05.15.07

Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Cantwell Legislation to Honor Bainbridge Island Internees

Cantwell proposal, already passed by House, would add Eagledale site to National Parks system; legislation could head to full Senate soon

WASHINGTON, DC - Tuesday, the Senate Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on a bipartisan proposal introduced by U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) to preserve the Eagledale ferry dock site on Bainbridge Island as part of the National Parks system. Cantwell has worked with local leaders and surviving internees to preserve the site, which served as the point of departure for members of the local Japanese American community forced into internment camps during World War II.

"As the years go by and the survivors get older, it's more and more important that we get this done to honor their sacrifice and strength," said Cantwell. "We have an opportunity to tell the story of this chapter in our nation's history to future generations, and help heal some of the emotional wounds of the war."

Tom Ikeda, Executive Director of Densho: The Japanese American Legacy Project, testified before the committee on the importance of preserving the Eagledale site.

Mr. Ikeda said, "This bipartisan legislation is a testament to the importance of recognizing this chapter in our nation's history and building on our nation's tradition of conserving historic sites that reflect the broad diversity of our national experience."

In March, Cantwell reintroduced her legislation to incorporate the Eagledale ferry dock site on Bainbridge Island into the National Parks system as part of a larger internment memorial bill introduced by Senator Larry Craig (R-ID). Both Cantwell and Craig are members of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The panel's Subcommittee on National Parks held a hearing on the bill Tuesday. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) are cosponsors of the legislation. A similar bill has already passed the House, and the Senate version could pass the committee soon and move on to the full Senate.

In May 2006, the Interior Department finalized its report recommending the Eagledale Ferry Dock site's inclusion in the Minidoka Internment National Monument as a satellite site. The satellite site would be called the Nidoto Nai Yoni National Memorial. President Clinton established the Minidoka Internment National Monument in January 2001. The Minidoka site in Jerome County, Idaho marks the place where many of those forcibly removed from Bainbridge Island were eventually sent. The Eagledale dock site marks the place where the first 227 Japanese Americans interned during World War II were forcibly removed from their homes and communities.

The three-year Interior Department study was authorized and funded by legislation championed by Cantwell, Murray, and Congressman Jay Inslee (D-WA). Construction of the memorial began last year with the help of funding from private donors and the State of Washington. Cantwell introduced similar legislation last year, but Congress adjourned before approving the measure.

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