[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 133 (Monday, September 21, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9583-S9584]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING NATIONAL PUBLIC LANDS DAY

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today in recognition of the 16th 
annual National Public Lands Day, which will be celebrated on Saturday, 
September 26. I am pleased to acknowledge the efforts of volunteers 
across our Nation who will come together to improve and restore one of 
America's most valuable assets, our public lands.
  National Public Lands Day started in 1994 with 700 volunteers working 
in just a few locations. This year, over 130,000 volunteers will come 
together to work at more than 2,000 locations across all 50 States. 
These people come from all walks of life, holding a shared interest in 
protecting our public lands for the enjoyment of future generations.
  Our Nation has a grand tradition of conservation. When Yellowstone 
National Park was established in 1872, it was the world's first 
national park. The idea of a national park was an American invention of 
historic proportions that led the way for global conservation efforts. 
President Teddy Roosevelt, one of our earliest and most energetic 
conservationists, dedicated 194 million acres of national parks and 
national preserves over the course of his Presidency. America has 
continued to build on this tradition with endeavors such as the 
operation of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and 1940s, 
passage of the Wilderness Act in 1964, establishment of Earth Day in 
1970, enactment of the National Wildlife Refuge Improvement Act in 
1997, and the signing into law of this year's Omnibus Public Land 
Management Act, to name just a few examples. National Public Lands Day 
provides an annual opportunity for the American public to devote a day 
to conservation and to give back to the public lands that give so much 
to us.
  Public lands make up over one-third of our country and are places of 
continuous discovery, where we go to find ourselves, to uncover our 
history, and to explore for new resources. Our public lands provide 
wide open spaces, deep

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forests, dramatic vistas, and opportunities for solitude that not only 
fulfill us individually but form a fundamental part of the American 
character. Our public lands are part of who we are and the diversity of 
their uses, like the diversity of their landscapes, reflects our 
identity. In many areas, they provide timber, ore, and forage that are 
the economic bedrock of rural America. In other areas, Congress has 
designated them as wilderness, places ``untrammeled by man, where man 
is a visitor who does not remain.''
  I recognize and thank the thousands of Federal employees who manage 
these lands year-round. The Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, 
Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and other Federal 
land management agencies ensure that public lands in Nevada and across 
the Nation meet the changing needs of our communities. They provide a 
vital, though rarely reported, service to our nation.
  I would also like to acknowledge and thank the many Nevadans who will 
spend September 26 improving our public lands. Volunteers across 
northern Nevada will be working to improve our public lands in places 
like the Carson and Truckee Rivers, Cain Spring, the East Fork of the 
Walker River, Eight Mile Creek, Dry Mountain, and Sacramento Pass. At 
the same time, southern Nevada volunteers will work in sites like Ash 
Springs, Gold Butte, Lake Mead, Pittman Wash, Red Rock Canyon, and the 
Great Unconformity.
  The focus of National Public Lands Day this year is water on the 
public lands. Clean water is essential to the health of our environment 
and the health of our citizens. Many parts of our Nation have faced 
severe droughts in recent years, and caring for our water resources is 
as important as it has ever been. In Nevada, as the driest State in our 
Nation, we are particularly aware that water is a precious resource.
  The preservation of our public lands is a priority for me. Mr. 
President, our public lands are part of what makes the United States a 
great nation. I voice my gratitude to all who will participate in 
National Public Lands Day this year.

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