[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 646 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 646
To establish the Kentucky Artisan Heritage Trails National Heritage
Area Act in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 23, 2007
Mr. Rogers of Kentucky (for himself, Mr. Davis of Kentucky, Mr. Lewis
of Kentucky, Mr. Whitfield, Mr. Chandler, and Mr. Yarmuth) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural
Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the Kentucky Artisan Heritage Trails National Heritage
Area Act in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and for other purposes.
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 ``Kentucky Artisan Heritage Trails
National Heritage Area Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) the Kentucky Artisan Heritage Trails includes 48
counties in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. These counties
include: Adair, Bath, Bell, Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Casey,
Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland, Elliott, Estill, Fleming,
Floyd, Garrard, Green, Harlan, Hart, Jackson, Johnson, Knott,
Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln,
Madison, Magoffin, Martin, McCreary, Menifee, Monroe,
Montgomery, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski,
Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Wayne, Whitley, and Wolfe;
(2) has an assemblage of natural, historic, and cultural
resources that together represent distinctive aspects of
American heritage worthy of recognition, conservation,
interpretation, and continuing use, and are best managed
through partnerships among public and private entities and by
combining diverse and sometimes noncontiguous resources and
active communities;
(3) reflects traditions, customs, beliefs, and folklife
that are a valuable part of the national story;
(4) provides opportunities to conserve natural, historic,
cultural, or scenic features;
(5) provides outstanding recreational and educational
opportunities;
(6) includes residents, business interests, nonprofit
organizations, and Universities that are involved in the
planning, have developed a conceptual financial plan that
outlines the roles of all participants (including the Federal
government), and have demonstrated support for the concept of a
national heritage area;
(7) has a potential management entity to work in
partnership with residents, business interests, nonprofit
organizations, and Universities to develop a national heritage
area consistent with continued local and State economic
activity; and
(8) has a conceptual boundary map that is supported by the
public.
(b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are as follows:
(1) To establish the Kentucky Artisan Heritage Trails
National Heritage Area in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
(2) To provide a management framework to foster a close
relationship with all levels of government, the private sector,
and the local communities in the Kentucky Artisan Heritage
Trails region to conserve the region's heritage while
continuing to pursue compatible economic opportunities.
(3) To assist communities, organizations, and citizens in
the Commonwealth of Kentucky in identifying, preserving,
interpreting, and developing the historical, cultural, scenic,
and natural resources of the region for the educational and
inspirational benefit of current and future generations.
SEC. 3. DEFINITION.
As used in this Act--
(1) Area.--The term ``Area'' means the Kentucky Artisan
Heritage Trails, which includes 17 trails encompassing 48
counties in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
(2) Association.--The term ``Association'' means the
Southern and Eastern Kentucky Tourism Development Association.
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National
Park Service.
SEC. 4. KENTUCKY ARTISAN HERITAGE TRAILS NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA.
(a) Establishment.--There is hereby established in the Commonwealth
of Kentucky, the Kentucky Artisan Heritage Trails National Heritage
Area.
(b) Management Entity.--Southern and Eastern Kentucky Tourism
Development Association (SEKTDA) shall be the management entity for the
Kentucky Artisan Heritage Trails National Heritage Area.
(c) Availability of Map.--The map shall be on file and available
for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park
Service, Department of Interior.
(d) Boundaries.--The heritage area should include 48 counties in
Kentucky, including: Adair, Bath, Bell, Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Casey,
Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland, Elliott, Estill, Fleming, Floyd,
Garrard, Green, Harlan, Hart, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Laurel,
Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, Madison, Magoffin,
Martin, McCreary, Menifee, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Owsley, Perry,
Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Wayne, Whitley, and
Wolfe.
(e) Specific Sites.--The heritage area includes the following
sites:
(1) National park service sites.--
(A) Red Bird Trail begins in the Cumberland Gap
National Historical Park and leads travelers 143 miles
through the Daniel Boone National Forest along Pine
Mountain. A museum dedicated to the recovered WWII Lost
Squadron airplane ``Glacier Girl'' can be seen along
this trail that covers Bell, Harlan, Leslie and Clay
counties.
(B) Cave Country Trail is named for the numerous
caves and caverns that populate 127 miles through the
Mammoth Cave National Park covering Hart, Green and
Monroe counties. This region includes the Kentucky
Repertory Theatre, historic tours of Greensburg and
Munfordsville, Kentucky, and the Old Mulkey Meeting
House State Historic Park.
(C) Moonbow Trail leads travelers 126 miles through
portions of the Big South Fork National River and
Recreation area, and the Cumberland Falls State Resort
Park. The trail includes beautiful Kentucky landscapes
such as Eagle Falls, Big South Fork Scenic Railway, and
historic mining communities in Pulaski, Wayne and
McCreary counties.
(2) Other federal lands.--
(A) Buckhorn Trail is 100 miles in length and leads
travelers through the Daniel Boone National Forest.
Site of interest include a log cathedral, outdoor
recreation and scenic beauty of Buckhorn Lake State
Park in Owsley, Clay, Leslie, Perry and Breathitt
counties.
(B) Millstone Trail leads travelers through the
Daniel Boone National Forest and includes the Levi
Jackson Wilderness State Park. This 108 mile trail
includes Cumberland Falls and home of the original
Kentucky Fried Chicken in Laurel, Knox, Whitley, Clay
and Jackson counties.
(C) Red River Gorge Trail travels 141 miles through
the Daniel Boone National Forest and includes the Nada
Tunnel in the Red River Gorge Geological Area's
beautiful mountain region covering Montgomery, Menifee,
Wolfe, Powell and Clark counties.
(D) Gateway Trail travels 105 miles through the
Daniel Boone National Forest and includes the Kentucky
Music Hall of Fame and Museum and the well-known music
venue Renfro Valley Entertainment Center. The trail
includes Madison, Rockcastle, Laurel and Jackson
counties.
(E) Battlefield Trail, named for the Battle of
Richmond and Civil War history, spans 93 miles through
the Daniel Boone National Forest in Madison and Estill
counties. Historic points of interest include Valley
View Ferry, Bybee Pottery, Fitchburg Furnace and Fort
Boonesborough.
(F) Tygart's Creek Trail leads travelers through
the Daniel Boone National Forest and 153 miles through
the Carter Caves State Park which includes the Kentucky
Folk Art Museum and Cave Run Lake covering Rowan,
Morgan, Elliott, Carter, Lewis, Fleming and Bath
counties.
(G) Natural Bridge Trail leads travelers 122 miles
through the Red River Gorge National Geological Area
and includes portions of the Daniel Boone National
Forest. Sites of interest include regional restaurants
and artisan shops along the Menifee, Morgan, Wolfe,
Breathitt, Lee and Powell counties.
(3) Other public lands.--
(A) Lilley's Woods Trail offers destinations such
as the Hindman Settlement School, the Kentucky
Appalachian Artisan Center, restored historic mining
camps and museum along the 118 mile trail through
Knott, Letcher, Harlan, Leslie and Perry counties.
(B) Pine Hollows Trail is part of the Jenny Wiley
State Park and includes the Mountain Arts Center
encompassing 109 miles through Floyd, Knott, Letcher
and Pike counties.
(C) Berea Trail, known as the Arts and Crafts
Capital of Kentucky, the trails begins at the Kentucky
Artisan Center at Berea in Madison County and is 22
miles in length.
(D) Fiddlehead Trail is named after the
``Fiddlehead'' fern, and includes an outdoor theater,
Jenny Wiley Theater, Coal Miner's Museum and Loretta
Lynn's childhood home in Butcher Holler. The trail is
118 miles and includes Morgan, Elliott, Lawrence,
Johnson, Floyd, Magoffin and Wolfe counties.
(E) Frontier Trail includes 108 miles in Garrard,
Lincoln, Casey, Pulaski and Rockcastle counties and
points of interest are a Jail Museum and the Louisville
and Nashville Depot Museum.
(F) Mountain Music Trail named for the musical
heritage in the area once home to Dwight Yoakum, The
Judds, Ricky Skaggs, Loretta Lynn, Crystal Gayle, Bill
Ray Cyrus and others. This trail covers 118 miles in
Boyd, Carter, Lawrence, Johnson and Martin counties.
(G) Cumberland Lakes Trail is part of both the Lake
Cumberland State Resort Park and Dale Hollow Lake State
Resort Park, encompassing 95 miles of regional
restaurants and Civil War enthusiasts' artistry in
Adair, Russell, Clinton and Cumberland counties.
SEC. 5. AUTHORITY AND DUTIES OF THE ASSOCIATION.
(a) Duties of the Association.--To further the purposes of the
Heritage Area, the association shall--
(1) not later than 3 years after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the association shall develop and forward to the
Secretary a management plan for the heritage area; and
(2) develop and implement the management plan in
cooperation with affected communities and local governments and
shall provide for public involvement in the development and
implementation of the management plan.
(b) Management Plan.--The management plan shall, at a minimum--
(1) provide recommendations for the conservation, funding,
management, and development of the resources of the heritage
area;
(2) include an inventory of the cultural, historical,
natural, and recreational resources of the heritage area;
(3) develop recreational and educational opportunities in
the heritage area;
(4) increase public awareness of an appreciation for
natural, historical, scenic and cultural resources of the
heritage area;
(5) promote a wide range of partnerships among governments,
businesses, organizations and individuals in the heritage area
in the preparation and implementation of the management plan;
(6) include an analysis of ways in which local, State and
Federal programs may best be coordinated to promote the
purposes of this Act; and
(7) encourage by appropriate means economic development
that is consistent with the purposes of the Heritage Area.
(c) Approval of Plan.--The Secretary shall approve or disapprove
the management plan not later than 60 days after the date of
submission. If the Secretary disapproves of the management plan, the
Secretary shall advise the association in writing of the reasons and
shall make recommendations for revisions to the plan.
(d) Review of Plan.--The association shall periodically review the
management plan and submit to the Secretary any recommendations for
proposed revisions to the management plan. Any major revisions to the
management plan must be approved by the Secretary.
(e) Authority.--The association may make grants and provide
technical assistance to local governments, and other public and private
entities to carry out the management plan.
(f) Duties.--The association shall--
(1) give priority in implementing actions set forth in the
management plan;
(2) encourage by appropriate means economic viability in
the heritage area consistent with the goals of the management
plan; and
(3) assist local government and non-profit organizations
in--
(A) establishing and maintaining interpretive
exhibits in the heritage area;
(B) developing recreational resources in the
heritage area;
(C) increasing public awareness of, and
appreciation for, the cultural, historical, and natural
resources in the heritage area;
(D) the restoration of historic structures related
to the heritage area; and
(E) carrying out other actions that the association
determines appropriate to fulfill the purposes of this
Act, consistent with the management plan.
(g) Prohibition of Acquiring Real Property.--The association may
not use Federal funds received under this Act to acquire real property
or an interest in real property.
SEC. 6. MANAGEMENT PLAN.
(a) In General.--The management plan for the Heritage Area shall--
(1) include comprehensive policies, strategies, and
recommendations for conservation, funding, management, and
development of the Heritage Area;
(2) include a description of actions that governments,
private organizations, and individuals have agreed to take to
protect the natural, historical, and cultural resources of the
Heritage Area; and
(3) specify the existing and potential sources of funding
to protect, manage, and develop the Heritage Area in the first
5 years of implementation.
SEC. 7. DUTIES AND AUTHORITIES OF THE SECRETARY.
(a) Technical and Financial Assistance.--The Secretary may, upon
the request of the association, provide technical assistance on a
reimbursable or non-reimbursable basis and financial assistance to the
Heritage Area to develop and implement the approved management plan.
The Secretary is authorized to enter into cooperative agreements with
the association and other public or private entities for this purpose.
In assisting the Heritage Area, the Secretary shall give priority to
actions that in general assist in--
(1) conserving the significant natural, historical,
cultural and scenic resources of the Heritage Area; and
(2) providing educational, interpretive, and recreational
opportunities consistent with the purposes of the Heritage
Area.
(b) Approval of Management Plan.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall approve or disapprove
the management plan not later than 60 days after receiving the
management plan.
(2) Criteria for approval.--In determining to approve the
management plan, the Secretary shall consider whether--
(A) the association is representative of the
diverse interests of the heritage area including
governments, natural and historic resource protection
organizations, education, business and recreation;
(B) the association has afforded adequate
opportunity, including public hearings, for public and
government involvement in the preparations of the
management plan;
(C) the resource protection and interpretation
strategies contained in the management plan, if
implemented, would adequately protect the natural,
historical, and cultural resources of the Heritage
Area; and
(D) the management plan is supported by the
appropriate State and local officials whose cooperation
is needed to ensure the effective implementation of the
State and local aspects of the management plan.
(c) Actions Following Disapproval.--If the Secretary disapproves
the management plan, the Secretary shall advise the association in
writing of the reasons and shall make recommendations for revisions to
the management plan. The Secretary shall approve or disapprove a
proposed revision not later than 60 days after the date it is
submitted.
(d) Approval of Amendments.--Substantial amendments to the
management plan shall be reviewed by the Secretary and approved in the
same manner as provided for the original management plan. The
association shall not use Federal funds authorized by this Act to
implement any amendments until the Secretary has approved the
amendments.
SEC. 8. DUTIES OF OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.
Any Federal agency conducting or supporting activities directly
affecting the Heritage Area shall--
(1) consult with the Secretary and the association with
respect to such activities;
(2) cooperate with the Secretary and the association with
respect to such activities; and
(3) to the maximum extent practicable, conduct or support
such activities in a manner which the association determines
will not have an adverse effect on the Heritage Area.
SEC. 9 AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated for the
purposes of this Act not more than $1,000,000 for any fiscal year. Not
more than a total of $10,000,000 may be appropriated for the
Association under this Act.
(b) Matching Funds.--Federal funding provided under this Act may
not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of any assistance or grant
provided or authorized under this Act.
SEC. 10 SUNSET.
The authority of the Secretary to provide assistance under this Act
shall terminate on the day occurring 15 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act.
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