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Plan would recognize Ice Age floods

A plan to commemorate the route of massive Ice Age floods that reshaped the landscape of the Pacific Northwest with trails and interpretive centers will go before Congress next week, according to two Washington state lawmakers.

Associated Press

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/local/story.asp?ID=16268

Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell and Republican Rep. Doc Hastings expect to introduce a bill designating a route through four states following the course of the ancient Missoula floods, The Dalles Chronicle reported in Saturday editions.

The floods deposited Volkswagen bug-size boulders in Eastern Washington and enriched the soil in the Willamette Valley, creating the agricultural conditions that later attracted Oregon Trail pioneers.

Interpretive trail proponents see the project as an economic boost for local communities while focusing attention on key scientific discoveries.

"The trail will offer visitors a great opportunity to see firsthand and up-close the results of the phenomenal geological events that helped shape much of the Northwest," Sen. Cantwell said. "The trail will attract tourism dollars, sparking rural economic development and creating jobs for folks all across Eastern Washington."

The National Park Service would manage the trail, which would link existing roads and public sites with signs and informational kiosks.

The interpretive trail would acquire no more than about 25 acres from Missoula to the Oregon Coast, Hastings said, and Middleton emphasized this could only occur on a willing-seller basis, adding that the legislation precludes any new restrictions on private land use.

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