IV 112th CONGRESS 1st Session H. RES. 84 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

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.