[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4241 Introduced in House (IH)]







104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4241

To amend the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 to designate the 
 Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness, to amend the Everglades National 
 Park Protection and Expansion Act of 1989 to designate the Ernest F. 
              Coe Visitor Center, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 27, 1996

 Mr. Deutsch (for himself and Mr. Goss) introduced the following bill; 
            which was referred to the Committee on Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 to designate the 
 Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness, to amend the Everglades National 
 Park Protection and Expansion Act of 1989 to designate the Ernest F. 
              Coe Visitor Center, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Marjory Stoneman Douglas, through her book, ``The 
        Everglades: River of Grass'' (1947), defined the Everglades for 
        the American people and for the world. Her book was the first 
        to stimulate widespread understanding of the Everglades 
        ecosystem and ultimately served to awaken the desire to restore 
        its health.
            (2) In her 106th year, Mrs. Douglas is the sole surviving 
        member of the original group of people who devoted decades of 
        selfless effort to establish Everglades National Park.
            (3) When the water supply and ecology of the Everglades, 
        both within and outside the park, became threatened by drainage 
        and development, Mrs. Douglas dedicated the balance of her life 
        to the defense of the Everglades through extraordinary personal 
        effort and by inspiring countless others to take action.
            (4) For these and many other accomplishments, the President 
        awarded Mrs. Douglas the Medal of Freedom on Earth Day, 1994.
            (5) Ernest F. Coe (1886-1951) was a leader in the creation 
        of Everglades National Park. He organized the Tropic Everglades 
        National Park Association in 1928 and was widely regarded as 
        the ``Father of Everglades National Park''.
            (6) As a landscape architect, Mr. Coe's vision for the park 
        recognized the need to protect south Florida's diverse wildlife 
        and their habitats for future generations. His original park 
        proposal included lands and waters subsequently protected 
        within Everglades National Park, the Big Cypress National 
        Preserve, and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
            (7) Mr. Coe's leadership, selfless devotion, and commitment 
        to achieving this vision culminated in the authorization of 
        Everglades National Park by Congress in 1934. Afterwards, Mr. 
        Coe fought tirelessly and lobbied strenuously for establishment 
        of the park, finally realizing his dream in 1947. He 
        accomplished much of this work at his own expense, which 
        dramatically demonstrated his commitment to establishment of 
        the park.
    (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to commemorate the 
vision, leadership, and enduring contributions of Marjory Stoneman 
Douglas and Ernest F. Coe in the protection of the Everglades and the 
establishment of Everglades National Park.

SEC. 2. MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS WILDERNESS.

    Section 401(3) of the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 
(Public Law 95-625; 92 Stat. 3490) is hereby amended by striking out 
``to be known as the Everglades Wilderness'' and inserting in lieu 
thereof ``to be known as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness'' to 
commemorate the vision and leadership shown by Mrs. Douglas in the 
protection of the Everglades and the establishment of Everglades 
National Park.

SEC. 3. ERNEST F. COE VISITOR CENTER.

    Section 103 of the Everglades National Park Protection and 
Expansion Act of 1989 (Public Law 101-229) is hereby amended by adding 
at the end thereof the following new subsection:
    ``(f) Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center.--Upon completion of 
construction of the main visitor center facility at Everglades National 
Park headquarters, the Secretary of the Interior shall designate the 
visitor center facility as `The Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center' to 
commemorate the vision and leadership shown by Mr. Coe in the 
establishment and protection of Everglades National Park.''.
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