Jon L. Christensen: “Mr. Speaker, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area includes more than 150,000 acres between Los Angeles…”

“Mr. Speaker, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area includes more than 150,000 acres between Los Angeles and the Pacific Coast. It is the largest urban unit of the National Park System, including five area codes and 26 zip codes. H.R. 640 would adjust the boundary of the recreation area to include an additional 3,697 acres. The purpose of the addition is to facilitate wildlife migration between the Santa Monica Mountains and several mountain regions in the north. Some have expressed concern that the addition of this acreage would place a number of parcels of private property within the boundary of NRA. It should be noted that such concerns are completely unwarranted since inclusion of private property within a federally-designated boundary does not alter the owner's private property rights in any way. In this particular instance, the relevant property owners are aware of the proposed boundary change and no opposition to the measure has developed. This is not surprising, given that the area last operated smoothly for years with thousands of private property owners living within the boundaries. We join our colleagues and the administration in supporting this legislation.”