[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 27 (Tuesday, February 26, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H635-H636]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       THE GARDEN CLUB OF AMERICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, as we lurch into another series of 
artificial crises surrounding budget sequestration, there is a bright 
spot this week. We will witness an amazing series of visits on Capitol 
Hill by members of the Garden Club of America. Celebrating their 100th 
year as a national organization established in 1913, there is no more 
awesome group of citizen lobbyists than these women from all across 
America.
  I first encountered the women's garden club in the person of the late 
Nancy Russell, who was a member of the Portland Garden Club and a 
ferocious, tenacious advocate for the protection of the national 
treasure that is the Columbia River Gorge. Nancy's personal commitment, 
insight, drive and passion made it possible for politicians in both 
parties to enact historic unique legislation protecting the magnificent 
Columbia River Gorge and establishing a framework of protection for 
generations to come.
  Nancy would marshal her argument with facts, was an expert at 
generating positive publicity, could turn on the charm, and if that 
didn't work, she could play hardball politics with the best of them. 
Imagine my surprise and delight in coming to Congress when I found that 
there were other advocates--although there will never be another Nancy 
Russell--there are other women from across America who had their own 
commitment, passion, zeal, focus and follow-through who were enriching 
their communities while they helped the national conservation 
discussion.
  The Garden Club has a broad and ambitious agenda seeking to promote 
our open spaces, and zealous in their support for our threatened 
National Park System. They're strong advocates and protectors of the 
Land and Water Conservation Act and the LWCF funds that have so rarely 
been fully budgeted in the program's 50 years.
  Now, global warming inspires heated rhetoric here on Capitol Hill. 
And while garden club members are deeply concerned about weather 
instability caused by climate change, they do so with a calm, clear, 
dispassionate view of the facts in a way that should inspire and 
encourage everybody here in Congress.
  For years, they have advocated for a farm bill that was stronger in 
the areas

[[Page H636]]

of nutrition, conservation, and environmental protection while saving 
money. They advocate harnessing the power of that farm bill to protect 
sustainable agriculture and the production of specialty crops--which 
most of America calls ``food''.
  In the midst of some of the most bizarre accusations one will ever 
hear, theirs is a clarion call of rationality and wisdom for the 
ratification of the Treaty of the Sea that is languishing. Despite the 
support of the Bush, Clinton, and Obama administrations and an 
unprecedented coalition of business, industry, and educational leaders, 
the United States continues to be an outlier, to the detriment of our 
defense and commercial interests.
  These are just a few of the areas that they concentrate on during 
their Washington visit. Most important, they connect what is happening 
at the local level with people who care about clean air, the beauty of 
the landscape and the treasures that enrich our souls, as well as the 
things that protect the environment for future generations. I strongly 
urge my colleagues to find time to visit with the Garden Club 
representatives from their State not just here in Washington, D.C., 
this week, but reach out to them at home and hear what they have to 
say. There will be no more productive meeting you will have with the 
inspiration that comes from listening to clear-headed, clear-eyed 
voices of wisdom and restraint. These meetings will stand out as an 
oasis in the war of words over our next round of manufactured crises.

                          ____________________