Cane River National Heritage Area Reauthorization Act of 2010

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.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

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.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that the hearing scheduled before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, previously announced for February 9th, has been rescheduled and will now be held on Tuesday, March 16, 2010, at 10 a.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of this oversight hearing is to receive testimony on the Bureau of Reclamation's implementation of the SECURE Water Act, (Title 9501 of P.L. 111-11) and the Bureau of Reclamation's Water Conservation Initiative which includes the Challenge Grant Program, the Basin Study Program and the Title XVI Program.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record should send it to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510-6150, or by email to [email protected] .gov.

For further information, please contact Tanya Trujillo at (202) 224- 5479 or Gina Weinstock at (202) 224-5684.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Subcommittee on National Parks.

The hearing will be held on Wednesday, March 17, 2010, at 2:30 p.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills:

S. 553, to revise the authorized route of the North Country

National Scenic Trail in northeastern Minnesota to include

existing hiking trails along Lake Superior's north shore and

in Superior National Forest and Chippewa National Forest, and

for other purposes;

S. 1017, 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;

S. 1018, to authorize 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, and for other purposes;

S. 1537, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting

through the Director of the National Park Service, to

designate the Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Birthplace and Childhood

Home in Cresco, Iowa, as a National Historic Site and as a

unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes;

S. 1629, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to

conduct a special resource study of the archeological site

and surrounding land of the New Philadelphia town site in the

state of Illinois, and for other purposes;

S. 2892, to establish the Alabama Black Belt National

Heritage Area, and for other purposes;

S. 2933, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to

conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability

and feasibility of designating the Colonel Charles Young Home

in Xenia, Ohio, as a unit of the National Park System, and

for other purposes;

S. 2951, to authorize funding to protect and conserve lands

contiguous with the Blue Ridge Parkway to serve the public,

and for other purposes; and

H.R. 3804, to make technical corrections to various Acts

affecting the National Park Service, to extend, amend, or

establish certain National Park Service authorities, and for

other purposes.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record should send it to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510-6150, or by email to [email protected] .gov.

For further information, please contact David Brooks at (202) 224- 9863 or Allison Seyferth at (202) 224-4905.

Mr. President, I would like to announce for the information of the Senate that the hearing scheduled before the Subcommittee on National Parks, for Wednesday, March 17, 2010, will begin at 3:30 p.m., in room SD-366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

The purpose of the hearing is to receive testimony on the following bills:

S. 553, to revise the authorized route of the North Country

National Scenic Trail in northeastern Minnesota to include

existing hiking trails along Lake Superior's north shore and

in Superior National Forest and Chippewa National Forest, and

for other purposes;

S. 1017, 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;

S. 1018, to authorize 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, and for other purposes;

S. 1537, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, acting

through the Director of the National Park Service, to

designate the Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Birthplace and Childhood

Home in Cresco, Iowa, as a National Historic Site and as a

unit of the National Park System, and for other purposes;

S. 1629, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to

conduct a special resource study of the archeological site

and surrounding land of the New Philadelphia town site in the

state of Illinois, and for other purposes;

S. 2892, to establish the Alabama Black Belt National

Heritage Area, and for other purposes;

S. 2933, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to

conduct a special resource study to determine the suitability

and feasibility of designating the Colonel Charles Young Home

in Xenia, Ohio, as a unit of the National Park System, and

for other purposes;

S. 2951, to authorize funding to protect and conserve lands

contiguous with the Blue Ridge Parkway to serve the public,

and for other purposes; and

H.R. 3804, to make technical corrections to various Acts

affecting the National Park Service, to extend, amend, or

establish certain National Park Service authorities, and for

other purposes.

Because of the limited time available for the hearing, witnesses may testify by invitation only. However, those wishing to submit written testimony for the hearing record should send it to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, United States Senate, Washington, DC 20510-6150, or by e-mail to [email protected] .gov.

For further information, please contact David Brooks at (202) 224- 9863 or Allison Seyferth at (202) 224-4905.