Acadia National Park Boundary Clarification Act

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman very much for helping bring this very important bill to the floor. I also thank Chairman Rob Bishop from Utah, who also was very instrumental in bringing this bill to the floor. In addition to that, I thank all of the staff members of the Natural Resources Committee here in the House for all their great work. This is so important to our State.

Mr. Speaker, the great State of Maine is called Vacationland. Now, we have a population of just 1.3 million hardy souls in Maine. However, every year, our population swells to about 40 million vacationers from all over the world. We have such stunning natural beauty in Maine in a pristine natural environment in all these welcoming small towns that it is no wonder that people flock to Maine.

Now, right smack in the middle of midcoast Maine is our crown jewel called Acadia National Park, and we just love Acadia National Park in Maine. We are so proud of this. If you happen to vacation in Maine--if you haven't, you and your family deserve a vacation to Maine. If you drive up to Cadillac Mountain, you see this panoramic view of Penobscot Bay, and coming out of those sparkling waters of the Atlantic are these green-topped islands. You might rent a bike and go to these terrific, groomed historic carriage trails that wind through the woods of Acadia. Take your kids down to Sand Beach, right in Acadia National Park, and when their toes hit that ice-cold water, they shriek with joy. This is Maine. We are very proud of Acadia National Park.

Mr. Speaker, I do have to say that a couple of years ago, unfortunately, Acadia National Park expanded beyond its boundaries. This is because there was conflict in a couple laws that date back quite some time. Now, I am very happy that my bill that I worked on with great help from my fellow Member of Congress, Congresswoman Chellie Pingree from the First District, clarifies this boundary for Acadia National Park. It also closed a few loopholes but still allows the boundaries to be adjusted in very minor ways with abutting pieces of property.

Now, I made it clear, Mr. Speaker, that I would not sign on to this boundary clarification issue until one more thing is done, and that is to protect the livelihoods of hundreds and hundreds of hardworking Mainers who harvest bloodworms, sandworms, clams, and periwinkles along the mud flats around Acadia National Park.

Now, those folks who visit Maine from Utah or Kansas and spend a lot of money to come up and vacation in Maine expect to see the great ocean in front of them, Mr. Speaker. But because the Moon revolves around the Earth and the gravitational pull of the Moon causes one of the unique things in Maine, we have big tides. So if you are vacationing in Maine and you find out when you wake up in the morning the water is gone, don't worry about it. Six hours later, it will come back.

Now, the ebb and the flow of the tides in Maine along the coastline create what we call the intertidal zone. It is a zone between the high watermark and the low watermark.

Now, in the State of Maine, we are very clear that this land is owned by the people of Maine, not by the Federal Government. So I was alarmed a couple of years ago when some of the people called me up and said: Mr. Poliquin, we worked an entire tide, and someone from Acadia National Park didn't understand the rules and asked us to turn over our bucket.

Now, we have hundreds and hundreds of families that rely on harvesting in the intertidal zone, and we have to make sure that we have corrected this problem.

Now, this is a clear example of what we call the public trust doctrine. This common-law document, which we adopted from the British ancestors, gives public access to this land between high and low waterlines for the purpose of ``fishing, fowling, and navigation.''

Now, unlike some States, Mr. Speaker, some property owners in Maine own to the low watermark of the tidal range, so this doctrine is incredibly important for the public to have access to our flats for these purposes.

This bill that we are passing today codifies the unique ownership and public access rights of Maine fishermen on the intertidal who have worked on this for hundreds of years. Traditional harvesting is meant to include the harvesting of clams and worms, which are harvested by hand with a rake at low tide, and the collection of periwinkles. It also includes accessing intertidal areas by boat at all tides for the purpose of harvesting these species.

Now, to be clear, the intent of this bill is for ``traditional harvesting.'' By doing so, this will ensure that our wormers, clammers, and others who live in the area will continue to be able to do what they have been doing for many, many years.

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate again Chellie Pingree, my compatriot from the First District who did a great job on this, our staffs, and the staff of the Natural Resources Committee. We extended ourselves, Mr. Speaker, in a bipartisan way to all the stakeholders in the area, including the Acadia Advisory Commission, the Maine Marine Worm Harvesters, the Maine Clammers Association, the National Park Service, the Friends of Acadia, and all those who want to make this right for the boundary of Acadia National Park forever to be cemented in law.

At the same time, we protect the livelihood of some of the hardest working people you will ever find in this country, Mr. Speaker. These individuals will rake and dig for these worms in the summertime, in the hot weather, and in the wintertime when the snow is blowing sideways.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage everybody to vote for this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from California (Mr. Lowenthal) for yielding me the time.

Mr. Speaker, I, too, rise today in support of H.R. 4266, the Acadia National Park Boundary Clarification Act. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this bipartisan bill, which was introduced by my colleague from Maine (Mr. Poliquin).

While you have already heard from Mr. Poliquin a lot about the importance of the intertidal zone, about the livelihood of clam diggers and wormers, and about the Acadia National Park, because our State is so important and we love our park, I am pretty much going to say it all again.

Maine is very proud to be home to Acadia National Park. This national treasure is a place where the mountains actually meet the sea. When you climb those mountains, you see miles of clear, blue ocean dotted with literally some of the hundreds and thousands of islands off the coast of Maine, one of which I am lucky enough to live on, not the one where Acadia National Park is.

But millions of people visit Acadia National Park every year to experience the incredible natural attractions, the hiking, and the climbing. But they also come there to be in downeast Maine. Downeast Maine is full of very many tight-knit communities, and those tight-knit communities are full of hardworking men and women, many of whom make their living on the water; and it is really hard work. Some of them are hauling lobster traps every day so that we can enjoy the wonderful lobster that is only delicious if you get it from the State of Maine. But many of them are bent over digging in the mud for clams, for other species, and for bloodworms; and it is really hard work.

H.R. 4266 would clarify a number of points to strengthen the park's relationship with the surrounding communities that we have been talking about. Most importantly, this bill will ensure that clammers, wormers, and other traditional harvesters can continue to work in the places where, frankly, they have worked for generations, many of them working alongside their sons or daughters when they go out every day.

In the spring of 2016, the harvesters were shocked when the park staff began prohibiting them from working

along the coastline within Acadia's boundaries. There was no warning about changing a practice that had, frankly, gone on for decades. I appreciate the fact that park officials quickly ended their enforcement, but the actions sent shock waves throughout the area.

Washington County is the poorest county in Maine, and families there simply just can't afford to lose any source of income. H.R. 4266 would give the communities a sense of security by very explicitly stating that harvesters have a right to work within the park. It is a critical step to ensuring that Acadia National Park remains an attraction not only for its natural beauty, but for its unique way of life.

Again, I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Poliquin, for recognizing the issue, for working with his harvesters, and for moving this forward. I am proud to be an original cosponsor. I urge its passage and urge all my colleagues to support it.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4266) to clarify the boundary of Acadia National Park, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Maine (Mr. Poliquin).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 2 minutes to the gentleman from Maine.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Maine (Ms. Pingree), who is one of the sponsors of H.R. 4266.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I thank both Mr. Poliquin and Ms. Pingree for introducing this legislation to protect a true New England treasure, Acadia National Park.

Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yea'' vote on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.