07.22.04

Ice Age Flood Trail Bill Introduced

Hastings, Cantwell, Murray Team Up on Ice Age Flood Trail

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Doc Hastings, Senator Maria Cantwell and Senator Patty Murray joined forces today to propose a plan to establish an Ice Age Floods National Geological Trail through portions of Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

"The floods were an amazing geological phenomenon and a designated trail will help develop educational and recreational opportunities and enhance rural economies," said Dale Middleton who serves as President of the Ice Age Floods Institute. "The Institute appreciates the hard work and leadership of Doc Hastings, Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray on this project. We believe members of Congress from Montana, Idaho and Oregon will also be signing on to support what is really a significant regional presentation."

Hastings, Cantwell and Murray said an Ice Age Floods Trail would help educate the public about the series of floods that swept across the Pacific Northwest at the end of the Ice Age – some 12,000 to 17,000 years ago. The Ice Age Floods fundamentally changed the geography and way of life in the Pacific Northwest leaving coulees, buttes, boulder fields, lakes, ridges and gravel bars that define the landscape today.

The lawmakers said they decided to join forces and work across party lines because the Trail would be an educational tool and provide promising new opportunities for tourism and local economies.

"The Trail would tell the story of how our area was forever changed by the cataclysmic floods and provide small towns and communities throughout the region with a new to way to attract visitors," said Hastings. "I've been working with the Institute and local supporters for quite some time on this project and they deserve a lot of credit for keeping the ball rolling."

"We've put together a bipartisan trail proposal that will provide a great educational resource for Washingtonians and visitors from across the country," said Cantwell. "This trail will spur economic development and create jobs in local communities."

"We have an outstanding opportunity to create a new tourist destination while also sharing the story of how the floods shaped the region over thousands of years. Working with my colleagues and local community advocates, I look forward to the day when we can pass this bill and protect this unique trail for generations to come," Murray said.

Under the proposed legislation, the Trail would be managed by the National Park Service in partnership with the Ice Age Floods Institute and other local entities. Interpretive centers, signs and markers, exhibits, waysides and roadside pullouts would be used to tell the story of the floods.

Additional information about the Ice Age Floods can be found at: http://www.iceagefloodsinstitute.org and http://www.nps.gov/iceagefloods