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U.S. Congressman PAUL COOK announced May 24th, that
his Bill H.R. 496, the Alabama
Hills National Scenic Area Establishment Act, passed unanimously in the House of
Representatives Tuesday. This legislation establishes the Alabama Hills
National Scenic Area, encompassing 18,610 acres of the scenic Alabama Hills.
This designation would preserve this land for recreational use by the public
and future geerations. A Bureau of Land Management (BLM) map of the proposed
Alabama Hills National Scenic Area can be found here.
This Bill guarantees that
all recreational activities currently taking place in the Alabama Hills will
continue. This includes not only hiking, mountain biking, and rock climbing,
but hunting, fishing, and authorized motorized vehicle use as well. Additionally,
recreational prospecting (rock-hounding) will continue to be allowed in
historic mining areas under this legislation.
This Bill is the culmination of months of work
by Congressman Paul Cook and the
Alabama Hills Stewardship Group to draft legislative language acceptable to
all key local stakeholders. The stewardship group is dedicated to promoting
the long term vision, conservation, use, enhancement, and enjoyment of the
Alabama Hills. Many groups and organizations have worked with the stewardship
group, including Inyo County, the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce, the
Lone-Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, local business owners, and other key
stakeholders.
Congressman Cook said, “The Alabama Hills are a natural treasure
and I’m thrilled that the legislation to protect it passed the House today.
This bill is a balanced approach, meets the desires of all stakeholders, and
preserves the Alabama Hills for future generations to enjoy. The level of
local input and support has been tremendous and is example for how land use
decisions are best made.”
The Alabama Hills
Stewardship Group (AHSG) released a statement saying, “We are delighted by the passage of our proposed Alabama Hills
National Scenic Area legislation. And we are extremely appreciative to
Congressman Cook, for his passionate support and leadership in getting this
bill passed in the House of Representatives. This is the culmination of years
of collaboration and steadfast support from a broad range of stakeholders. We
are proud of our partnership with the Bureau of Land Management in helping
manage and protect this semi-primitive area and look forward to both
preserving this jaw-dropping landscape and providing access to it, for future
generations.”
AHSG board member and chair
of the Designation Study Committee Kevin Mazzu said, “These years of
significant and diverse input, have helped improve and strengthen both the
legislative language as well as our coalition of support. The heavy lifting
has been done; and some final enhancements – driven by stakeholder feedback –
have helped the legislation reach the perfect balance between conservation
and access.”
The Inyo County Board of
Supervisors has also been enthusiastic in its support of the bill, voting
unanimously to endorse the legislation and traveling repeatedly to Washington
DC to push for its passage.
Inyo County Supervisor Matt
Kingsley, 5th District said, “Congressman Cook and his staff’s hard work in passing the Alabama
Hills NSA bill thru the House is a huge step forward in the legislative
process. Although progress has been slow; this type of organic, grassroots
legislation requires closely orchestrated cooperation and collaboration
between all parties to be successful. My hope is that the Senate approval
process will now be accelerated.”
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