Jon L. Christensen: “Cumberland Gap National Historical Park serves two important purposes: The park preserves an absolutely beautiful area…”

“Cumberland Gap National Historical Park serves two important purposes: The park preserves an absolutely beautiful area, while also allowing people to explore the important historical role played by the Cumberland Gap. The gap, located at the intersection of the Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia borders, was first a passageway for large game animals, then Native Americans, and finally hundreds of thousands of American settlers heading to the American West. Like the park itself, H.R. 2238 serves two important purposes. The bill would authorize the Secretary of the Interior to acquire for addition to the park an approximately 4,500 acre parcel known as the Fern Lake Watershed. During the hearings we held on this matter, photographs showed it to be a lush, undeveloped area, and the administration testified as to its eagerness to add the land to the park. In addition, passage of H.R. 2238 will ensure a reliable, long-term water supply for a community that depends on Fern Lake.”