I
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3063
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 17, 2007
Mrs. Gillibrand introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources
A BILL
To revise the boundary of Martin Van Buren National Historic Site, and for other purposes.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the
Martin Van Buren National Historic
Site Boundary Revision Act
.
Definitions
As used in this Act:
Historic site
The term historic site means the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site in the State of New York, as authorized by Public Law 93–486 on October 26, 1974.
Map
The
term map means the map entitled Boundary Map, Martin Van
Buren National Historic Site
, numbered 460/80801
and
dated January 2005.
Secretary
The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.
Findings and purposes
Findings
Congress finds that—
the historic site
was established to preserve and interpret the landscape, structures, and
collections of Lindenwald
, in Kinderhook, New York, owned by
Martin Van Buren, the eighth President of the United States (1837–1841) from
1839 to his death in 1862;
the current boundary, encompassing about 39 acres of land, does not adequately protect natural and cultural resources that contribute to the significance of the historic site;
the conservation easements acquired to preserve the historic site's key agricultural views no longer offer adequate protection for those views;
administrative buildings and facilities required for future operations of the historic site may not be suitable to be developed within its current boundaries due to impacts on historic or scenic resources; and
a boundary study prepared by the National Park Service in 2003 identifies about 331 acres of lands that, if acquired, would help protect the agricultural character and the quality of the setting of the historic site and increase opportunities for interpretation and education.
Purposes
The purposes of this Act are—
to protect the remaining contributing resources significant to the historic site;
to preserve a more accurate portrayal of Van Buren’s Lindenwald by reuniting remaining agricultural lands associated with the house through their acquisition from willing sellers;
to enhance the interpretation of Van Buren’s broader political and agrarian beliefs by enabling public access to key agricultural resources and to protect scenic values associated with the historic site; and
to enable the National Park Service to establish administrative facilities that do not intrude upon the historic site's resources or scenic values.
Boundary adjustments to the historic site
Boundary adjustment
Effective on the date of enactment of this Act, the
boundary of the historic site is adjusted to include approximately 261 acres of
land identified as the PROPOSED PARK BOUNDARY
, as generally
depicted on the map.
Acquisition authority
The Secretary may acquire the lands and interests in lands referred to in subsection (a) from a willing seller by donation, purchase with donated or appropriated funds, or exchange.
Availability of map
The map shall be on file and available for public inspection in the appropriate offices of the National Park Service.
Administration
Land acquired for the historic site by this section shall be administered as part of the historic site in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.
Authorization of appropriations
There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act.