[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 244 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 244

       Commemorating the 45th anniversary of the Wilderness Act.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             August 5, 2009

Mr. Feingold (for himself, Mr. McCain, Mr. Brownback, Mrs. Boxer, Mrs. 
   Murray, Mr. Voinovich, Mr. Wyden, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Gregg, Mr. 
   Burris, Ms. Collins, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Bayh, Mr. 
Merkley, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Durbin, Mr. 
 Udall of Colorado, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Udall of New Mexico, Mr. Bennet, 
and Mr. Byrd) submitted the following resolution; which was considered 
                             and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
       Commemorating the 45th anniversary of the Wilderness Act.

Whereas September 3, 2009, will mark the 45\th\ anniversary of the date of 
        enactment of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), which gave to 
        the people of the United States the National Wilderness Preservation 
        System, an enduring resource of natural heritage;
Whereas great writers of the United States, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry 
        David Thoreau, Willa Cather, George Perkins Marsh, Mary Hunter Austin, 
        and John Muir, poets such as William Cullen Bryant, and painters such as 
        Thomas Cole, Frederic Church, Frederic Remington, Georgia O'Keefe, 
        Albert Bierstadt, and Thomas Moran, have defined the distinct cultural 
        value of wild nature and unique concept of wilderness in the United 
        States;
Whereas national leaders, such as former President Theodore Roosevelt, reveled 
        in outdoor pursuits and diligently sought to preserve opportunities to 
        mold individual character, to shape the destiny of the Nation, to strive 
        for balance, and to ensure the wisest use of natural resources, so as to 
        provide the greatest good for the greatest number of people as possible;
Whereas luminaries in the conservation movement, such as scientist Aldo Leopold, 
        forester Bob Marshall, writer Howard Zahniser, teacher Sigurd Olson, 
        biologists Olaus, Adolph, and Mardy Murie, and conservationists David 
        Brower and Marjory Stoneman Douglas, believed that the people of the 
        United States could protect and preserve the wilderness in order for the 
        wilderness to last well into the future;
Whereas Senator Hubert H. Humphrey, a Democrat from Minnesota, and 
        Representative John Saylor, a Republican from Pennsylvania, originally 
        introduced the Wilderness Act with strong bipartisan support in both 
        houses of Congress;
Whereas, with the help of colleagues (including cosponsors Senators Clinton P. 
        Anderson, Gaylord Nelson, William Proxmire, and Henry ``Scoop'' M. 
        Jackson, and the Senate floor manager, Senator Frank Church) and 
        conservation allies (such as Secretary of Interior Stewart L. Udall and 
        Representative Morris K. Udall), Senator Humphrey and Representative 
        Saylor worked tirelessly for 8 years to secure nearly unanimous passage 
        of the legislation, with a vote of 78 to 12 in the Senate and 373 to 1 
        in the House of Representatives;
Whereas critical support in the Senate for the Wilderness Act came from 3 
        Senators who still serve in the Senate as of 2009: Senator Robert C. 
        Byrd, Senator Daniel Inouye, and Senator Edward M. Kennedy;
Whereas President John F. Kennedy, who took office in 1961 with an agenda that 
        included a plan to enact wilderness legislation, was assassinated before 
        he could sign into law a bill concerning the wilderness;
Whereas 4 wilderness champions, Aldo Leopold, Olaus Murie, Bob Marshall, and 
        Howard Zahniser also passed away before witnessing passage of a 
        wilderness bill;
Whereas President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Wilderness Act in the 
        Rose Garden on September 3, 1964, establishing a system of wilderness 
        heritage, as President Kennedy and the conservation community had 
        envisioned and advocated for ardently;
Whereas, in 2009, as a consequence of popular support, the people of the United 
        States continue to have a system that protects wilderness for the 
        permanent good of the United States;
Whereas, over the 45 years since the enactment of the Wilderness Act, various 
        Presidents of both parties, leaders of Congress, and experts in the land 
        management agencies within the Departments of the Interior and 
        Agriculture have expanded the system of wilderness protection;
Whereas the Wilderness Act instituted an unambiguous national policy to 
        recognize the natural heritage of the United States as a valuable 
        resource and to protect the wilderness for future generations to use and 
        enjoy;
Whereas wilderness offers numerous values for an increasingly diverse populace, 
        allowing youth and adults from urban and rural communities to experience 
        nature and explore opportunities for healthy recreation;
Whereas wilderness provides intact, healthy, and biologically diverse ecosystems 
        that will better withstand the effects of global warming and help 
        communities in the United States adapt to a changing climate;
Whereas wilderness provides billions of dollars of ecosystem services in the 
        form of safe drinking water, clean air, and recreational opportunities;
Whereas 44 of the 50 States have protected wilderness areas;
Whereas the abundance of natural heritage of the United States is seen from 
        Alaska to Florida, from Fire Island in the Long Island South Shore of 
        New York and West Sister Island of Lake Erie in Ohio, to larger areas 
        such as the Mojave National Preserve in California and the River of No 
        Return in Idaho; and
Whereas President Gerald R. Ford stated that the National Wilderness 
        Preservation System ``serves a basic need of all Americans, even those 
        who may never visit a wilderness area--the preservation of a vital 
        element in our heritage'' and that ``wilderness preservation ensures 
        that a central facet of our Nation can still be realized, not just 
        remembered'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) commemorates the 45\th\ anniversary of the Wilderness 
        Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.);
            (2) recognizes and commends the extraordinary work of the 
        individuals and organizations involved in building the National 
        Wilderness Preservation System; and
            (3) is grateful for the wilderness, a tremendous asset the 
        United States continues to preserve as a gift to future 
        generations of the United States.
                                 <all>