SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 68

(By Senators Unger, Prezioso and Yost)

[Introduced March 11, 2016]

Requesting that the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail be extended eastward by the National Park Service through West Virginia.

Whereas, In 1978, Congress established the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail that stretches 3,700 miles from Wood River, Illinois, to the mouth of the Columbia River, near present-day Astoria, Oregon; and

Whereas, In 2008, Congress authorized a feasibility study to determine whether the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail should be extended eastward to include routes and sites associated with the preparation and return phases of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery expedition; and

Whereas, The National Park Service has collected a substantial amount of historical data concerning the travels of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark through West Virginia; and

Whereas, Information from the National Park Service indicates that Lewis and Clark traveled during the early 1800s in present-day West Virginia counties, including Jefferson, Berkeley, Morgan, Mineral, Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall, Wetzel, Tyler, Pleasants, Wood, Jackson, Mason, Cabell and Wayne, and through present-day West Virginia locations, including Harpers Ferry, Fort Ashby, Wheeling and Moundsville; and

Whereas, Extending the portion of the trail that runs through West Virginia would have potential beneficial effects on the economic development and tourism industry, preservation of cultural and natural resources, health benefits of outdoor recreation and educational opportunities in the classroom and outdoors; therefore, be it

Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That the Legislature designate and recognize the portion of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail that runs through West Virginia; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the National Park Service extend the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail eastward through West Virginia; and, be it

Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate is hereby directed to forward a copy of this resolution to Jonathan B. Jarvis, Director, National Park Service; Dennis Frye, Chief Historian with the National Park Service, Tokey Boswell, (Acting) Chief of Planning, Midwest Region, National Park Service; Cameron H. Sholly, Director, Midwest Region, National Park Service; Frank Muhly, past President of the Philadelphia chapter of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation, James L. Mallory, Vice Chairman of the Lewis and Clark Trust; Governor Earl Ray Tomblin; and to the representatives and senators elected by the citizens of West Virginia serving the citizens of West Virginia in the Congress of the United States in Washington, D.C.