now managed by the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service. Congresswoman Eshoo played a key role in the Bair 
Island acquisition. H.R. 532 also authorizes the National Park Service 
to include within its boundaries an additional 525 acres of land in the 
Devil's Slide section of Coastal Highway 1, which is the scenic highway 
that winds its way along the entire California coast. The Devil's Slide 
properties are also adjacent to the Rancho Corral de Tierra property. 
It is my understanding that the California Department of Transportation 
(Caltrans) will acquire these lands when it builds the Devil's Slide 
tunnel. This legislation includes the five properties that border the 
highway alignment and will be abandoned when the tunnel is completed. 
Since these properties will have no access once the Devil's Slide road 
is abandoned, Caltrans will purchase these properties from their 
current owners. It is my understanding that Caltrans will donate these 
properties to a state park agency for open space use. Caltrans will 
also relinquish the abandoned Highway 1 alignment to San Mateo County, 
which will transfer these properties to a park agency after the tunnel 
is completed. I want to make something particularly clear, Mr. Speaker. 
It is not the intention of this legislation to give the federal 
government any responsibility for the acquisition of land or the 
construction or completion of the Devil's Slide tunnel. This 
legislation has nothing to do with the matter of the highway and tunnel 
construction. This legislation will simply make it possible for 
Caltrans to donate these properties to the National Park Service when 
the Devil's Slide tunnel is completed and when the National Park 
Service has determined the acquisition of these lands is appropriate. 
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 532 also includes within the GGNRA boundary the 
Caltrans-owned Martini Creek-Devil's Slide Bypass right-of-way, which 
was originally purchased by Caltrans for the purpose of building a 
highway across Montara Mountain. When San Mateo County voters 
overwhelmingly decided in a local referendum in favor of the Devil's 
Slide tunnel rather than the Martini Creek Bypass in 1996, this right-
of-way became obsolete. This property, which covers approximately 300 
acres, bisects the proposed additions to the GGNRA and will provide 
important recreation access to the surrounding parklands. It is my 
understanding that once the GGNRA boundary is adjusted to include this 
right-of-way, Caltrans will be able to donate this property to the 
National Park Service. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 532 will also reauthorize the 
Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Point Reyes National Seashore 
Advisory Commission for 10 years. The GGNRA and Point Reyes Advisory 
Commission was established by Congress in 1972 to provide for the free 
exchange of ideas between the National Park Service and the public and 
to facilitate the solicitation of advice from members of the public on 
problems pertinent to the National Park Service Parks or sites in 
Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties. The Advisory Commission 
holds open and accessible public meetings monthly at which the public 
has an opportunity to comment on park-related issues. The Advisory 
Commission is an invaluable resource for park management. It provides 
an important forum for the gathering and receipt of public input, 
public opinion and public comment and allows the park to maintain 
constructive and informal contacts with both the private sector and 
other federal, state and local public agencies. The Advisory Commission 
aids in strengthening the spirit of cooperation between the National 
Park Service and the public, encourages private cooperation with other 
public agencies, and assists in developing and ensuring that the park's 
general management plan is implemented. As part of its regular monthly 
hearing process, the Advisory Commission held public hearings on this 
legislation in Half Moon Bay, California. Advisory Commission members 
heard overwhelming public support for the boundary study for ``Rancho 
Corral de Tierra GGNRA Boundary Adjustment Act'' that was produced by 
Peninsula Open Space Trust in consultation with the National Park 
Service. All Advisory Commission meetings are open to the public and an 
official transcript of each meeting is on record and available to the 
public. The activities and contributions of the Advisory Commission are 
critical to the efficient operation and management of the two adjoining 
national park units of Point Reyes National Seashore and the GGNRA. Mr. 
Speaker, preserving our country's unique natural areas must be one of 
our highest national priorities, and it is one of my highest priorities 
as a Member of Congress. We must preserve and protect these areas for 
our children and grandchildren today or they will be lost forever. 
Adding these new lands in San Mateo County to the GGNRA will allow us 
to protect these fragile areas from development or other inappropriate 
use that would destroy the scenic beauty and natural character of this 
key part of the Bay Area.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill was agreed to by both Houses in the 107th 
Congress and should have been enacted, but issues unrelated to the 
Golden Gate National Recreation Area precluded its final passage. I am 
hopeful that the House will take up this bill where we left off last 
year, complete legislative action, and enact H.R. 532 expeditiously. 
The Rancho Corral de Tierra Golden Gate National Recreation Area 
Boundary Adjustment Act has the support of the Bay Area Congressional 
Delegation. Joining me as co-sponsors are my distinguished colleagues, 
Nancy Pelosi, George Miller, Anna Eshoo, Barbara Lee, Ellen Tauscher, 
Mike Honda, Mike Thompson, Pete Stark, and Zoe Lofgren. I urge my 
colleagues to take advantage of this unique opportunity to preserve 
these important lands for addition to our national parks and support 
passage of H.R. 532, the Rancho Corral de Tierra Golden Gate National 
Recreation Area Boundary Adjustment Act.