[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 5 (Tuesday, January 25, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E73]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  RIM OF THE VALLEY CORRIDOR STUDY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 25, 2005

  Mr. SCHIFF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to reintroduce 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, as 
designated by the State of California.
  The Interior Department study would examine the suitability of 
expanding the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to 
include this corridor, which contains areas of rare Mediterranean 
ecosystems and encircles the mountains above the San Fernando, La 
Crescenta, Santa Clarita, Simi, and Conejo Valleys, as well as the 
famed Arroyo Seco, home of Pasadena's Rose Bowl.
  For millions of Southern Californians, the mountains that rise above 
our communities are a haven from the noise and commotion of Los 
Angeles. Our mountains can and should be places where city-dwellers can 
enjoy such activities as hiking, camping, mountain biking, horseback 
riding, observing wildlife, and admiring nature's scenic beauty. Given 
the tremendous growth pressures in Southern California, we must act now 
to preserve our precious open space. It is my hope that the Rim of the 
Valley Corridor Study Act will embody a dream and vision of a Southern 
California enhanced not only by what we have built, but also by what we 
have preserved.
  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. Inclusion of the Rim of the Valley Corridor would 
link wildlife habitat in the Santa Monica Mountains to the Angeles 
National Forest.
  The Rim of the Valley Corridor Study Act would require the Interior 
Department to complete its study within 1 to 3 years, consulting with 
State and local government entities, as well as other interested 
parties, including private property holders. It would then be necessary 
for Congress to enact subsequent legislation to implement the study's 
recommendations.
  Last year, I was pleased to work with my colleague, Representative 
Richard Pombo, the Chairman of the Committee on Resources, on this 
bill, which passed the Senate. I am grateful to Chairman Pombo and to 
the other Members and staff of the Committee who worked to report the 
bill favorably to the full House. Unfortunately, in the press of 
business at the end of the last Congress there was no time to consider 
the bill on the floor.
  I am pleased that this legislation has the bipartisan support of 
Representatives David Dreier, George Miller and Brad Sherman as 
principal cosponsors. I am delighted that the senior Senator from 
California, Senator Feinstein, is also introducing this important 
legislation today.
  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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