S. 4164: Cahokia Mounds Mississippian Culture Study Act

This bill directs the Department of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of an area made up of (1) Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in Collinsville, IL; (2) land surrounding the site that is located in Collinsville and Monroe, Madison, and St. Clair Counties, Illinois, as well as St. Louis County, Missouri; (3) satellite sites thematically connected to the Cahokia Mounds site; and (4) Mitchell Mound, Sugarloaf Mound, Emerald Mound, Pulcher Mounds, East St. Louis Mounds, and the St. Louis Mound Group. (The National Park Service uses special resource studies when determining whether to designate sites as National Historical Sites.)

The study must

• evaluate the national significance of the study area;
• determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the study area as a unit of the National Park System;
• consider other alternatives for preservation, protection, and interpretation of the study area by other governmental entities or nonprofit organizations; and
• identify cost estimates for any federal acquisition, development, interpretation, operation, and maintenance associated with such alternatives.

Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.