To amend the National Trails System Act to designate the Old Spanish Trail as a National Historic Trail.

February 6, 2002

Mrs. WILSON of New Mexico introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources

To amend the National Trails System Act to designate the Old Spanish Trail as a National Historic Trail.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Old Spanish National Historic Trail Act'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds that--

(1) the Old Spanish Trail served as a major trade route from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Los Angeles, California, between 1829 and 1848;

(2) the Old Spanish Trail begins in northern New Mexico and runs in a westerly or northwesterly direction through Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada before ending in southern California;

(3) Native Americans, immigrants, sheep ranchers, weavers, military groups, explorers, and trappers used the Old Spanish Trail during the development of the West;

(4) the travelers promoted cultural interaction among Europeans, Spaniards, Mexicans, Native Americans, and other people of the United States;

(5) much of the historic character of the Old Spanish Trail is related to--

(A) the route of the trail through the natural environment; and

(B) the existence of landscapes relatively unchanged since the trail period;

(6) currently, many sections of the Old Spanish Trail appear as the routes appeared to traders and other travelers in the 19th century; and

(7) the Old Spanish Trail is a symbol of the cultural interaction between ethnic groups, nations, and the commercial exchange that made possible the development and growth of the United States.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION.

Section 5(a) of the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1244(a)) is amended--

(1) by redesignating the second paragraph (21) as paragraph (22); and

(2) by adding at the end the following:

`(23) OLD SPANISH NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL-

`(A) IN GENERAL- The Old Spanish National Historic Trail, beginning in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and ending in Los Angeles, California.

`(B) MAP- A map generally depicting the trail shall be on file and available for public inspection in the office of the Director of the National Park Service.

`(C) ADMINISTRATION- The trail shall be administered by the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the National Park Service (referred to in this paragraph as the `Secretary').

`(D) LAND ACQUISITION- The United States shall not acquire for the trail any land or interest in land outside the exterior boundary of any federally managed area without the consent of the owner of the land or interest in land.

`(E) VOLUNTEER GROUPS; CONSULTATION- The Secretary shall--

`(i) encourage volunteer trail groups to participate in the development and maintenance of the trail; and

`(ii) consult with other Federal, State, local, and tribal agencies in the administration of the trail.'.

END