Fort Frederica National Monument Boundary Expansion Act

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

This bill expands the Fort Frederica National Monument to include a 20-acre property, known as the North Marsh, currently owned by the St. Simons Land Trust. The National Park Service evaluated the property in a 2014 study and determined that its acquisition would provide additional opportunities to protect and interpret resources that are associated with the site.

Fort Frederica, which is located on St. Simons Island, Georgia, was built by James Oglethorpe in 1736 to protect the Colony of Georgia from Spanish Florida. The National Park Service has managed the fort since 1936 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt used the Antiquities Act to designate the site as a national monument. This bill is an important reminder of how a decision to protect and elevate our shared national heritage resonates generation after generation.

Here we are today, 80 years after President Roosevelt made the decision to establish a national monument, and we are looking at a terrific opportunity to expand it and increase the resources it protects. By using money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund--a Federal program that wasn't yet around in President FDR's time and of which I fought hard to reauthorize in this body--we can continue this important legacy. It is good to highlight the work of the Land and Water Conservation Fund as we pass this bill with regard to a national monument that has been with us for 80 years.

I thank the majority for advancing this bill, and I look forward to working with them to advance similar legislation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for advancing this bill. I look forward to working with them to advance similar legislation that expands, protects, and enhances our public lands. It is particularly a privilege for me to work on a bill that uses resources and that highlights for the American people the value of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

I urge a ``yes'' vote.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 494) to expand the boundary of Fort Frederica National Monument in the State of Georgia, and for other purposes.

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

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

H.R. 494, introduced by my colleague Congressman Buddy Carter of Georgia, expands the boundary of Fort Frederica National Monument by authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to acquire approximately 21 acres of land. The St. Simons Land Trust currently owns the additional acreage and will steward the land until the National Park Service can acquire the property.

The Fort Frederica National Monument, located on St. Simons Island, Georgia, preserves the archaeological remnants of a fort established in 1736 by James Oglethorpe. Oglethorpe constructed the fort to protect the Colony of Georgia from attack from the Spanish. The fort successfully fended off a Spanish attack in 1742 and confirmed Georgia as a British territory.

This bipartisan legislation is fully supported by the Georgia delegation, and an identical version of this legislation passed the House by voice vote in the 114th Congress. I urge the passage of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Carter).

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

I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, the First Congressional District of Georgia includes all 100 miles of Georgia's coastline and barrier islands. It was on one of these islands that the founder of Georgia, General James Oglethorpe, built a fort in 1736 to protect the new British Colony from the Spaniards. He named the fort and nearby town ``Frederica'' in honor of the Prince of Wales. In 1742, Fort Frederica's strategic location helped the British win a decisive victory against the Spanish in the Battle of Bloody Marsh. After this battle, the Spanish abandoned their attempts to take over the territory, and Georgia was fully secured as a British Colony. Today, Fort Frederica National Monument is a popular destination in Glynn County, featuring portions of the original fort, a museum, and extensive hiking trails.

H.R. 494 would allow for a small addition of adjacent land that contains artifacts from prehistoric human settlements. With this addition, visitors will be able to see a more complete story of the history of Georgia--from its earliest human residents, to colonial times, to modern day.

I thank the chairman for his consideration of this bill, and I thank the Natural Resources Committee's staff for its efforts. I also thank the entire Georgia delegation for supporting and cosponsoring this legislation.