Nancy L. Johnson: “H.R. 4312 will authorize a feasibility study to determine if part of my district, and our colleague John Olver's…”

“H.R. 4312 will authorize a feasibility study to determine if part of my district, and our colleague John Olver's district, qualify for designation as a National Heritage Area. The Park Service defines a National Heritage Area as an area in which natural, cultural, historic and scenic resources combine to form a distinctive, national landscape and reflect patterns of human activity shaped by geography. These areas present our national experience through physical features and the traditions they birthed, demonstrating the deep tie between natural history and cultural history. The people of my district believe this small section of New England is more than qualified to be a National Heritage Area. It is an area rich in history and environmental significance consisting largely of the watershed of the Housatonic. From the 1730s to the 1920s, it was home to many of the nation's earliest iron industries. The first blast furnace was built in 1862 by Ethan Allen and supplied the iron for the cannons that helped George Washington's army to win the American Revolutionary War.”