[DOCID: f:sr308.110]
From the Senate Reports Online via GPO Access
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Calendar No. 660
110th Congress Report
SENATE
2d Session 110-308
======================================================================
NORTHERN PLAINS NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA ACT
_______
April 10, 2008.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Bingaman, from the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 2098]
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was
referred the bill (S. 2098) to establish the Northern Plains
National Heritage Area in the State of North Dakota, having
considered the same, reports favorably thereon with an
amendment in the nature of a substitute and an amendment to the
title and recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass.
The amendments are as follows:
1. Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert in
lieu thereof the following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Northern Plains National Heritage Area
Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Heritage area.--The term ``Heritage Area'' means the
Northern Plains National Heritage Area established by section
3(a).
(2) Local coordinating entity.--The term ``local coordinating
entity'' means the Northern Plains Heritage Foundation, the
local coordinating entity for the Heritage Area designated by
section 4(a).
(3) Management plan.--The term ``management plan'' means the
management plan for the Heritage Area required under section 5.
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of
the Interior.
(5) State.--The term ``State'' means the State of North
Dakota.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT.
(a) In General.--There is established the Northern Plains National
Heritage Area in the State of North Dakota.
(b) Boundaries.--The Heritage Area shall consist of--
(1) a core area of resources in Burleigh, McLean, Mercer,
Morton, and Oliver Counties in the State; and
(2) any sites, buildings, and districts within the core area
recommended by the management plan for inclusion in the
Heritage Area.
(c) Map.--A map of the Heritage Area shall be--
(1) included in the management plan; and
(2) on file and available for public inspection in the
appropriate offices of the local coordinating entity and the
National Park Service.
SEC. 4. LOCAL COORDINATING ENTITY.
(a) In General.--The local coordinating entity for the Heritage Area
shall be the Northern Plains Heritage Foundation, a nonprofit
corporation established under the laws of the State.
(b) Duties.--To further the purposes of the Heritage Area, the
Northern Plains Heritage Foundation, as the local coordinating entity,
shall--
(1) prepare a management plan for the Heritage Area, and
submit the management plan to the Secretary, in accordance with
this Act;
(2) submit an annual report to the Secretary for each fiscal
year for which the local coordinating entity receives Federal
funds under this Act, specifying--
(A) the specific performance goals and
accomplishments of the local coordinating entity;
(B) the expenses and income of the local coordinating
entity;
(C) the amounts and sources of matching funds;
(D) the amounts leveraged with Federal funds and
sources of the leveraged funds; and
(E) grants made to any other entities during the
fiscal year;
(3) make available for audit for each fiscal year for which
the local coordinating entity receives Federal funds under this
Act, all information pertaining to the expenditure of the funds
and any matching funds; and
(4) encourage economic viability and sustainability that is
consistent with the purposes of the Heritage Area.
(c) Authorities.--For the purposes of preparing and implementing the
approved management plan for the Heritage Area, the local coordinating
entity may use Federal funds made available under this Act to--
(1) make grants to political jurisdictions, nonprofit
organizations, and other parties within the Heritage Area;
(2) enter into cooperative agreements with or provide
technical assistance to political jurisdictions, nonprofit
organizations, Federal agencies, and other interested parties;
(3) hire and compensate staff, including individuals with
expertise in--
(A) natural, historical, cultural, educational,
scenic, and recreational resource conservation;
(B) economic and community development; and
(C) heritage planning;
(4) obtain funds or services from any source, including other
Federal programs;
(5) contract for goods or services; and
(6) support activities of partners and any other activities
that further the purposes of the Heritage Area and are
consistent with the approved management plan.
(d) Prohibition on Acquisition of Real Property.--The local
coordinating entity may not use Federal funds authorized to be
appropriated under this Act to acquire any interest in real property.
(e) Other Sources.--Nothing in this Act precludes the local
coordinating entity from using Federal funds from other sources for
authorized purposes.
SEC. 5. MANAGEMENT PLAN.
(a) In General.--Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment
of this Act, the local coordinating entity shall submit to the
Secretary for approval a proposed management plan for the Heritage
Area.
(b) Requirements.--The management plan for the Heritage Area shall--
(1) describe comprehensive policies, goals, strategies, and
recommendations for telling the story of the heritage of the
area covered by the Heritage Area and encouraging long-term
resource protection, enhancement, interpretation, funding,
management, and development of the Heritage Area;
(2) include a description of actions and commitments that
Federal, State, tribal, and local governments, private
organizations, and citizens will take to protect, enhance,
interpret, fund, manage, and develop the natural, historical,
cultural, educational, scenic, and recreational resources of
the Heritage Area;
(3) specify existing and potential sources of funding or
economic development strategies to protect, enhance, interpret,
fund, manage, and develop the Heritage Area;
(4) include an inventory of the natural, historical,
cultural, educational, scenic, and recreational resources of
the Heritage Area relating to the national importance and
themes of the Heritage Area that should be protected, enhanced,
interpreted, managed, funded, and developed;
(5) recommend policies and strategies for resource
management, including the development of intergovernmental and
interagency agreements to protect, enhance, interpret, fund,
manage, and develop the natural, historical, cultural,
educational, scenic, and recreational resources of the Heritage
Area;
(6) describe a program for implementation for the management
plan, including--
(A) performance goals;
(B) plans for resource protection, enhancement,
interpretation, funding, management, and development;
and
(C) specific commitments for implementation that have
been made by the local coordinating entity or any
Federal, State, tribal, or local government agency,
organization, business, or individual;
(7) include an analysis of, and recommendations for, means by
which Federal, State, tribal, and local programs may best be
coordinated (including the role of the National Park Service
and other Federal agencies associated with the Heritage Area)
to further the purposes of this Act; and
(8) include a business plan that--
(A) describes the role, operation, financing, and
functions of the local coordinating entity and of each
of the major activities described in the management
plan; and
(B) provides adequate assurances that the local
coordinating entity has the partnerships and financial
and other resources necessary to implement the
management plan for the Heritage Area.
(c) Deadline.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 3 years after the date on
which funds are first made available to develop the management
plan after designation of the Heritage Area, the local
coordinating entity shall submit the management plan to the
Secretary for approval.
(2) Termination of funding.--If the management plan is not
submitted to the Secretary in accordance with paragraph (1),
the local coordinating entity shall not qualify for any
additional financial assistance under this Act until such time
as the management plan is submitted to and approved by the
Secretary.
(d) Approval of Management Plan.--
(1) Review.--Not later than 180 days after receiving the
plan, the Secretary shall review and approve or disapprove the
management plan for the Heritage Area on the basis of the
criteria established under paragraph (2).
(2) Criteria for approval.--In determining whether to approve
a management plan for the Heritage Area, the Secretary shall
consider whether--
(A) the local coordinating entity represents the
diverse interests of the Heritage Area, including
Federal, State, tribal, and local governments, natural,
and historic resource protection organizations,
educational institutions, businesses, recreational
organizations, community residents, and private
property owners;
(B) the local coordinating entity--
(i) has afforded adequate opportunity for
public and Federal, State, tribal, and local
governmental involvement (including through
workshops and hearings) in the preparation of
the management plan; and
(ii) provides for at least semiannual public
meetings to ensure adequate implementation of
the management plan;
(C) the resource protection, enhancement,
interpretation, funding, management, and development
strategies described in the management plan, if
implemented, would adequately protect, enhance,
interpret, fund, manage, and develop the natural,
historic, cultural, educational, scenic, and
recreational resources of the Heritage Area;
(D) the management plan would not adversely affect
any activities authorized on Federal land under public
land laws or land use plans;
(E) the local coordinating entity has demonstrated
the financial capability, in partnership with others,
to carry out the plan;
(F) the Secretary has received adequate assurances
from the appropriate State, tribal, and local officials
whose support is needed to ensure the effective
implementation of the State, tribal, and local elements
of the management plan; and
(G) the management plan demonstrates partnerships
among the local coordinating entity, Federal, State,
tribal, and local governments, regional planning
organizations, nonprofit organizations, or private
sector parties for implementation of the management
plan.
(3) Disapproval.--
(A) In general.--If the Secretary disapproves the
management plan, the Secretary--
(i) shall advise the local coordinating
entity in writing of the reasons for the
disapproval; and
(ii) may make recommendations to the local
coordinating entity for revisions to the
management plan.
(B) Deadline.--Not later than 180 days after
receiving a revised management plan, the Secretary
shall approve or disapprove the revised management
plan.
(4) Amendments.--
(A) In general.--An amendment to the management plan
that substantially alters the purposes of the Heritage
Area shall be reviewed by the Secretary and approved or
disapproved in the same manner as the original
management plan.
(B) Implementation.--The local coordinating entity
shall not use Federal funds authorized to be
appropriated by this Act to implement an amendment to
the management plan until the Secretary approves the
amendment.
(5) Authorities.--The Secretary may--
(A) provide technical assistance under this Act for
the development and implementation of the management
plan; and
(B) enter into cooperative agreements with interested
parties to carry out this Act.
SEC. 6. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.
(a) In General.--Nothing in this Act affects the authority of a
Federal agency to provide technical or financial assistance under any
other law.
(b) Technical and Financial Assistance.--
(1) In general.--On the request of the local coordinating
entity, the Secretary may provide financial assistance and, on
a reimbursable or nonreimbursable basis, technical assistance
to the local coordinating entity to develop and implement the
management plan.
(2) Cooperative agreements.--The Secretary may enter into
cooperative agreements with the local coordinating entity and
other public or private entities to provide technical or
financial assistance under paragraph (1).
(3) Priority.--In assisting the Heritage Area, the Secretary
shall give priority to actions that assist in--
(A) conserving the significant natural, historic,
cultural, and scenic resources of the Heritage Area;
and
(B) providing educational, interpretive, and
recreational opportunities consistent with the purposes
of the Heritage Area.
(c) Consultation and Coordination.--To the maximum extent
practicable, the head of any Federal agency planning to conduct
activities that may have an impact on the Heritage Area is encouraged
to consult and coordinate the activities with the Secretary and the
local coordinating entity.
(d) Other Federal Agencies.--Nothing in this Act--
(1) modifies or alters any laws (including regulations)
authorizing a Federal agency to manage Federal land under the
jurisdiction of the Federal agency;
(2) limits the discretion of a Federal land manager to
implement an approved land use plan within the boundaries of
the Heritage Area; or
(3) modifies, alters, or amends any authorized use of Federal
land under the jurisdiction of a Federal agency.
SEC. 7. PRIVATE PROPERTY AND REGULATORY PROTECTIONS.
Nothing in this Act--
(1) abridges the rights of any owner of public or private
property, including the right to refrain from participating in
any plan, project, program, or activity conducted within the
Heritage Area;
(2) requires any property owner to--
(A) permit public access (including access by
Federal, State, or local agencies) to the property of
the property owner; or
(B) modify public access to, or use of, the property
of the property owner under any other Federal, State,
or local law;
(3) alters any duly adopted land use regulation, approved
land use plan, or other regulatory authority of any Federal,
State, tribal, or local agency;
(4) conveys any land use or other regulatory authority to the
local coordinating entity;
(5) authorizes or implies the reservation or appropriation of
water or water rights;
(6) diminishes the authority of the State to manage fish and
wildlife, including the regulation of fishing and hunting
within the Heritage Area; or
(7) creates any liability, or affects any liability under any
other law, of any private property owner with respect to any
person injured on the private property.
SEC. 8. EVALUATION; REPORT.
(a) In General.--Not later than 3 years before the date on which
authority for Federal funding terminates for the Heritage Area under
section 10, the Secretary shall--
(1) conduct an evaluation of the accomplishments of the
Heritage Area; and
(2) prepare a report in accordance with subsection (c).
(b) Evaluation.--An evaluation conducted under subsection (a)(1)
shall--
(1) assess the progress of the local coordinating entity with
respect to--
(A) accomplishing the purposes of this Act for the
Heritage Area; and
(B) achieving the goals and objectives of the
approved management plan for the Heritage Area;
(2) analyze the Federal, State, local, and private
investments in the Heritage Area to determine the leverage and
impact of the investments; and
(3) review the management structure, partnership
relationships, and funding of the Heritage Area for purposes of
identifying the critical components for sustainability of the
Heritage Area.
(c) Report.--
(1) In general.--Based on the evaluation conducted under
subsection (a)(1), the Secretary shall prepare a report that
includes recommendations for the future role of the National
Park Service, if any, with respect to the Heritage Area.
(2) Required analysis.--If the report prepared under
paragraph (1) recommends that Federal funding for the Heritage
Area be reauthorized, the report shall include an analysis of--
(A) ways in which Federal funding for the Heritage
Area may be reduced or eliminated; and
(B) the appropriate time period necessary to achieve
the recommended reduction or elimination.
(3) Submission to congress.--On completion of the report, the
Secretary shall submit the report to--
(A) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of
the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Natural Resources of the House
of Representatives.
SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out
this Act $10,000,000, of which not more than $1,000,000 may be made
available for any fiscal year.
(b) Cost-Sharing Requirement.--
(1) In general.--The Federal share of the total cost of any
activity under this Act shall be not more than 50 percent.
(2) Form.--The non-Federal contribution may be in the form of
in-kind contributions of goods or services fairly valued.
SEC. 10. TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.
The authority of the Secretary to provide assistance under this Act
terminates on the date that is 15 years after the date of enactment of
this Act.
2. Amend the title so as to read: ``A bill to establish the
Northern Plains National Heritage Area in the State of North
Dakota.''.
PURPOSE
The purpose of S. 2098 is to designate the Northern Plains
National Heritage Area in the State of North Dakota.
BACKGROUND AND NEED
The Northern Plains National Heritage Area would encompass
four counties along the Missouri River in central North Dakota,
and includes Bismarck, the State's Capital. The Lewis and Clark
expedition traveled through the region on their route to the
Pacific and spent more time in North Dakota than any other site
along the route. The heritage area also includes the ancestral
lands of the Mandan and Hidatsa, who pioneered agriculture on
the northern plains. The heritage area would also include the
Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site.
The bill would designate the Northern Plains Heritage
Foundation as the management entity for the heritage area. The
Foundation has prepared a feasibility study for the proposed
heritage area, which has been submitted to the National Park
Service for review.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
S. 2098 was introduced by Senators Dorgan and Conrad on
September 26, 2007. The Subcommittee on National Parks held a
hearing on the bill on November 8, 2007. (S. Hrg. 110-282.) At
its business meeting on January 30, 2008, the Committee on
Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 2098 favorably reported
with an amendment in the nature of a substitute.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open
business session on January 30, 2008, by a voice vote of a
quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 2098, if
amended as described herein.
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT
During the consideration of S. 2098, the Committee adopted
an amendment in the nature of a substitute. The amendment made
the authorities for the Northern Plains National Heritage Area
consistent with other heritage area authorizations reported by
the Committee. The amendment is explained in detail in the
section-by-section analysis, below.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS
Section 1 provides the short title, the ``Northern Plains
National Heritage Area Act.''
Section 2 defines key terms used in the Act.
Section 3(a) establishes the Northern Plains National
Heritage Area (``heritage area'') in the State of North Dakota.
Subsection (b) describes the boundaries of the heritage
area and lists the counties and significant historic sites that
the heritage area encompasses.
Subsection (c) states that a map of the heritage area
shall be included in the management plan and available on file
in appropriate offices of the National Park Service.
Section 4(a) designates the Northern Plains Heritage
Foundation, as the management entity for the heritage area.
Subsection (b) details the duties of the management
entity.
Subsection (c) lists the authorities of the management
entity. The subsection authorizes the management entity to use
Federal funds to prepare activities recommended in the
management plan for the heritage area, pay for operational
expenses, make grants and enter into cooperative agreements,
hire staff, obtain funds or services from any source, and
contract for goods or services.
Subsection (d) prohibits the management entity from using
Federal funds made available under this Act to acquire real
property or an interest in real property, although it may use
Federal funds from other sources for authorized purposes, which
may include property acquisition.
Section 5(a) requires the management entity to prepare and
submit for review a management plan to the Secretary no later
than three years after the date on which the funds are made
available to carry out this Act.
Subsection (b) lists the requirements for the contents of
the management plan.
Subsection (c) states that if the management plan is not
submitted within the three-year period, Federal funding is
suspended until the plan is submitted to the Secretary.
Subsection (d) requires the Secretary to approve or
disapprove the management plan within six months after
receiving the plan and lists the criteria the Secretary is to
consider in determining whether to approve or disapprove the
plan.
Section 6 describes the relationship of other Federal
agencies to the heritage area.
Subsection (a) clarifies that nothing in this Act affects
the authority of a Federal agency to provide technical or
financial assistance under any other law.
Subsection (b) authorizes the Secretary to provide
technical and financial assistance to the local coordinating
entity to develop and implement the management plan.
Subsection (c) encourages the head of a Federal agency
planning to conduct activities that may have an impact on the
heritage area to consult and coordinate the activities with the
Secretary and the management entity to the maximum extent
practicable.
Subsection (c) clarifies that nothing in this Act modifies
authorities of Federal agencies to manage Federal land, limits
the discretion of a Federal agency to implement an approved
land use plan, or modifies or alters any authorized use of
Federal land.
Section 7 contains several savings provisions to clarify
that the designation of the national heritage area will not
affect private property rights, affect governmental land use
regulation, reserve or appropriate water rights, diminish the
authority of the State to manage fish and wildlife, or create
any liability for property owners within the heritage area.
Section 8(a) requires the Secretary to conduct an
evaluation of the accomplishments of the national heritage area
not later than three years before the date Federal funding
authority terminates.
Subsection (b) provides that the evaluation shall assess
the progress of the management entity with respect to
accomplishing the purposes of this Act for the heritage area
and whether the management entity achieved the goals and
objectives of the approved management plan for the heritage
area. The evaluation is also required to analyze governmental
investments in the heritage area to determine the leverage and
impact of the investments.
Subsection (c) requires the Secretary to prepare a report,
based on the evaluation, that includes recommendations for the
future role of the National Park Service, if any, for the
heritage area. If the report recommends that Federal funding
for the area be reauthorized, it is required to include an
analysis of ways Federal funding may be reduced or eliminated.
The report is to be submitted to the House and Senate
authorizing committees.
Section 9(a) authorizes total appropriations of $10
million, with not more than $1 million authorized to be
appropriated for any fiscal year.
Subsection (b) requires Federal funding to be matched on a
50:50 basis with funds from non-Federal sources.
Section 10 provides that the authority of the Secretary to
provide assistance under this Act terminates 15 years after the
date of enactment.
COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS
The following estimate of costs of this measure has been
provided by the Congressional Budget Office:
S. 2098--Northern Plains National Heritage Area Act
S. 2098 would establish the Northern Plains National
Heritage Area (NHA) in South Dakota and designate the Northern
Plains Heritage Foundation, a local nonprofit organization, as
the management entity for the NHA. The bill would authorize the
appropriation of $10 million, not to exceed $1 million
annually, for financial assistance to the foundation and other
eligible entities over the next 15 years.
CBO estimates that implementing S. 2098 would cost $5
million over the 2009-2013 period and an additional $5 million
after 2013. Enacting S. 2098 would have no effect on direct
spending or revenues.
The bill contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and
would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis.
This estimate was approved by Theresa Gullo, Deputy Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.
REGULATORY IMPACT EVALUATION
In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following
evaluation of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in
carrying out S. 2098. The bill is not a regulatory measure in
the sense of imposing Government-established standards or
significant economic responsibilities on private individuals
and businesses.
No personal information would be collected in administering
the program. Therefore, there would be no impact on personal
privacy.
Little, if any, additional paperwork would result from the
enactment of S. 2098, as ordered reported.
CONGRESSIONALLY DIRECTED SPENDING
In accordance with paragraph 4(b) of rule XLIV of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides the
following identification of congressionally directed spending
items contained in the bill, as reported:
Section: 9; Provision: Authorization of appropriations;
Member: Sen. Dorgan.
EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS
The testimony provided by the National Park Service at the
November 8, 2007 hearing on S. 2098 follows:
Statement of Katherine H. Stevenson, Acting Assistant Director,
Business Services, National Park Service, Department of the Interior
Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, thank you for
the opportunity to appear before you today to present the
Department of the Interior's views on S. 2098, a bill to
establish the Northern Plains National Heritage Area in the
State of North Dakota.
While the Department appreciates the historic, cultural and
natural features of the area, the Department does not support
S. 2098. The feasibility study produced by the Northern Plains
Heritage Foundation did not meet all of the criteria for
designation as a national heritage area. It did not include the
existence of significant levels of public involvement and
support and the local commitments necessary for successful
planning and implementation of a heritage area. Without further
dialog with residents in the region and the support of current
living descendents, we are concerned that the Heritage Area
would not be poised for success and a sustainable future.
Success of this grassroots movement depends upon whether or not
there is strong region-wide support, so we respectfully request
the Heritage Area proponents engage more residents and Mandan-
Hidatsa descendents in a dialog.
We remind the committee that our past support of an
amendment to S. 1544 in the 109th Congress authorizing a study
did not necessarily mean that the Department would support
designation of this National Heritage Area.
We generally have asked that the subcommittee defer action
on new designations of National Heritage Areas until program
legislation is enacted. Last year, the Administration sent to
Congress a legislative proposal to establish such guidelines
and a process for designation. Bills were introduced in the
109th Congress (S. 243, H.R. 760 and H.R. 6287) that
incorporated the majority of the provisions of the
Administration's proposal, and S. 243 passed the Senate. During
the 110th Congress, a similar heritage area program bill, S.
278, has been introduced and reported by the Senate Energy and
Natural Resources Committee.
Requiring evidence of broad public support prior to
designation is consistent with the steps and criteria for the
National Heritage Area program that have been informally
implemented for many years. The steps and criteria have been
developed with input from Congress, existing National Heritage
Areas, and other experts and are designed to ensure that an
area has the resources, local interest, and other qualities
that are critical in establishing a successful National
Heritage Area. The four critical steps that need to be
completed before Congress establishes a National Heritage Area
are:
1. Completion of a feasibility study;
2. Public involvement in the feasibility study;
3. Demonstration of widespread public support among
heritage area residents for the proposed designation; and
4. Commitment to the proposal from the appropriate players
which may include governments, industry, and private, non-
profit organizations, in addition to the local citizenry.
S. 2098 would establish the Northern Plains National
Heritage Area. The core area is approximately 80 miles long,
anchored at each end by nationally designated landmarks. Huff
Indian Village National Historic Landmark, an ancient Mandan
Indian Village is the southern anchor and Big Hidatsa Village
National Historic Landmark, an ancient Hidatsa village located
within the Knife River Indian Villages National Historic site
at Stanton, North Dakota, is the northern anchor. Huff and
Menoken National Historic Landmarks are also state historic
sites preserved and managed by the State Historical Society of
North Dakota. This area encompasses the ancient homeland of the
Mandan and Hidatsa American Indian nations as well as the
Menoken Indian Village, an early Indian village site just east
of Bismarck, North Dakota, which also bears national historic
landmark status.
The bill designates the Northern Plains Heritage
Foundation, a non-profit corporation established under the laws
of the State of North Dakota, as the management entity for the
Heritage Area and outlines its duties. It also authorizes the
development of a management plan and technical assistance to
carry out the plan. The bill also requires the Secretary to
conduct an evaluation three years prior to the cessation of
Federal funding under this act.
Long before the Europeans came to the area, Mandan and
Hidatsa cultures flourished along the river in North Dakota.
These early people thrived for centuries in heavily populated
agricultural communities along the fertile floodplains. They
also depended on the abundance of fish, game, and other
wildlife throughout the prairies. They were later followed by
pioneers and homesteaders-generations of farmers and ranchers
who continue to cultivate the land and reap the harvest
provided by the abundance of the Northern Plains environment.
The villages of these early settlers served as a central
hub in a trade network that spanned the continent. The Heart
River segment of the Missouri River was the center of the
universe for the first people, the Mandans, who constructed
their permanent earthlodge villages along the Missouri River
and its tributaries. The Lewis and Clark Expedition even
benefited from the hospitality and friendship of the Mandan and
Hidatsa when they spent the winter along the Garrison Reach
near present-day Washburn.
Today, the Mandan language is in danger of extinction with
only two conversational speakers able to participate in a
preservation project. Therefore, as part of their preservation
initiatives within the Northern Plains area, the Northern
Plains Heritage Foundation's language initiative is focusing on
preserving and archiving language vocabularies, beginning with
the recording of Mandan language materials. It also is
supporting the development of instructional materials for
Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Lakota, French and German language
teachers. Language has always been a key element that
characterizes and underpins the cultural integrity and unique
identity of a people or an ethnic group.
The Department believes that further evaluation and public
engagement would ensure widespread public involvement, and
determine local interest and commitment, thus strengthening the
current feasibility study. We also believe that further
examination of the boundaries to include the current Mandan-
Hidatsa homeland and the unique geographical, cultural, and
historical resources of the Northern Plains area would provide
other valuable information as to whether the area qualifies for
designation as a National Heritage Area.
Mr. Chairman, that concludes my statement. I would be
pleased to answer any questions you or other members of the
subcommittee may have.
CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW
In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee notes that no
changes in existing law are made by the bill S. 2098, as
ordered reported.
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