To amend the National Trails System Act to extend the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.

January 29, 2003

Mr. HILL (for himself, Mrs. NORTHUP, and Mr. SOUDER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Resources

To amend the National Trails System Act to extend the Lewis and Clark 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 `Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Amendments Act of 2003'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds as follows:

(1) The National Trails System was established in 1968 to provide additional recreational opportunities and promote preservation of access to outdoor areas and historical resources of the nation, and has been amended over time to recognize new categories of trails and to expand site designations.

(2) The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, as designated in 1978, omits several historically significant sites relevant to the Lewis and Clark expedition.

(3) Lewis and Clark first came together at the Falls of the Ohio, located at Clarksville, Indiana, and Louisville, Kentucky, to plan and prepare for their expedition.

(4) The Corps of Discovery was formed at the Falls of the Ohio when Lewis and Clark selected the first enlisted members of the expedition and members were sworn into the army during a ceremony witnessed by General George Rogers Clark.

(5) On July 13, 2001, the National Park Service certified the Falls of the Ohio State Park as an official Lewis and Clark site associated with the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.

(6) On July 22, 2002, the National Park Service certified Historic Locust Grove in Louisville, Kentucky, as an official Lewis and Clark site associated with the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.

(7) The National Council of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial has designated the Falls of the Ohio as a national signature event site in October, 2003, to commemorate the bicentennial of the important events that occurred in Clarksville, Indiana, and Louisville, Kentucky.

(8) The areas in and around Clarksville, Indiana, and Louisville, Kentucky, including the Falls of the Ohio, are the sites of events pivotal to the Lewis and Clark expedition and merit protection and recognition as components of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.

SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAIL.

Section 5(a)(6) of the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1244(a)(6)) is amended--

(1) in the first sentence, by striking `The' and inserting `(A) The'; and

(2) by adding the following new subparagraph:

`(B) In addition to the route designated in subparagraph (A), the trail shall include the route traveled by Lewis and Clark from the Falls of Ohio, located in Clarksville, Indiana, and Louisville, Kentucky, to Wood River, Illinois.'.

END