Referred to the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Nov 18, 2009
Gold Hill-Wakamatsu Preservation Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to acquire the Gold Hill Ranch in Coloma, California, that was the location of the founding of Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm Colony in 1869, in exchange for consideration not to exceed a specified amount.
Instructs that acquisition of Gold Hill Ranch be only from willing sellers and not through eminent domain.
Requires the American River Conservancy and the Gold Hill Wakamatsu Colony Foundation, for the consideration required by this Act, to contribute any private funds or state or federal grants received by the Conservancy and the Foundation to acquire the Ranch.
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Allows the Secretary, upon acquiring the Wakamatsu Colony site, to work with the Conservancy and the Foundation to develop a visitor center that provides for the interpretation of: (1) the Wakamatsu Colony; (2) early pioneer history; and (3) the contribution of traditional Japanese crops and practices to California's extensive agricultural economy.
Requires the costs of construction of the visitor center and the conduct of restoration activities at the Ranch to be leveraged by amounts received by the Conservancy and the Foundation as private funds and state or federal grants provided for such purposes.
Source last updated: Dec 5, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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