[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 84 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 84

 Commemorating 100 years of natural resource conservation achievements 
made possible through the vision and leadership of Representative John 
          W. Weeks and the enactment of the Weeks Act in 1911.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 10, 2011

Mr. Moran submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on House Administration, and in addition to the Committees on 
  Natural Resources and Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Commemorating 100 years of natural resource conservation achievements 
made possible through the vision and leadership of Representative John 
          W. Weeks and the enactment of the Weeks Act in 1911.

Whereas John W. Weeks, a Republican from Massachusetts, served in the House of 
        Representatives from March 4, 1905, to March 4, 1913, in the Senate from 
        March 4, 1913, to March 3, 1919, and subsequently as Secretary of War;
Whereas, while a Representative, John W. Weeks sponsored legislation to 
        authorize the creation of national forests in the eastern United States 
        and was instrumental in securing enactment of the legislation;
Whereas, signed into law by President Howard Taft on March 1, 1911, the Act of 
        March 1, 1911, is known as the Weeks Act in recognition of the role John 
        W. Weeks played in its passage;
Whereas the Weeks Act forged new public policy by providing for cooperation 
        between States and the Federal Government to protect forest land from 
        fire and allow for lands outside the public domain to be included in the 
        national forest reserve with the explicit consent of the State;
Whereas the Weeks Act gave priority to the White Mountains and Southern 
        Appalachian region, which at that time required the greatest 
        preventative and protective measures, but the Act was eventually applied 
        to 26 eastern States that are home to 52 units of the National Forest 
        System encompassing 24,878,687 acres, and nationally, was utilized to 
        acquire lands for inclusion in 96 national forests and grasslands in 41 
        States;
Whereas, as a result of the Weeks Act and the application of sustainable forest 
        management practices by the Forest Service, an agency of the Department 
        of Agriculture, streams that were once filled with silt and debris now 
        flow clean and clear, degraded habitats have been restored, and fish and 
        game have returned;
Whereas timber resources, which were nearly nonexistent when the Federal 
        Government acquired the denuded land, has been restored to the point 
        where National Forest System lands are again an important source of saw 
        timber and other forest products; and
Whereas Weeks Act land provide millions of Americans access to open space and 
        opportunities for a multitude of recreational activities, including 
        hiking on significant portions of the Appalachian Trail: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes former Representative, Senator, and 
        Secretary John W. Weeks for his visionary conservation 
        leadership;
            (2) encourages the Department of Agriculture to celebrate 
        the centennial of the enactment of the Act of March 1, 1911, 
        known as the Weeks Act, with appropriate festivities and 
        activities throughout 2011, in order to build public awareness 
        of this historic law that helped propel the conservation and 
        restoration of millions of acres of forests, grasslands and 
        watersheds across the United States; and
            (3) recognizes the importance of conserving and restoring 
        forests and grasslands in the United States from new and 
        emerging threats, such as changes in climate, development, and 
        invasive species, and supports bipartisan efforts to promote 
        public and private collaboration in the restoration and 
        conservation of the precious natural resources of the United 
        States.
                                 <all>