[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 171 (Tuesday, October 16, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1419-E1420]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF WILD AND SCENIC DESIGNATION FOR THE EIGHTMILE 
                            RIVER WATERSHED

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JOE COURTNEY

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 16, 2018

  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate ten years of 
Wild and Scenic designation for eastern Connecticut's Eightmile River 
Watershed.
  The Eightmile River Watershed is situated among the towns of Lyme, 
Salem, and East Haddam, Connecticut. Despite its name, the watershed is 
comprised of over 150 miles of pristine rivers and streams and 62 
square miles of relatively undeveloped rural land. It boasts 
unfragmented habitats, rare and diverse wildlife, scenic vistas, high 
water quality, unimpeded stream flow, and significant cultural 
features. Most notably, the overall Eightmile River Watershed ecosystem 
is healthy and intact throughout virtually all of its range.
  In 2008, under the Consolidated Natural Resources Act, the Eightmile 
River Watershed became an official part of the nation's Wild and Scenic 
River System. This designation established a non-regulatory management 
plan to be implemented jointly by the National Park Service and the 
Eightmile River Wild and Scenic Coordinating Committee. It ensures the 
watershed is funded and protected well into the future. This 
achievement and its ten-year milestone is especially important to me, 
as H.R. 986, the Eightmile Wild and Scenic River

[[Page E1420]]

Act, was the first piece of legislation I introduced as a newly-elected 
member of Congress, just two months into my first term as 
Representative from Connecticut's Second District.
  However special this legislation may be to me, I would be remiss not 
to thank the group of stakeholders--in particular Anthony Irving and 
Dr. David Bingham--who, along with many others, really got this project 
off the ground. The care and concern of these residents, town boards, 
area land trusts, and river-fronting landowners led to the development 
of the Eightmile River Wild & Scenic Study Committee. Once a study was 
completed, citizens from all three towns voted to support the Eightmile 
River Watershed Management Plan and Wild and Scenic designation. Each 
town's land use commission, the Boards of Selectmen, and the study 
committee followed suit, making this vision a reality.
  The Wild and Scenic designation is truly a high honor--one that is 
applied to less than one quarter of one percent of the nation's rivers. 
We in eastern Connecticut are grateful to have such a small piece of 
Eden in our backyard and even more grateful for those who have pledged 
to protect it for the past ten years. I'm confident it will be in good 
hands for years to come.

                          ____________________