[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 144 (Thursday, September 11, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1772]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  MISSISQUOI AND TROUT RIVERS WILD AND SCENIC RIVER STUDY ACT OF 2008

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                               speech of

                            HON. PETER WELCH

                               of vermont

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 10, 2008

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3667) to 
     amend the, Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate a segment 
     of the Missisquoi and Trout Rivers in the State of Vermont 
     for study for potential addition to the National Wild and 
     Scenic Rivers System:

  Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Mr. Chairman, the Missisquoi and Trout Rivers 
are located in my home State of Vermont. The Missisquoi begins in 
Western Orleans County just north of the beautiful mountain town of 
Eden and heads up through the Green Mountains. From Eden, the river 
leaves the U.S. and winds through southern Quebec before returning to 
the small Vermont town of Richford.
  If you paddle south along the Missisquoi from Richford you can find 
pristine clay deposits along the banks. Outside of the town of East 
Berkshire the Trout River feeds in from the East and slightly cools the 
temperature of the water. From here, the two rivers run as one all the 
way to Lake Champlain.
  From Eden to Lake Champlain the rivers run through scenic northern 
mountains, rolling farm hills dotted with dairy cows, and small Vermont 
towns. Both rivers are highly valued by the surrounding towns and 
communities for swimming, fishing, and boating. Parents who grew up 
swimming in these rivers take their children back to the same places to 
teach them how to swim. In the summer you can find these swimming holes 
filled with families, enjoying the water and taking in the sunshine 
along their banks.
  These rivers are bordered by the largest and perhaps the highest 
quality silver maple floodplain forest remaining in the State. They are 
also home to diverse animal life including brook trout, rare freshwater 
mussels and spiny soft-shell turtles. The surrounding marshes host 
migratory birds such as the great blue heron and black terns.
  This bill will provide for a study of these two rivers and represents 
the first step toward protecting Abenaki Indian archeological sites 
along the floodplains, scenic waterfalls and gorges, and a way of life 
in the communities surrounding these two rivers.
  I urge support for this bill.

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