[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 141 (Monday, October 3, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 3, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
              SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK ESTABLISHMENT OF 1994

  Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
Senate bill (S. 316) to establish the Saguaro National Park in the 
State of Arizona, and for other purposes.

                                 S. 316

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Saguaro National Park 
     Establishment Act of 1994''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

       The Congress finds that--
       (1) the Saguaro National Monument was established by 
     Presidential Proclamation in 1933;
       (2) the Tucson Mountain unit was established by 
     Presidential Proclamation in 1961;
       (3) in recognition of the need to provide increased 
     protection for the monument, the boundaries of Tucson 
     Mountain unit were expanded in 1976, and the boundaries of 
     Rincon unit were expanded in 1991;
       (4) the Tucson Mountain unit continues to face threats to 
     the integrity of its natural resources, scenic beauty, and 
     habitat protection for which the unit was established;
       (5) these threats impeded opportunities for public 
     enjoyment, education, and safety within the monument, as well 
     as opportunities for solitude within he wilderness areas of 
     the monument designated by Congress in 1976;
       (6) the residential and commercial growth of the greater 
     Tucson, Arizona metropolitan area is causing increasing 
     threats to the monument's resources; and
       (7) the Tucson Mountain unit should be enlarged by the 
     addition of adjacent lands of National Park caliber and 
     Saguaro National Monument should be afforded full recognition 
     and statutory protection as a National Park.

     SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF SAGUARO NATIONAL PARK.

       There is hereby established the Saguaro National Park 
     (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the ``park'') in the 
     State of Arizona. The Saguaro National Monument is abolished 
     as such, and all lands and interests therein are hereby 
     incorporated within and made part of Saguaro National Park. 
     Any reference to Saguaro National Monument shall be deemed a 
     reference to Saguaro National Park, and any funds available 
     for the purposes of the monument shall be available for 
     purposes of the park.

     SEC. 4. EXPANSION OF PARK BOUNDARIES.

       (a) In General.--The boundaries of the park are hereby 
     modified to reflect the addition of approximately 3,460 acres 
     of land and interests therein as generally depicted on the 
     map entitled ``Saguaro National Monument Additions'' and 
     dated April, 1994.
       (b) Land Acquisition.--(1) Within the lands added to the 
     park pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary is authorized 
     to acquire lands and interests therein by donation, purchase 
     with donated or appropriated funds, transfer, or exchange: 
     Provided, That no such lands or interests therein may be 
     acquired without the consent of the owner thereof unless the 
     Secretary determines that the land is being developed, or is 
     proposed to be developed in a manner which is determental to 
     the integrity of the park.
       (2) Lands or interests therein owned by the State of 
     Arizona or a political subdivision thereof may only be 
     acquired by donation or exchange.
       (c) Withdrawal.--Subject to valid existing rights, all 
     Federal lands within the park are hereby withdrawn from all 
     forms of entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public 
     land laws, from location, entry, or patent under the United 
     States mining laws, and from disposition under all laws 
     relating to mineral and geothermal leasing, and mineral 
     materials, and all amendments thereto.

     SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
     necessary to carry out this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Minnesota [Mr. Vento] will be recognized for 20 minutes, and the 
gentleman from Wyoming [Mr. Thomas] will be recognized for 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Vento].


                             general leave

  Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks on 
S. 316, the Senate bill now under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Minnesota?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, S. 316 would expand the Saguaro National Monument's 
Tucson Mountain unit to add 3,460 acres of land that contain 
significant but threatened resources. The bill would also redesignate 
the monument as a national park. This Senate-passed version is similar 
to House companion legislation (H.R. 1826) introduced by Congressman 
Kolbe.
  The land included in S. 316 is half the amount identified as 
appropriate for inclusion in the monument by a National Park Service 
study. The Arizona delegation has worked closely with the local 
community and has limited the legislation to those lands recommended 
for inclusion by the Park Service study that are in the hands of 
willing sellers. Even so, the bill includes a provision limiting the 
ability of the Department of the Interior to condemn land. Thus, there 
are no controversies about the expansion of the monument to include the 
sites identified in the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, Saguaro National Monument represents a fragile, 
nationally significant resource long recognized as deserving 
protection. The monument's namesake, the giant Saguaro cacti of the 
Sonoran Desert, can grow up to 50 feet, weigh up to 8 tons and live up 
to 150 years. On March 1, 1933, just 3 days before leaving office, 
President Herbert Hoover acknowledged the significance of this resource 
by issuing a proclamation creating Saguaro National Monument east of 
Tucson. President John Kennedy expanded the monument in 1961, adding a 
unit to the west of Tucson. Together, the monument's eastern section, 
or Rincon Mountain unit, and western section, or Tucson Mountain unit, 
total 87,500 acres. In addition to the spectacular cacti, the monument 
is also home to javelina, gila monsters, desert tortoises and the 
endangered long-nosed bat.

  The monument is now subjected to development threats and urban 
encroachment. While the monument was over 15 miles from depression-era 
Tucson, a town of 35,000 people at the time the monument was 
established, its growth to a city of 675,000 has spawned urban 
development now in the process of enveloping both units. As a result 
the nonument's resources are compromised. The habitats of plant and 
wildlife populations are fragmented by this encroachment; off-road 
vehicles disturb the desert floor; target shooters take aim at the 
Saguaro cacti; and potential mining activities would compromise the 
character of the monument.
  In 1991, the National Park Service undertook a comprehensive boundary 
study at the Tucson Mountain unit of the monument. The resulting 
report, completed in June 1993, was a boundary resource inventory that 
identified 6 areas totaling 7,360 acres adjacent to the boundaries that 
could be suitable for addition to the monument. The inventory 
documented degradation of the monument's resource values in the areas 
of biodiversity, viewshed integrity, traditional cultural uses, 
recreational access for hikers and horseback rides, and the wilderness 
experience.
  S. 316, would expand the western unit of Saguaro by 3,460 acres and 
would establish the monument as Saguaro National Park. The bill would 
authorize the acquisition of land by purchase, donation, transfer or 
exchange, except that the consent of the owner is required for such 
acquisitions unless the Secretary determines that the land is or will 
be developed in a deterimental manner; authorizes the acquisition of 
lands from the State or local governments by donation or exchange only; 
subject to valid existing rights, the bill withdraws lands within the 
park from entry, appropriation, or disposal under public land laws and 
from location, entry and patent under mining, mineral leasing and 
geothermal steam laws. In addition it authorizes appropriations to 
carry out the Act.
  Mr. Speaker, this is an important and worthy conservation measure and 
I urge by colleagues to support this legislation and vote to send the 
bill to the President.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMAS of Wyoming. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 316, legislation to expand 
Saguaro National Monument by about 3,400 acres. While I continue to be 
concerned about perpetual expansion of a National Park System which is 
already severely underfunded, I note that lands added to Saguaro 
National Monument under this measure have been identified through a 
recent boundary study completed by the National Park Service and that 
these lands do have park qualities.
  This bipartisan measure has already been passed by the Senate and our 
action today will permit it to go forward to the President for 
signature. I encourage my colleagues to support the legislation.
  Mr. KOLBE, Mr. Speaker, this is a small bill by congressional 
standards. It doesn't appropriate billions of dollars; it doesn't 
establish a new program or agency; it's not health care reform, or 
welfare reform, or campaign finance reform.
  Yet, in its own way, it is a very important bill. Without it, much of 
the surviving habitat of the giant Saguaro cactus and its surrounding 
world of fantastic flowers, plants and animals would be lost. Whatever 
mark one gives this session of Congress, one thing is clear: preserving 
the remarkable Saguaro and its habitat is a worthwhile achievement.
  The Saguaro cactus is an ecological treasure. But it is also more. It 
stands, uniquely, as the symbol of the great deserts of North America. 
Like other symbols--the bald eagle, Niagara Falls, the Rockies--the 
Saguaro cactus inspires us.
  The giant cactus can grow to more than 50 feet tall and weigh over 5 
tons. Some of these plants have more than 50 arms or branches; others 
have been alive since Europeans first came to our shores. Beginning in 
May, flower buds from the tips of the cactus appear. The vibrant, white 
flowers grow up to 4 inches in diameter; its beauty has earned it the 
designation as the official State flower of Arizona.The flower and its 
fruit have providing sustenance for animals and people for centuries. 
Native Americans depended on the fruit of the big cactus hundreds of 
years ago and to this day some still harvest the fruit.
  But survival of the Saguaro is in doubt today; its population is 
dwindling, its cause is a mystery. But this bill and its House 
counterpart, H.R. 1826, is our commitment to saving this great cactus. 
The bill adds 3,460 acres of vital saguaro habitat to the park to 
ensure protection. The majority of the land--about \2/3\ds--is owned by 
public agencies and will be acquired at little or no cost to the 
Federal Government.
  This land on the west side of Tucson is under tremendous development 
pressure. Since I first introduced legislation in April of 1993, over 
100 acres of prestine sonoran desert habitat have been lost to 
bulldozers and roads and homes. To keep the remaining area intact for 
our children and for the remaining plant and animals that inhabitant 
the Saguaro kingdom, we must act now.
  In 1933, when the monument was initially established, Tucson's entire 
population of 33,000 could easily fit into most any college football 
stadium. The nearest outpost of the old pueblo was a dozen miles away. 
Nearly 30 years later, in November, 1961, the Saguaro National Monument 
was expanded by President Kennedy by adding Tucson Mountain Park on the 
west side of the city. That effort proved farsighted as Tucson's 
population doubled and redoubled in the years since, now totalling 
three-quarters of a million people. Growth continues at a rapid pace, 
now pushing to the Monument's edge.
  Besides protection for the giant saguaro cactus, this expansion 
measure will include some of the most ecologically valuable lands in 
the sonoran desert: unique topography, large Chollas and Paloverde 
plants and other unique desert flora, important public access points, 
scenic and recreation opportunities, and prime habitat for a host of 
desert creatures, including the desert tortoise, gila monster, 
javelina, coyote, muledeer, mountain lion, ringtail cat, resident and 
migratory songbirds.
  The expansion lands will bring the monument's size to over 90,000 
acres, most of which is free of commercial development. The size of 
this monument, coupled with its rich diversity of ecological, cultural 
and recreational resources, justifies elevating the monument to the 
status as a National Park. Only the most shining jewels in our park 
system deserve this lofty status and anyone who has ever glimpsed these 
remarkable lands on a full-bloom spring day or in the shadow of an 
orange splashed sunset will attest to their unprecedented beauty.
  This legislation has had a long journey. But the trip would never 
have been undertaken--much less stand on the verge of passage--without 
tremendous grassroots support from southern Arizonans and people all 
over this great country. Countless citizens worked tirelessly to make 
this bill a reality. Groups like the Pima Trails Association and Tucson 
Mountain Association and its President, Helen Wilson, exemplify what 
volunteerism is all about.
  I also want to thank my colleagues from Arizona for their support--in 
particular, Ed Pastor and Karen English. Congresswoman English showed 
her skill and leadership ability in helping to steer this bill through 
the subcommittee she serves on.
  Finally, Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend Chairman Vento and 
ranking member Hansen for their work in moving this bill to the floor. 
Chairman Vento was instrumental in preserving vital buffer areas of the 
east unit in 1991. And now, in 1994, he is proving himself again to be 
a champion of southern Arizona's pride and joy, the Saguaro National 
Monument.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this measure. The majestic saguaro and 
its neighbors are depending on us.
  Mr. THOMAS of Wyoming. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for 
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. VENTO. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the delegation for the effort 
the Members made on this.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Minnesota [Mr. Vento] that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the Senate bill, S. 316.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor 
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table

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