[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 148 (Thursday, September 29, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1409]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING NATIONAL WILDERNESS MONTH

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                          HON. J. FRENCH HILL

                              of arkansas

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 28, 2016

  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of September as 
National Wilderness Month.
   This month we marked the 52nd anniversary of the Wilderness Act of 
1964, which created our National Wilderness Preservation System and 
established the procedure for designating federal lands as wilderness 
by Congress.
   Earlier this year, Congress was blessed with a visit from Pope 
Francis, who took his papal name from St. Francis of Assisi, the 
protector of the proper joyful balance in care for the earth. In his 
encyclical, the Holy Father notes St. Francis's request that ``part of 
the friary garden was always left untouched,'' just like America's 
extraordinary wilderness.
   Arkansas is home to 12 of these unique wilderness areas, including 
the Flatside Wilderness in the Ouachita National Forest. In March, I 
was joined by Arkansas Rep. Rick Beck, members of the Boy Scouts, the 
Ozark Society, the Sierra Club, and representatives from the U.S. 
Forest Service on a six mile hike through Flatside, enjoying the serene 
beauty of this area left wild.
   During National Wilderness Month, we recognize these wilderness 
areas in our great country and the need to preserve them for future 
generations of Americans.

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