National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper,

Wyoming

(Public Law 105–290; Approved October 27, 1998; 112 Stat. 2782; 16 U.S.C. 1244 note)

SECTION 1. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

(a) FINDINGS.-The Congress finds and declares the following: (1) The City of Casper, Wyoming, is nationally significant as the only geographic location in the western United States where four congressionally recognized historic trails (the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail, the California Trail, and the Pony Express Trail), the Bridger Trail, the Bozeman Trail, and many Indian routes converged.

(2) The historic trails that passed through the Casper area are a distinctive part of the national character and possess important historical and cultural values representing themes of migration, settlement, transportation, and commerce that shaped the landscape of the West.

(3) The Bureau of Land Management has not yet established a historic trails interpretive center in Wyoming or in any adjacent State to educate and focus national attention on the history of the mid-19th century immigrant trails that crossed public lands in the Intermountain West.

(4) At the invitation of the Bureau of Land Management, the City of Casper and the National Historic Trails Foundation, Inc. (a nonprofit corporation established under the laws of the State of Wyoming) entered into a memorandum of understanding in 1992, and have since signed an assistance agreement in 1993 and a cooperative agreement in 1997, to create, manage, and sustain a National Historic Trails Interpretive Center to be located in Casper, Wyoming, to professionally interpret the historic trails in the Casper area for the benefit of the public.

(5) The National Historic Trails Interpretive Center authorized by this Act is consistent with the purposes and objectives of the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1241 et seq.), which directs the Secretary of the Interior to protect, interpret, and manage the remnants of historic trails on public lands.

(6) The State of Wyoming effectively joined the partnership to establish the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center through a legislative allocation of supporting funds, and the citizens of the City of Casper have increased local taxes to meet their financial obligations under the assistance agreement and the cooperative agreement referred to in paragraph (4).

(7) The National Historic Trails Foundation, Inc. has secured most of the $5,000,000 of non-Federal funding pledged by State and local governments and private interests pursuant to the cooperative agreement referred to in paragraph (4).

(8) The Bureau of Land Management has completed the engineering and design phase of the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center, and the National Historic Trails Foundation, Inc. is ready for Federal financial and technical assistance to construct the Center pursuant to the cooperative agreement referred to in paragraph (4).

(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are the following:

(1) To recognize the importance of the historic trails that passed through the Casper, Wyoming, area as a distinctive aspect of American heritage worthy of interpretation and preservation.

(2) To assist the City of Casper, Wyoming, and the National Historic Trails Foundation, Inc. in establishing the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center to memorialize and interpret the significant role of those historic trails in the history of the United States.

(3) To highlight and showcase the Bureau of Land Management's stewardship of public lands in Wyoming and the West.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAILS INTERPRETIVE CENTER.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT.-The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (in this section referred to as the "Secretary"), shall establish in Casper, Wyoming, a center for the interpretation of the historic trails in the vicinity of Casper, including the Oregon Trail, the Mormon Trail, the California Trail, and the Pony Express Trail, the Bridger Trail, the Bozeman Trail, and various Indian routes. The Center shall be known as the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center (in this section referred to as the "Center").

(b) FACILITIES.-The Secretary, subject to the availability of appropriations, shall construct, operate, and maintain facilities for the Center

(1) on land provided by the City of Casper, Wyoming;

(2) in cooperation with the City of Casper and the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center Foundation, Inc. (a nonprofit corporation established under the laws of the State of Wyoming); and

(3) in accordance with

(A) the Memorandum of Understanding entered into on March 4, 1993, by the city, the foundation, and the Wyoming State Director of the Bureau of Land Management; and

(B) the cooperative agreement between the foundation and the Wyoming State Director of the Bureau of Land Management, numbered K910A970020.

(c) DONATIONS.-Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary may accept, retain, and expend donations of funds, property, or services from individuals, foundations, corporations, or

public entities for the purpose of development and operation of the Center.

(d) ENTRANCE FEE.-Notwithstanding section 4 of the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (16 U.S.C. 4601–6a), the Secretary may

(1) collect an entrance fee from visitors to the Center; and (2) use amounts received by the United States from that fee for expenses of operation of the Center.

(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.-There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary $5,000,000 to carry out this section.

California Trail Interpretive Act

(Title I of Public Law 105-577; Approved December 28, 2000; 114 Stat. 3068; 16 U.S.C. 1244 note)

TITLE I-CALIFORNIA TRAIL

INTERPRETIVE CENTER

SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE.

This title may be cited as the "California Trail Interpretive Act".

SEC. 102. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

(a) FINDINGS.-Congress finds that—

(1) the nineteenth-century westward movement in the United States over the California National Historic Trail, which occurred from 1840 until the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, was an important cultural and historical event in—

(A) the development of the western land of the United States; and

(B) the prevention of colonization of the west coast by Russia and the British Empire;

(2) the movement over the California Trail was completed by over 300,000 settlers, many of whom left records or stories of their journeys; and

(3) additional recognition and interpretation of the movement over the California Trail is appropriate in light of—

(A) the national scope of nineteenth-century westward movement in the United States; and

(B) the strong interest expressed by people of the United States in understanding their history and heritage. (b) PURPOSES.-The purposes of this title are

(1) to recognize the California Trail, including_the Hastings Cutoff and the trail of the ill-fated Donner-Reed Party, for its national, historical, and cultural significance; and (2) to provide the public with an interpretive facility devoted to the vital role of trails in the West in the development of the United States.

SEC. 103. DEFINITIONS.

In this title:

(1) CALIFORNIA TRAIL.-The term "California Trail" means the California National Historic Trail, established under section 5(a)(18) of the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1244(a)(18)).

(2) CENTER.-The term "Center" means the California Trail Interpretive Center established under section 104(a).

(3) SECRETARY.-The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management.

(4) STATE. The term "State" means the State of Nevada. SEC. 104. CALIFORNIA TRAIL INTERPRETIVE CENTER.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—

(1) IN GENERAL.-In furtherance of the purposes of section 7(c) of the National Trails System Act (16 U.S.C. 1246(c)), the Secretary may establish an interpretation center to be known as the "California Trail Interpretive Center", near the city of Elko, Nevada.

(2) PURPOSE.-The Center shall be established for the purpose of interpreting the history of development and use of the California Trail in the settling of the West.

(b) MASTER PLAN STUDY.-To carry out subsection (a), the Secretary shall

(1) consider the findings of the master plan study for the California Trail Interpretive Center in Elko, Nevada, as authorized by page 15 of Senate Report 106-99; and

(2) initiate a plan for the development of the Center that includes

(A) a detailed description of the design of the Center; (B) a description of the site on which the Center is to be located;

(C) a description of the method and estimated cost of acquisition of the site on which the Center is to be located; (D) the estimated cost of construction of the Center; (E) the cost of operation and maintenance of the Center; and

(F) a description of the manner and extent to which non-Federal entities shall participate in the acquisition and construction of the Center.

(c) IMPLEMENTATION.-To carry out subsection (a), the Secretary may

(1) acquire land and interests in land for the construction of the Center by

(A) donation;

(B) purchase with donated or appropriated funds; or (C) exchange;

(2) provide for local review of and input concerning the development and operation of the Center by the Advisory Board for the National Historic California Emigrant Trails Interpretive Center of the city of Elko, Nevada;

(3) periodically prepare a budget and funding request that allows a Federal agency to carry out the maintenance and operation of the Center;

(4) enter into a cooperative agreement with—

(A) the State, to provide assistance in—

(i) removal of snow from roads;

(ii) rescue, firefighting, and law enforcement serv

ices; and