[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 120 (Wednesday, September 15, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S10952]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                   VOLUNTEERISM AND COMMUNITY SPIRIT

 Mr. GREGG. Mr. President, New Hampshire is a place where 
community spirit and volunteerism is still a big part of our culture 
and it is partly for that reason that our state is consistently ranked 
as one of the most livable places in the United States. One of the 
reasons why our state remains one of the best places to live is that we 
try to limit the amount of government intrusion into our lives. 
Unfortunately that message has not gotten through to some people who 
work in the Forest Service in New Hampshire.
  The White Mountain National Forest, which is overseen by the U.S. 
Forest Service, provides outdoor recreation and economic opportunities 
for thousands of people who live and work nearby. Preserving this 
national forest takes a lot of dedication and hard work and many people 
contribute to keeping the forest in good shape by volunteering their 
time to clear trails of debris and pick up trash.
  In fact, over the summer, two retirees, Frank Barilone, 67, and Ted 
Matte, 66, both of Ellsworth, were cleaning up Ellsworth Park Beach, 
which had become littered with an old bob house, rotted rowboats, and 
assorted cans and bottles and other trash. They had been coming to the 
area for over 30 years and had both recently decided to retire to the 
area. They took the initiative to discuss the trash problem with the 
local Forest Service office in Holderness which told them to go ahead 
and clean it up which they did. As a reward for their hard work, the 
Forest Service fined them $150 for ``maintaining the national forest 
without a permit,'' which happens to be a federal offense.
  It seems to me that the Forest Service has it all backwards. Instead 
of thanking Mr. Barilone and Mr. Matte for their hard work, the Forest 
Service gave them a slap in the face in the form of a ticket and a $150 
fine. Most people expect the Forest Service to ticket people who 
pollute the forest, not people who try to clean it up. The Forest 
Service's decision to fine these two retirees $150 for cleaning up 
Ellsworth Park will discourage, not encourage, the public to take a 
greater role in the protection of our state's natural resources.
  So on behalf of the people of New Hampshire, I thank Mr. Barilone and 
Mr. Matte for volunteering their time to help clean up our national 
forest. Their can-do attitude is what makes New Hampshire such a great 
place to live. Keep up the good work!

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