Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area Act (HR 2297)

This bill passed the House of Representatives during the first session of the 109th Congress and has now gone to the Senate, where Senator Saxby Chambliss (GA) has introduced it as S. 200. Should it pass the Senate, the bill will become law and will transform the Davidson-Arabia Mountain Nature Preserve, a 535-acre park in DeKalb County, Georgia into a National Heritage Area-the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area. This would qualify the Area for up to $10 million in federal funding and not more than $1 million in any fiscal year. The bill prohibits the use of federal funds for any purchases of property or an interest in real property.

The bill would establish a management plan for the Area that would provide for the protection, enhancement, and interpretation of the natural, cultural, historical, scenic, and recreational resources of granite outcrop ecosystems, wetland, pine and oak forests and protected species of plants. This protected Area would maintain the natural and historic recreational resources for the benefit of the public. In addition to mountains, the Area includes lakes, rivers and farmland, and documented evidence of human habitation, quarrying, and the trading of soapstone dating back 7,000 years.  Read More!