[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 119 (Thursday, September 19, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               AMERICAN FRONTIERS: A PUBLIC LANDS JOURNEY

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                       HON. C.L. ``BUTCH'' OTTER

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 19, 2002

  Mr. OTTER. Mr. Speaker, Idaho is blessed with a variety of natural 
resources, many of them located on public lands. We also are blessed 
with a diverse array of recreational choices, many of which also are 
available on public lands. Over 63 percent of Idaho is public land. 
Tens of thousand of visitors to our state each year are drawn by the 
beauty of those lands and by opportunities to drive Idaho's byways, 
camp, ski, hike, hunt, river raft or enjoy a host of other activities. 
America's public lands are an important legacy that belongs to all 
citizens. Recognizing that fact, Idaho recently hosted a special 
expedition called American Frontiers: A Public Lands Journey, which is 
drawing attention to this special legacy. This 3,200-mile journey by 
two teams of adventurers is helping to educate schoolchildren about 
public lands and bringing all of us the opportunity to better 
understand the way these lands help shape the West. I encourage people 
to visit the special Web site that chronicles this amazing interactive 
journey, at www.americanfrontiers.net. The dispatches from the trail 
recount stories in Idaho ranging from encounters with grazing sheep and 
their shepherds to a ``town'' with a winter population of one person. 
All of the trekkers were impressed, most of all, with Idaho's vast 
beauty. As one of them observed: ``The view across the meadow to the 
mountains is stunning. We see and hear three sandhill cranes flying 
overhead. The whole scene seems like right out of a movie.'' I commend 
the Public Lands Interpretive Association for organizing this effort. 
And I congratulate the individuals who will complete this two-month 
journey on September 28 in Salt Lake City!

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