[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 76 (Monday, May 18, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Page S2968]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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     COMMEMORATING 35 YEARS SINCE THE ERUPTION OF MOUNT ST. HELENS

 Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, today marks the 35th anniversary 
of one of the largest and most devastating volcanic eruptions in the 
history of our Nation--the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Today, 
the people of my State continue to embrace the mountain's beauty, but 
retain a profound respect for its power given the potential for a recap 
of the 1980 eruption and the devastation that it brought.
  On the morning of May 18, 1980, small eruptions and earthquakes 
finally culminated in a destructive eruption that changed surrounding 
geography and rendered the neighboring ridges void of life. David 
Johnston, a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey was conducting 
measurements on the mountain. At 8:32 a.m., as an earthquake brought 
magma to St. Helens surface, Johnston sent the now infamous radio 
transmission: ``Vancouver, Vancouver. This is it!'' Sadly, just seconds 
later, Johnston was engulfed by the explosion and the ensuing landslide 
that swept laterally from the mountain at speeds as high as 670 miles 
per hour. Tragically, 57 lives were lost as a result of the eruption 
and 200 homes were destroyed along with bridges, roads, and railways in 
the vicinity. And the blast incinerated 100-year-old trees and all 
forms of plant life within the blast zone. Estimates put the total loss 
of trees at 4 billion board feet.
  In the 35 years since the eruption, the private sector and the 
Federal Government's approach to forestry has changed significantly. 
Following the eruption, Congress directed the Forest Service to embark 
on a new approach to forest management. In 1982, Congress created the 
Mount Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument. This 110,000 acre 
designation has created a kind of ``biological laboratory'' at the site 
of the eruption to let nature take its course. That foresight has 
allowed ecologists to learn that forests didn't regenerate from 
clearings the way scientists had believed for almost a century. We also 
learned the importance of leaving behind a legacy of dead trees to 
serve as homes for birds and that patches of remnant areas existed 
which supported sporadic groups of live trees. The learnings from this 
natural disaster shaped the forest policy that we see throughout much 
of Washington and the country today.
  Now, as residents in Washington and around the country are witnessing 
unusually large forest fires--the Federal Government needs to take the 
lessons learned following the Mount St. Helens eruptions and apply them 
to this new challenge. The government needs to do its part to rapidly 
provide the emergency services communities need after large fire and 
natural disasters. But we also need to stabilize slopes to prevent 
mudslides through investments in seismic monitoring equipment and Light 
Detection and Ranging or LiDAR. Just as we learned in the Mount St. 
Helens experiment, a great deal of wildlife thrive in the early forest 
conditions that come after a wildfire. Those areas need to be 
considered as managers look at what's the best for our Federal lands. 
And what better place to visit that conversation, than on the National 
Forest that houses the ecological record of the Mount St. Helens 
eruption of 35 years ago.
  Seismic activity in the Pacific Northwest isn't just a once in a 
generation event, but an ever present reality in Washington State. The 
eruption of Mount St. Helens provides a clear reminder of the value of 
early earthquake monitoring and warning systems. The Pacific Northwest 
Seismic Network offers early warning systems and comprehensive seismic 
monitoring that can warn communities up to a minute before an 
earthquake occurs, or even future volcanic eruptions. With constant 
seismic activity throughout much of Washington State, including at 
volcanos such as Glacier Peak in the Cascades, we must continue to make 
the vital investments in these early warning systems.
  I look forward to taking lessons learned on Mount St. Helens and 
applying them to a new approach to forest policy. I have also called 
for us as legislators and constituents to begin a conversation around 
what we want our national forests to look like over the next 50 years. 
What is working well, and what problems we do not want to see as we 
think about our 21st century vision for our national forests.
  As we reflect today on the tragic and watershed event that happened 
on Mount St. Helens 35 years ago, we must work to put our forests on a 
long-term track to successfully delivering the things we expect from 
them--quality recreation, clean water, clean air, wildlife habitat, and 
a sustainable supply of wood products.

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