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Omnibus Public Land Management Act Signed Into Law

National Park News

Thursday, Apr 9, 2009

On March 30th, President Obama signed into law the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. His signature on this law was the culmination of two years of hard work with Congress on numerous bills important to the National Park Service.

As the president remarked, this legislation is âamong the most important in decades to protect, preserve, and pass down our nationâs most treasured landscapes to future generations.â He went on to note that âthis legislation guarantees that we will not take our forests, rivers, oceans, national parks, monuments, and wilderness areas for granted; but rather we will set them aside and guard their sanctity for everyone to share. Thatâs something all Americans can support.â

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar had the privilege of introducing the president at the signing ceremony. Acting Director Dan Wenk represented the National Park Service and joined in the celebration with several members of Congress, their staff and other environmental advocates, all of whom had spent much time and energy over the past several years in securing this lawâs adoption.

Among the significant achievements of this law is the designation of more than two million acres of wilderness across nine states â more than has been designated over the last eight years combined. Five parks â Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Joshua Tree National Park, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Rocky Mountain National Park, and Zion National Park â join several Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management areas in achieving this important land protection.

In the coming years, the National Park System will be expanded with the official creation of three new units when acquisition or donation of land is completed. The three new units that were authorized to be established are:

Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, upon acquisition of sufficient lands or upon donation of the lands and the completion of agreements to ensure the integrity of the surrounding historic district.
The William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site, upon donation of the land and personal property associated with the site.
The River Raisin National Battlefield Park, upon donation of sufficient land to permit efficient administration.

In addition to these sites, the names of three existing parks were changed to reflect the significance of the resources associated with the areas â Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park (formerly a national historic site), Thomas Edison National Historical Park (formerly Edison National Historic Site), and Palo Alto National Historical Park (formerly a national historic site).

President Obamaâs signature created nine new national heritage areas, almost one-fifth of the 49 heritage areas now authorized. The law also designated thousands of miles of new scenic, historic, and recreational trails including the Arizona NST, the New England NST, the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail, the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Trail NHT, the Pacific Northwest NST, and additions to the Trail of Tears NHT. The Taunton wild and scenic river will be protected through this law, and other rivers and trails will be studied for potential designation in the future. Thirteen other areas also were identified by Congress for study for potential future additions to the National Park System or national heritage areas.

Numerous individual park units also benefitted from this law â some which had been waiting years for its legislation to pass. For example, a boundary expansion of the Barataria Preserve unit of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve was finally achieved. Based on a 1996 boundary study, it has taken six successive Congresses for this authorization to be completed. Other boundary expansions that required great patience to achieve include those at Martin Van Buren National Historic Site, Hopewell Culture National Historical Park, and Pecos National Historical Park.

The law also includes a paleontological resources protection authority that was over a decade in coming. Finally, the Save Americaâs Treasures and Preserve America programs secured permanent recognition in this law.

For Acting Director Wenk, attending the White House bill-signing ceremony was a fitting reward, as heâd frequently testified and responded to questions at House and Senate hearings on the bills that were incorporated into what is now Public Law 111-11. The day after the ceremony, he chaired a telephone conference with the associate and regional directors to discuss the 80 provisions affecting national parks and actions parks and programs must take to implement the new law. Responsibility for each of the provisions of the law will be formalized in a series of âactivationâ memos from the acting director in the coming weeks.

A list of the provisions related to the National Park Service contained in Public Law 111-11 can be viewed by clicking on the "More Information" link below.

Until Public Law 111-11 is printed, a text of the new law is available on www.thomas.gov (choose the enrolled bill version of H.R. 146, identified as âH.R. 146 ENRâ).