Both items are on the April 15 calendar of the Subcommittee on National Parks, Historic Preservation and Recreation, which is part of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The hearing will begin at two o'clock in room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. Several other legislative items also will be considered that day.
S. 589, introduced by Harkin, would require the National Park Service to undertake a study of the Loess Hills Area in western Iowa to review options for the protection and interpretation of the area's natural, cultural and historical resources. S. 591, introduced by Grassley, would provide $275,000 for a year-long feasibility study for the preservation of the Loess Hills in western Iowa.
Grassley said he sought a federal study to achieve a complete review of the many models and other alternatives that exist for preserving the Loess Hills, especially those that are driven by local and state leadership. "The ground work for a study has been done by the grassroots-based Loess Hills Alliance and the Iowa legislature. Now is the right time for federal study of how the Hills can best be preserved, and this hearing provides an opportunity to emphasize its importance," Grassley said.
"The Loess Hills are an Iowa treasure - the federal government should explore making them a national treasure. If Loess Hills were to become a national park, Iowans would be guaranteed access to a beautiful and protected natural resources," Harkin said. "One thing I would like to make clear - this study can only be successfully implemented with the participation of private property owners and local governments in western Iowa. I look forward to this hearing on the issue in April."
The Loess Hills have natural distinctions which are found in only one other place in the world, China. Soil deposited by wind over many centuries formed the Loess Hills, which support several species of rare native prairie grass. The Hills are spread across 600,000 acres in Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Monona, Plymouth, Pottawattamie, and Woodbury counties in Iowa.
National attention was drawn to the Loess Hills last September, when Interior Secretary Bruce Babbit visited Monona County for an event sponsored by The Des Moines Register and the Onawa Chamber of Commerce.