[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 134 (Thursday, September 17, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1305]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





             JOHN MUIR NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE EXPANSION ACT

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                               speech of

                          HON. MARK DeSAULNIER

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 16, 2015

  Mr. DeSAULNIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my strong support of 
H.R. 1289, the John Muir National Historic Site Expansion Act.
  This bipartisan legislation will expand the Martinez, California 
historic site in my district that celebrates the life and legacy of 
John Muir. Muir was a lifelong conservationist, leading advocate of the 
National Park Service and a co-founder of the Sierra Club. He worked to 
establish and protect national parks including Yosemite, Sequoia, the 
Grand Canyon and Mt. Rainier.
  The John Muir National Historic Site, which includes the home where 
he lived, covers 330 acres of Contra Costa County where Muir championed 
the revolutionary idea that wild spaces should be set aside for all to 
enjoy. This bill would add 44 acres of donated land from a non-profit 
trust, improving access to the park and its scenic trails, including 
those on Mount Wanda, named for Muir's eldest daughter. The trail 
systems are accessible for hikers, bikers and equestrians, including 
critical connections to the 550-mile Bay Area Ridge Trail and to nearby 
protected lands along the Franklin Ridge corridor.
  As John Muir said, ``everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places 
to play in . . . where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to 
body and soul alike.''
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my predecessor Congressman George Miller 
who has been a champion of this bill. I appreciate Natural Resource 
Committee Chairman Bishop and Ranking Member Grijalva, Subcommittee 
Chairman McClintock, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Tsongas for their 
leadership in bringing H.R. 1289 to the floor today.
  I am grateful for the support of 31 of my colleagues from both sides 
of the aisle who cosponsored this bill and to Senators Boxer and 
Feinstein for sponsoring this legislation in the U.S. Senate. I would 
also like to thank the John Muir Land Trust for its hard work and 
dedication preserving and protecting this valuable parkland and 
shoreline in Contra Costa County for future generations.
  As our Nation prepares to celebrate the Centennial of the National 
Park Service, this legislation will help preserve the trails and lands 
that surround the longtime home of the man known as the Father of the 
National Park Service. I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this 
bipartisan legislation--The John Muir National Historic Site Expansion 
Act.

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