Whereas the well-being of the United States is dependent
on productive soils along with abundant and high-quality water and related
natural resources;
Whereas the Natural Resources Conservation Service (in
this resolution referred to as NRCS
) was established as the Soil
Conservation Service in the Department of Agriculture in 1935 to assist
farmers, ranchers, and other landowners in protecting soil and water resources
on private lands;
Whereas Hugh Hammond Bennett, the first Chief of the Soil
Conservation Service and father of soil conservation
, led the
creation of the modern soil conservation movement that established soil and
water conservation as a national priority;
Whereas the NRCS, with the assistance of President
Franklin D. Roosevelt, State governments, and local partners developed a new
mechanism of American conservation service delivery, which brings together
private individuals with Federal, State, and local governments to achieve
common conservation objectives;
Whereas the NRCS provides a vital public service by
supplying technical expertise and financial assistance to cooperating private
landowners for the conservation of soil and water resources;
Whereas the NRCS, as authorized by Congress, has developed
and provided land conservation programs that have resulted in the restoration
and preservation of millions of acres of wetlands, forests, and grasslands that
provide innumerable benefits to the general public in the form of recreational
opportunities, wildlife habitat, water quality, and reduced soil
erosion;
Whereas the NRCS is the world leader in soil science and
soil surveying;
Whereas the NRCS is the national leader in the inventory
of natural resources on private lands, providing national leaders and the
public with the status and trends related to these resources and helping
forecast the availability of critical water supplies;
Whereas the NRCS has helped communities develop and
implement thousands of locally led projects that continue to provide flood
control, soil conservation, water supply, and recreational benefits to all
Americans, while providing business and job creation opportunities as
well;
Whereas, since its establishment, the NRCS has developed,
tested, and demonstrated conservation practices, helped develop the science and
art of conservation, and continues to strive toward innovation;
Whereas the NRCS encourages and works with landowners and
land users to adopt conservation practices and technologies in a voluntary
manner to address natural resource concerns;
Whereas NRCS employees serve in offices in every State and
territory, while other employees assist other countries and governments;
Whereas, while some NRCS employees work directly with
landowners, other employees serve in support of NRCS field operations, but all
work toward a common goal of improving the condition of all natural resources
found on private lands, knowing when they succeed, all Americans benefit;
and
Whereas the NRCS has been helping people, help the
land
for 75 years: Now, therefore, be it
That Congress—
(1)congratulates the outstanding conservation
professionals of the Natural Resources Conservation Service on the occasion of
the 75th anniversary of the Natural Resources Conservation Service;
(2)recognizes the
vital role conservation plays in the well-being of the United States;
(3)expresses its
continued commitment to the conservation of natural resources on private lands
in both the national interest and as a national priority; and
(4)recognizes the
services that the Natural Resources Conservation Service provides to the United
States by helping farmers, ranchers, and other landowners to protect soil,
water, and related natural resources.