STATEMENT OF KAREN TAYLOR-GOODRICH, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, VISITOR AND RESOURCE PROTECTION, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES, CONCERNING S. 2359, A BILL TO ESTABLISH THE ST. AUGUSTINE 450TH COMMEMORATION COMMISSION, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
JUNE 17, 2008
Mr. Chairman and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to present the views of the Department of the Interior on S. 2359, a bill to establish the St. Augustine 450th Commemoration Commission, and for other purposes. The Department has no objection to the concept of an Advisory Commission but we would like to work with the Committee to address a few suggested amendments and concerns with this bill as noted in the testimony.
St. Augustine, Florida is the oldest European city in the United States. The area was first visited by Ponce de Leon in 1513, but it was Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, who on September 8, 1565, established the first settlement. This came 21 years before the English settlement at Roanoke Island in Virginia Colony, and 42 years before the successful settlements of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Jamestown, Virginia. In 1586, St. Augustine was attacked and burned by Sir Francis Drake. In 1668, it was plundered by pirates and most of the inhabitants were killed. In 1702 and 1740, it was unsuccessfully attacked by British forces from their new colonies in the Carolinas and Georgia. The most serious of these came in the latter year, when James Oglethorpe of Georgia allied himself with the Alachua band of the Seminole tribe and conducted the Siege of St. Augustine during the War of Jenkin's Ear. Although initially repulsed at St. Augustine, the forces under Oglethorpe defeated the Spanish counter-attack at the Battle of Bloody Marsh on St. Simons Island, one of the Sea Islands of Georgia.
The British ultimately gained control of St. Augustine in 1763 and it remained loyal to Britain during the Revolutionary war. It was briefly returned to the Spanish in 1784 because of a provision of the Treaty of Paris. The Spanish who had left during British control came back and tried to return the city to its former appearance but were thwarted by the decline of Spanish fortunes everywhere.
The Spanish sold Florida to the United States of America in 1821. St. Augustine prospered during the Seminole war of the 1830s due to its military involvement in the war. The city eventually developed good road systems and the population grew. In 1883, oil tycoon and Florida railroad pioneer Henry Flagler visited the city. He was so impressed that he invested in St. Augustine's restoration and development of the city as a winter resort. Flagler contributed some of the city’s grandest architecture, such as the Alcazar hotel (now the Lightner Museum), and the Ponce de Leon Hotel (now Flagler College). Today, the heart of St. Augustine retains the distinctive plan of a 16th century Spanish Colonial walled town, much of which has been preserved or restored. The numerous remaining colonial buildings in the historic district present an impressive array of architecture from 1703 to 1898.
The National Park Service preserves, maintains, and interprets the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument, an imposing star-shaped citadel that dominates the landscape in the center of the historic area of St. Augustine. The Service also preserves the related coquina watchtower known as Fort Matanzas National Monument near the Matanzas Inlet approximately 14 miles south of the Castillo. The State of Florida, the city of St. Augustine, and the University of Florida collectively own and operate additional significant resources related to the history of St. Augustine.
S. 2359 and an identical bill in the House of Representatives, H.R. 4258, would establish a 16-member commission to include one employee of the National Park Service having experience relevant to the historic resources relating to the city of St. Augustine and its commemoration, the Mayor of St. Augustine or the Mayor’s designee, one employee of the State University System of Florida, and five nonresidents of the State of Florida who have an interest in, support for, and expertise appropriate to the commemoration. The commission members would be appointed by the Secretary of the Interior based, in part, on recommendations of the St. Augustine City Commission, the Governor of Florida, and the Congress.
The duties of the Commission would include:
1) the planning, development, and execution of programs and activities appropriate to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the founding of St. Augustine, Florida;
(2) the general facilitation of St. Augustine commemoration-related activities throughout the United States;
(3) the encouragement of civic, patriotic, historical, educational, religious, economic, and other organizations throughout the United States to organize and participate in anniversary activities to expand understanding and appreciation of the significance of the founding and continuing history of St. Augustine;
(4) coordination and facilitation of scholarly research on, publication about, and interpretation of, St. Augustine for the education of the public; and
(5) the assurance that the 450th anniversary of St. Augustine provides a lasting legacy and long-term public benefit for the United States by assisting in the development of appropriate programs and facilities to accommodate those programs.
The Department does have four suggested amendments for S. 2359.
First, we suggest that Section 2(b)(4) (Purpose) be revised to include a specific reference to the experiences of Native Americans as follows: “(4) assist in ensuring that the St. Augustine 450th anniversary observances are inclusive and appropriately recognize the experiences of all peoples in St. Augustine's history, including indigenous peoples who inhabited the area prior to the Spanish arrival and certain western tribes who were incarcerated at the Castillo (then known as Fort Marion) during America’s westward expansion in the late 19th century”.
Second, we recommend amending section 6 to include two additional members, after the Secretary receives recommendations from the leadership of the Seminole and Miccosukee tribes of Florida.
Third, we are concerned that the designation of some specific members of the commission may not be in conformance with the Appointments Clause of the Constitution. We would like to work with the committee to revise the language to address this concern.
Fourth, we recommend that the duties of the Commission be limited to serving in an advisory capacity and leaving the execution of programs and activities to Federal agencies under existing authorities.
Mr. Chairman, this concludes my prepared remarks. I would be pleased to answer any questions you or any members of the Subcommittee may have.
No comments:
Post a Comment