May 18, 2000 Lieberman Asks Key Senate Panel To Support National Heritage Area for Upper Housatonic Valley WASHINGTON - Senator Joe Lieberman testified before the Senate Energy Committee today in support of a plan to recognize the rich history of northwest Connecticut and western Massachusetts by establishing a National Heritage Area for the Upper Housatonic Valley. Lieberman and Senator Chris Dodd introduced legislation in April directing the National Park Service to conduct a feasibility study for the project. If approved, the Upper Housatonic Valley would become the nation's 19th National Heritage Area, and local and state governments would receive federal support in managing the 950-square mile corridor. At today's hearing, Lieberman introduced Ronald Jones, president of the Village-Canaan Historical Society, whose ancestors funded one of the first furnaces used to transform local iron ore into rifles and cannons used by George Washington's army in the Revolutionary War. Lieberman went on to describe why the region's compelling history and celebrated landscapes uniquely qualify it for the National Heritage Area designation. "Herman Melville and Edith Wharton wrote, Normal Rockwell painted, and Daniel Chester French sculpted in this area," Lieberman said. "The history of the Upper Housatonic Valley is a microcosm of the history of the nation, and remarkably, much of the early natural landscape is still intact. "Today, there is great potential for outdoor recreation in the Valley's waterways, greenways, and trails, not to mention some of the region's best fly-fishing in Falls Village, Connecticut. With National Heritage Area status, local towns and communities can create a partnership to protect the natural and historic legacy of the region." Dodd added: "From forging the iron that helped spur the industrial revolution, to giving rise to the artists and writers who embody the American spirit, the people of the Upper Housatonic Valley have played an instrumental role in our history. As a nation, we owe the people and the land of the Valley a great debt. To repay them, we must do all we can to ensure resources are available to help preserve their legacy, so that we may honor the past and inspire the future." - 30 -