[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 53 (Thursday, April 15, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E555-E556]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING STEWART L. UDALL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 15, 2010

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Stewart L. Udall 
who passed away March 20, 2010, in his New Mexico home, at the age of 
90. Secretary Udall is best known as Secretary of the Interior under 
Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in the 1960s, but his 
role in the preservation of our national treasurers is far greater than 
that title suggests.
  Today, we may take for granted the conservation of lands for our 
national parks and wilderness areas, but without the efforts of Stewart 
Udall, we would not have these vast unspoiled areas across our country. 
A lifelong conservationist, Secretary Udall oversaw the expansion of 
the National Park system to include four new national parks, six new 
national monuments, eight seashores and lakeshores, nine recreation 
areas, twenty historic sites, and fifty-six wildlife refuges. And he 
profoundly influenced the national landscape with his leadership on the 
Wilderness Bill, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, the Water Quality Act, 
the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and others.
  Point Reyes National Seashore (PRNS), in California's Sixth District, 
is one of the jewels in the National Parks system that owes its 
existence to Stewart Udall. Working with Congressman Clem Miller, Ed 
Wayburn, and others, Secretary Udall shepherded its establishment by 
Congress and President Kennedy in 1962 and continued to work for 
funding and expansion under President Johnson.
  Following his tenure as Secretary of the Interior, he joined the 
Advisory Board of Save Our Seashore (SOS), a local group founded by 
State Senator Peter Behr. SOS secured support to incorporate the 
surrounding ranchlands into the park; these lands were thus saved from 
development and then leased back to the original families to continue 
agricultural activities.
  Secretary Udall's words in a letter to Senator Behr still resonate 
today: ``That this magnificent stretch of the California Coast, within 
a mere 100 miles of five million people, has remained virtually intact 
and unchanged from the first day it was sighted by Sir Francis Drake in 
1579 seems almost a miracle. . . . It is a scandal of historic 
proportions if the American people, at the peak of our affluence, admit 
that we lack the foresight and the wherewithal to preserve this great 
Seashore intact for ourselves and for future generations. If we can 
afford, this year, 600 million to develop an SST, it is an admission of 
moral bankruptcy if we are unable to fund the completion of the 
purchase of these parklands.''
  These values explain why we enjoy the magnificence of Point Reyes 
National Seashore--from its stunning ocean vistas to its windswept 
hills--and are also a stirring reminder of the importance of 
environmental preservation in our Nation's priorities.
  Secretary Udall's eloquence, warmth, and passion were deeply moving 
when I had the honor of meeting him at Point Reyes National Seashore in 
2004. At that time, he described the establishment of the park and read 
from a book he had written on the history of the old West. His passion 
for the landscape--and its plant, animal, and human inhabitants--shone 
in every word.
  Stewart Udall was born in a rural area of Arizona in 1920, served in 
the United States Air Force in World War II, and then opened a law 
practice with his brother Morris (Mo). His father was an Arizona 
Supreme Court Justice, and, continuing the family passion for public 
service, Udall was elected to Congress in 1954. After his appointment 
as Secretary of the Interior in 1961, Morris was elected to that seat, 
and today Stewarts's son Tom is a Senator from New Mexico and his 
nephew Mark is a Senator from Colorado.
  Secretary Udall was predeceased by his wife Erma and is survived by 
their six children, Tom, Scott, Lynn, Lori, Denis and Jay and their 
families.
  Madam Speaker, Stewart Udall's foresight and commitment will continue 
to shape the environment and landscape of this country. We

[[Page E556]]

owe a great debt to his skill and passion and must never forget his 
reminder that ``Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife 
are in fact plans to protect man.''

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