[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 9]
[House]
[Pages 12828-12829]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           BLACKWATER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE EXPANSION ACT

  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4807) to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire 
the property in Cecil County, Maryland, known as Garrett Island for 
inclusion in the Susquehanna National Wildlife Refuge, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 4807

       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 ``Blackwater National Wildlife 
     Refuge Expansion Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       The Congress finds the following:
       (1) Garrett Island, located at the mouth of the Susquehanna 
     River in Cecil County, Maryland, is a microcosm of the 
     geology and geography of the region, including hard rock 
     piedmont, coastal plain, and volcanic formations.
       (2) Garrett Island is the only rocky island in the tidal 
     waters of the Chesapeake.
       (3) Garrett Island and adjacent waters provide high-quality 
     habitat for bird and fish species.
       (4) Garrett Island contains significant archeological sites 
     reflecting human history and prehistory of the region.

     SEC. 3. AUTHORITY TO ACQUIRE PROPERTY FOR INCLUSION IN THE 
                   SUSQUEHANNA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.

       (a) Acquisition.--The Secretary of the Interior may use 
     otherwise available amounts to acquire the area known as 
     Garrett Island, consisting of approximately 198 acres located 
     at the mouth of the Susquehanna River in Cecil County, 
     Maryland.
       (b) Administration.--Lands and interests acquired by the 
     United States under this section shall be managed by the 
     Secretary as the Garrett Island Unit of the Blackwater 
     National Wildlife Refuge.
       (c) Purposes.--The purposes for which the Garrett Island 
     Unit is established and shall be managed are the following:
       (1) To support the Delmarva Conservation Corridor 
     Demonstration Program.
       (2) To conserve, restore, and manage habitats as necessary 
     to contribute to the migratory bird populations prevalent in 
     the Atlantic Flyway.
       (3) To conserve, restore, and manage the significant 
     aquatic resource values associated with submerged land 
     adjacent to the unit and to achieve the habitat objectives of 
     the agreement known as the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement.
       (4) To conserve the archeological resources on the unit.
       (5) To provide public access to the unit in a manner that 
     does not adversely impact natural resources on and around the 
     unit.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest) and the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands 
(Mrs. Christensen) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest).
  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I am pleased to present this legislation to the House of 
Representatives to expand the boundaries of Blackwater National 
Wildlife Refuge, which is located in my Congressional District in 
Maryland.
  Garrett Island, which consists of approximately 198 acres, was the 
site of Maryland's second settlement in the 1600s. It is the only rocky 
island in the tidal waters of the Chesapeake Bay system, and it is a 
vital link between the Susquehanna River and the Chesapeake Bay. It 
also provides habitat to 44 different bird species, including eagles, 
common loons, tundra swans, and 14 kinds of ducks.
  I have visited Garrett Island a number of times, and there is no 
question that its rich history, geographic location and wildlife 
resource values make it an excellent candidate for inclusion within the 
National Wildlife Refuge system. As a Nation, we can ill afford to 
allow unique places like Garrett Island to be lost forever.
  While I was disappointed to hear the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 
initial reaction to the idea was that it opposed its inclusion, I am 
pleased they will be visiting the island next month to evaluate its 
trust resources. I am confident that once a comprehensive review has 
been concluded, as promised by the end of the summer, the service will 
join me in enthusiastically urging the protection of Garrett Island.
  The Cecil Land Trust has done everything they can to protect the 
important property, contributing $150,000 toward the purchase of the 
island. And based on our hearing, Federal acquisition costs would be 
less than $400,000, and little, if any, maintenance or personnel will 
be required for the future of this inclusion.
  The Chesapeake Bay Foundation had it right when they wrote that steps 
must be taken to ensure protection of this largely unspoiled historical 
and geological gem. I would urge my colleagues to vote aye on H.R. 
4807. This is an important and necessary inclusion in our National 
Wildlife Refuge system, which will celebrate its hundredth birthday 
next year.
  This is exactly the type of place that Teddy Roosevelt had in mind 
when the unique system of public lands was created.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, we on this side have no objection to this legislation 
that would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire Garrett 
Island for its future inclusion as part of the Blackwater National 
Wildlife Refuge in Maryland.
  Certainly the protection of the last undeveloped island in the lower 
reach of the Susquehanna River is a positive step toward preserving the 
remaining fish and wildlife habitat found near the headwaters of the 
Chesapeake Bay. I want to applaud the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. 
Gilchrest) for this bill and for his leadership on this subcommittee on 
this and many other issues.
  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has voiced some minor reservations 
concerning the legislation, as we have just heard. These concerns are 
mostly due to the administration's ongoing effort to reevaluate current 
land acquisition policies governing the refuge system. However, the 
technical changes made to the bill, I think, will help to address these 
minor concerns. And the relatively low cost of acquisition should 
warrant a new assessment of Garrett Island by the Fish and Wildlife 
Service. The island is deserving of the

[[Page 12829]]

service's full and unbiased consideration.
  H.R. 4807 is a noncontroversial bill. I also urge all Members to 
support this legislation to help protect fish and wildlife habitat in 
the Chesapeake Bay.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GILCHREST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume 
to mention just one other item.
  There is a family in Cecil County, the Kilbys, that live and work on 
a dairy farm, and they have been strong supporters of the concept of 
Garrett Island being included in the National Wildlife Refuge system. 
There are broad and varied opportunities for this island to be 
included, and so I urge not only my colleagues to vote aye on this 
legislation, but I also urge the Interior Department, when they are 
visiting the island, to recognize those varied opportunities.
  The United States often sends biologists, zoologists, ornithologists, 
you name it, to vast areas of the world to study ecosystems. We have in 
our back yard, here in Maryland, a magnificent Chesapeake Bay watershed 
ecosystem, and this island can be one of those facilities that will be 
included in what could be known as an island corridor in the Chesapeake 
Bay so that people from the University of Maryland or the Baltimore Zoo 
or the Baltimore Aquarium, or other universities and community colleges 
and even high schools do not have to travel to Brazil or Southeast Asia 
or regions of Africa to show their interns or their students the kinds 
of ecosystems that make communities drive. They can send them to the 
island corridor, Garrett Island being the jewel of that concept.
  So I urge my colleagues to vote for this legislation. I also want to 
thank the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands for her support and the 
staff for their work on this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Gilchrest) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4807, 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.
  The title of the bill was amended so as to read:

       ``A bill to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to 
     acquire the property in Cecil County, Maryland, known as 
     Garrett Island for inclusion in the Blackwater National 
     Wildlife Refuge.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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