[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 71 (Monday, May 11, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5330-S5331]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. LANDRIEU:
  S. 1017. A bill to reauthorize the Cane River National Heritage Area 
Commission and expand the boundaries of the Cane River National 
Heritage Area in the State of Louisiana; to the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources.
  Ms. LANDRIEU. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce two bills, S. 
1017 and S. 1018, one that will help to protect and preserve 
Louisiana's rich cultural and historic legacy, and one that will 
contribute to historic research and preservation throughout the 
country.
  The first bill will protect and preserve an important and treasured 
part of our historical legacy--the Cane River National Heritage Area. 
This breathtaking region in northwestern Louisiana is known for its 
historic plantations, its distinctive Creole architecture, and its rich 
cultural legacy. Historically, this region was where the French and 
Spanish realms intersected as they explored the ``New World.'' Both the 
Spanish and the French left an indelible imprint on the area's people, 
on its architecture, and ultimately on the U.S. as a whole.
  Congress recognized this lasting legacy when it created the Cane 
River National Heritage Area in 1994. Today I ask that Congress 
reaffirm its commitment to this rich legacy and act to reauthorize the 
Cane River National Heritage Area Commission until 2025.
  The central corridor of the heritage area begins just south of 
Natchitoches, the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana 
Purchase, and extends along both sides of Cane River Lake for 
approximately 35 miles. The heritage area includes Cane River Creole 
National Historical Park, seven National Historic Landmarks, three 
State Historic Sites, and a dense area of historic plantations, homes, 
and churches. While much of the roughly 116,000-acre heritage area is 
privately owned, many sites are open to the public.
  The community's pride in its history and traditions is legendary. The 
residents of Northwest Louisiana stand united in their interest and 
involvement in preserving their traditions and their landscape for 
future generations. The Heritage Area offers residents a collaborative 
approach to conservation that does not compromise traditional local 
control over and use of the landscape.
  The landscape of Cane River is an American treasure--one that we must 
preserve. The Cane River region has been the focal point for American 
Indian settlements, colonial forts, and Creole plantations. The river 
itself was a major trade route, one that sparked alliances with 
American Indians and brought European colonial powers to the area.
  To protect their interests, the French established Fort Saint Jean 
Baptiste in 1714. Shortly thereafter, the Spanish responded by building 
the presidio known as Los Adaes 15 miles to the west. Settlements 
spread from these early outposts, and the town of Natchitoches grew up 
around Fort Saint Jean Baptiste to become the most prosperous town in 
the region.
  As countries came together in this place, so did cultures. American 
Indians were joined by European settlers, who imported large numbers of 
enslaved Africans to farm the land. The interaction of these groups led 
to the development of a distinctive Creole culture, a culture that cut 
across racial categories and drew from many traditions but remained 
grounded in French colonialism and Catholicism.

  A thriving agricultural economy developed along the banks of the 
river by the time the region was joined to the United States in 1803, 
by the Louisiana Purchase. Natchitoches was the region's commercial 
center. Downriver from the town, in the areas known as Cote Joyeuse 
``Joyous Coast'' and Isle Brevelle, large and small plantations 
produced indigo, tobacco, and later cotton.
  The Civil War and its aftermath brought great economic devastation 
and cultural change to the residents of the Cane River region. Tenant 
farming and sharecropping replaced slavery, exchanging one labor-
intensive system for another. After World War II, mechanized farming 
permanently supplanted the old agricultural practices that depended on 
human labor in the fields. As a result, many people migrated to urban 
centers, leaving the fields behind.
  This is the complex past that Congress acted to honor, preserve, and 
protect when it established the Cane River National Heritage Area in 
1994. Today I call upon my colleagues to continue their recognition of 
the history and culture of this unique region.
  The next bill I would like to call up and introduce is related to the 
Heritage Area, but the entire Nation will benefit from its prompt 
passage. This bill simply authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to 
enter into an agreement with Northwestern State University in 
Natchitoches, Louisiana, to construct a curatorial center for the use 
of Cane River Creole National Historical Park, the National Center for 
Preservation Technology and Training, and the University. These 
institutions emerged in the Cane River region because its beauty and 
rich historical legacy have attracted some of the Nation's finest 
historians and experts in historical preservation from the world over.
  Cane River Creole National Historical Park has a veritable treasure 
trove in its museum collection--boasting more than 1,000,000 objects. 
Unfortunately, this valuable cultural storehouse has been granted short 
shrift in terms of Federal funding. Today it is housed in leased space 
that fails to meet National Park Service museum standards, since there 
is no land in the area which is above the 500-year floodplain.
  But the historical park has a longstanding partnership with 
Northwestern State University. In 1992, the National Center for 
Preservation Technology and Training was established at Northwestern 
University. The National Center for Preservation Technology and 
Training requires additional space to house equipment and workspace 
connected with the development and dissemination of preservation and 
conservation skills and technologies. The University is willing to make 
available land suitable for the National Park Service to construct a 
facility for curatorial and workspace needs. This bill simply allows 
that to happen. Since this Center facilitates the training and research 
of experts nationwide, I submit that this bill will do much to aid 
historical preservation efforts in every State, and I ask my colleagues 
to supports its prompt passage.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 1017

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Cane River National Heritage 
     Area Reauthorization Act of 2009''.

     SEC. 2. CANE RIVER NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA.

       (a) Boundaries.--Section 401 of the Cane River Creole 
     National Historical Park and

[[Page S5331]]

     National Heritage Area Act (16 U.S.C. 410ccc-21) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (b)--
       (A) in paragraph (3), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (B) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph (6); and
       (C) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
       ``(4) fostering compatible economic development;
       ``(5) enhancing the quality of life for local residents; 
     and''; and
       (2) in subsection (c), by striking paragraphs (1) through 
     (6) and inserting the following:
       ``(1) the area generally depicted on the map entitled 
     `Revised Boundary of Cane National Heritage Area Louisiana', 
     numbered 494/80021, and dated May 2008;
       ``(2) the Fort Jesup State Historic Site; and
       ``(3) as satellite site, any properties connected with the 
     prehistory, history, or cultures of the Cane River region 
     that may be the subject of cooperative agreements with the 
     Cane River National Heritage Area Commission or any successor 
     to the Commission.''.
       (b) Cane River National Heritage Area Commission.--Section 
     402 of the Cane River Creole National Historical Park and 
     National Heritage Area Act (16 U.S.C. 410ccc-22) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (b)--
       (A) by striking ``19'' and inserting ``23'';
       (B) in paragraph (4), by inserting ``the Natchitoches 
     Parish Tourist Commission and other'' before ``local'';
       (C) in paragraph (7), by striking ``Concern Citizens of 
     Cloutierville'' and inserting ``Village of Cloutierville'';
       (D) in paragraph (13), by striking ``are landowners in and 
     residents of'' and inserting ``own land within the heritage 
     area'';
       (E) in paragraph (16)--
       (i) by striking ``one member'' and inserting ``2 members''; 
     and
       (ii) by striking ``and'' at the end; and
       (F) by redesignating paragraph (17) as paragraph (19); and
       (G) by inserting after paragraph (16) the following:
       ``(17) 2 members, 1 of whom represents African American 
     culture and 1 of whom represents Cane River Creole culture, 
     after consideration of recommendations submitted by the 
     Governor of Louisiana;
       ``(18) 1 member with knowledge of tourism, after 
     consideration of recommendations by the Secretary of the 
     Louisiana Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism; 
     and''.
       (2) in subsection (c)(4), by striking ``, such as a non-
     profit corporation,'';
       (3) in subsection (d)--
       (A) in paragraph (5), by striking ``for research, historic 
     preservation, and education purposes'' and inserting ``to 
     further the purposes of title III and this title'';
       (B) in paragraph (6), by striking ``the preparation of 
     studies that identify, preserve, and plan for the management 
     of the heritage area'' and inserting ``carrying out projects 
     or programs that further the purposes of title III and this 
     title''; and
       (C) by striking paragraph (8) and inserting the following:
       ``(8) develop, or assist others in developing, projects or 
     programs to further the purposes of title III and this 
     title;''; and
       (4) in the third sentence of subsection (g), by inserting 
     ``, except that if any of the organizations specified in 
     subsection (b) ceases to exist, the vacancy shall be filled 
     with an at-large member'' after ``made''.
       (c) Preparation of the Plan.--Section 403 of the Cane River 
     Creole National Historical Park and National Heritage Area 
     Act (16 U.S.C. 410ccc-23) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:
       ``(d) Amendments.--
       ``(1) In general.--An amendment to the management plan that 
     substantially alters the purposes of the heritage area shall 
     be reviewed by the Secretary and approved or disapproved in 
     the same manner as the management plan.
       ``(2) Implementation.--The local coordinating entity shall 
     not use Federal funds made available under this title to 
     implement an amendment to the management plan until the 
     Secretary approves the amendment.''.
       (d) Termination of Heritage Area Commission.--Section 404 
     of the Cane River Creole National Historical Park and 
     National Heritage Area Act (16 U.S.C. 410ccc-24) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``the day occurring 10 
     years after the first official meeting of the Commission'' 
     and inserting ``August 5, 2025''; and
       (2) in the third sentence of subsection (c), by striking 
     ``, including the potential for a nonprofit corporation,''.
                                 ______