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“INTRODUCTION OF THE RANCHO CORRAL DE TIERRA GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL RECREATION AREA BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E168-E169 on Feb. 6, 2003.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
INTRODUCTION OF THE RANCHO CORRAL DE TIERRA GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL
RECREATION AREA BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT ACT
______
HON. TOM LANTOS
of california
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, February 5, 2003
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, today I introduced H.R. 532, the ``Rancho Corral de Tierra Golden Gate National Recreation Area Boundary Adjustment Act'' to improve the world's largest urban park.
One of the nation's most visited national parks, Golden Gate National GGNRA comprises numerous sites, including Alcatraz, Marin Headlands, Fort Funston, Fort Mason, as well as Muir Woods National Monument, Fort Point National Historic Site, and the Presidio of San Francisco.
The Rancho Corral de Tierra addition to the GGNRA includes one of the largest undeveloped parcels on the San Mateo coast south of San Francisco, and it contains rugged land that is unparalleled in other areas of the park. These lands consist of some of the last undeveloped acreage adjacent to existing parkland in the Bay Area. Permanent protection of these open spaces will protect and preserve unique coastal habitats of threatened, rare and endangered plant and animal species, curb future disruptive development along the coast, and provide important scenic and recreation opportunities for Bay Area residents and visitors to our area.
This important land conservation legislation was near enactment in the last Congress. In fact both Houses of Congress approved this legislation, but because our bill was included in a package with other unrelated provisions it was not approved in the same form by both Houses.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in seizing this unique, exciting and significant opportunity for a public-private-partnership to preserve open space. Companion legislation is being introduced today in the Senate by Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Barbara Boxer.
H.R. 532, the ``Rancho Corral de Tierra Golden Gate Boundary Adjustment Act'' will add three new areas to the GGNRA. These lands are critically situated between existing parkland and would connect national parklands with State parkland and San Mateo County parklands. Adding these lands to park areas in the City of Pacifica would help round out the uneven boundary along the Pacific coast and create a logical and appropriate entrance to the GGNRA for visitors from the south. The lands will also provide important regional trail links between the existing parklands, and would link the congressionally mandated Bay Area Ridge Trail with the California Coastal Trail. The lands would also provide a wildlife corridor for the diverse array of wildlife that inhabit Montara Mountain.
Mr. Speaker, the largest parcel of land included in this bill is comprised of 4,262 acres, and is known as the Rancho Corral de Tierra. This parcel shares three miles of boundary with the GGNRA as well as with a California state park and a San Mateo County park. Its relatively untouched upper elevations preserve habitat for several threatened and endangered plant and animal species. This property also contains four important coastal watersheds, which provide riparian corridors for steel head trout, coho salmon and other aquatic species.
When the owner of Rancho Corral de Tierra recently put this property on the market the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) negotiated to purchase the property. POST acquired the site for $29.75 million to save the site from development, to preserve this important natural area, and to donate, through private contributions, a substantial amount for the federal acquisition of Rancho Corral de Tierra.
Mr. Speaker, POST is a local land conservancy trust in the San Francisco Bay Area. It has a remarkable track record in working with and assisting the federal government with the protection of other important open space in the Bay Area. In 1994, POST negotiated acquisition of the Phleger Estate in Woodside and its inclusion in the GGNRA. This provided local residents some 1,300 acres of pristine second-growth redwood forest, and the area has become a primary hiking destination in the mid-Peninsula area. I introduced the legislation that added this important parcel to the GGNRA, and I worked closely with my neighbor and colleague, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo, who took the lead in securing the federal funding of one-half of the purchase price. In this case, POST also provided one half of the purchase price through private donations. POST also assisted the federal government with the protection and acquisition of Bair Island, an important wildlife refuge in San Francisco Bay, which is now managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Congresswoman Eshoo played a key role in the Bair Island acquisition. H.R. 532 also authorizes the National Park Service to include within its boundaries an additional 525 acres of land in the Devil's Slide section of Coastal Highway 1, which is the scenic highway that winds its way along the entire California coast. The Devil's Slide properties are also adjacent to the Rancho Corral de Tierra property. It is my understanding that the California Department of Transportation
(Caltrans) will acquire these lands when it builds the Devil's Slide tunnel. This legislation includes the five properties that border the highway alignment and will be abandoned when the tunnel is completed. Since these properties will have no access once the Devil's Slide road is abandoned, Caltrans will purchase these properties from their current owners. It is my understanding that Caltrans will donate these properties to a state park agency for open space use. Caltrans will also relinquish the abandoned Highway 1 alignment to San Mateo County, which will transfer these properties to a park agency after the tunnel is completed. I want to make something particularly clear, Mr. Speaker. It is not the intention of this legislation to give the federal government any responsibility for the acquisition of land or the construction or completion of the Devil's Slide tunnel. This legislation has nothing to do with the matter of the highway and tunnel construction. This legislation will simply make it possible for Caltrans to donate these properties to the National Park Service when the Devil's Slide tunnel is completed and when the National Park Service has determined the acquisition of these lands is appropriate. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 532 also includes within the GGNRA boundary the Caltrans-owned Martini Creek-Devil's Slide Bypass right-of-way, which was originally purchased by Caltrans for the purpose of building a highway across Montara Mountain. When San Mateo County voters overwhelmingly decided in a local referendum in favor of the Devil's Slide tunnel rather than the Martini Creek Bypass in 1996, this right-
of-way became obsolete. This property, which covers approximately 300 acres, bisects the proposed additions to the GGNRA and will provide important recreation access to the surrounding parklands. It is my understanding that once the GGNRA boundary is adjusted to include this right-of-way, Caltrans will be able to donate this property to the National Park Service. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 532 will also reauthorize the Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Point Reyes National Seashore Advisory Commission for 10 years. The GGNRA and Point Reyes Advisory Commission was established by Congress in 1972 to provide for the free exchange of ideas between the National Park Service and the public and to facilitate the solicitation of advice from members of the public on problems pertinent to the National Park Service Parks or sites in Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties. The Advisory Commission holds open and accessible public meetings monthly at which the public has an opportunity to comment on park-related issues. The Advisory Commission is an invaluable resource for park management. It provides an important forum for the gathering and receipt of public input, public opinion and public comment and allows the park to maintain constructive and informal contacts with both the private sector and other federal, state and local public agencies. The Advisory Commission aids in strengthening the spirit of cooperation between the National Park Service and the public, encourages private cooperation with other public agencies, and assists in developing and ensuring that the park's general management plan is implemented. As part of its regular monthly hearing process, the Advisory Commission held public hearings on this legislation in Half Moon Bay, California. Advisory Commission members heard overwhelming public support for the boundary study for ``Rancho Corral de Tierra GGNRA Boundary Adjustment Act'' that was produced by Peninsula Open Space Trust in consultation with the National Park Service. All Advisory Commission meetings are open to the public and an official transcript of each meeting is on record and available to the public. The activities and contributions of the Advisory Commission are critical to the efficient operation and management of the two adjoining national park units of Point Reyes National Seashore and the GGNRA. Mr. Speaker, preserving our country's unique natural areas must be one of our highest national priorities, and it is one of my highest priorities as a Member of Congress. We must preserve and protect these areas for our children and grandchildren today or they will be lost forever. Adding these new lands in San Mateo County to the GGNRA will allow us to protect these fragile areas from development or other inappropriate use that would destroy the scenic beauty and natural character of this key part of the Bay Area.
Mr. Speaker, this bill was agreed to by both Houses in the 107th Congress and should have been enacted, but issues unrelated to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area precluded its final passage. I am hopeful that the House will take up this bill where we left off last year, complete legislative action, and enact H.R. 532 expeditiously. The Rancho Corral de Tierra Golden Gate National Recreation Area Boundary Adjustment Act has the support of the Bay Area Congressional Delegation. Joining me as co-sponsors are my distinguished colleagues, Nancy Pelosi, George Miller, Anna Eshoo, Barbara Lee, Ellen Tauscher, Mike Honda, Mike Thompson, Pete Stark, and Zoe Lofgren. I urge my colleagues to take advantage of this unique opportunity to preserve these important lands for addition to our national parks and support passage of H.R. 532, the Rancho Corral de Tierra Golden Gate National Recreation Area Boundary Adjustment Act.
