[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 167 (Wednesday, November 13, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H5959-H5960]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                TREE PLANTING AND METROPARKS INVESTMENT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Ohio (Ms. Kaptur) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, during this fall season, thanks are due to 
the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its award of 10,000 trees to the 
city of Toledo, Ohio.
  Worth millions of dollars, these trees will be planted in oxygen-
short neighborhoods and barren industrial and commercial zones to 
achieve beautification and better air quality. Others will replace 
legacy trees damaged by severe weather events such as tornadoes that 
occurred in Point Place, to beautify our precious coastal community.
  As a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural 
Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, this 
significant boost from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will present 
our western basin with a major new opportunity.
  Planting trees can develop community-wide and neighborhood 
environmental consciousness by organizing grassroots planting teams 
across our precious fresh watershed. We all have a responsibility to 
the future by helping seed a new and renewed consciousness across Lake 
Erie's abundant western freshwater basin. Indeed, the city of Toledo 
sits at the lowest elevation in our vast watershed that hugs Lake Erie 
and drains all the runoff into it. Thus, trees also provide a great 
filtering capacity as trees store and filter water.
  The city of Toledo has been handed this rather major task to green 
up. My hope is that regional stewardship will include trees acquired 
from local growers, links to environmental organizations, and 
engagement of our Metroparks and Black Swamp Conservancy. Tree planting 
creates a once-in-a-generation opportunity for community betterment and 
for popular mobilization.
  Toledo youth and other organizations in our neighborhoods, including 
downtown Toledo itself, will benefit from this 10,000 trees promise of 
a better future for our coastal city as a welcoming and beautiful 
destination where the Lake and the Maumee River, the largest river to 
flow into the Great Lakes, adjoin at the coastline's edge.
  Coastal, river, and stream bank planting will help relieve flooding. 
Mature trees hold hundreds of gallons of water and reduce flooding to 
assist homeowners in places that are along Swan Creek, Reynolds Road, 
Byrne Road, Sleepy Hollow corridors, as well as west Toledo and other 
areas that still have water runoff on occasion and are challenged.
  Strategic tree planting can improve our entire region. It can improve 
our freshwater rivers, streams, and ditches that run through Toledo. 
Their banks must be attended, starting where tornadoes have just 
destroyed hundreds and hundreds of legacy trees. Trees can help upgrade 
our civic center and many of our corridors along Cherry Street, the 
South End, and Junction neighborhoods.
  The Ohio Turnpike exit onto U.S. 20 still is the only exit in the 
cities of Toledo and Maumee off the Ohio Turnpike. This corridor should 
be showcased by tree plantings leading to Toledo's Botanical Garden, 
its CYO fields, and then proceeding up to the Wildwood Preserve.
  The U.S. 24 artery that I was proud to champion has been improved 
from the Port of Toledo all the way to the Indiana border, carefully 
winding through some of the richest farmland in the world.
  This freshwater corridor can be visually upgraded even more with 
trees as one approaches our freshwater kingdom. Indeed, our region is 
located at the southernmost, warmest coastline in the entire Great 
Lakes. The Maumee River is the largest river that flows into the Great 
Lakes and we should showcase it and its boundaries regardless of 
political jurisdiction.
  Currently, millions of potential visitors coming across the Ohio 
Turnpike would never think of exiting off into our region because 
signage does not create a reason for them to do so. A tree corridor can 
welcome visitors from far and wide. My hope is that this project is not 
just about sending out trucks with tree saplings and excavator buckets. 
My hope is that our region's leaders can use this opportunity

[[Page H5960]]

to take bold leadership to spruce up our ``Glass City'' in a garden.
  We know Toledo has oxygen deficits in several regions, especially 
where industrial development and leaching landfills cause pollutants 
like CO2 and methane to continue emitting. Planting trees 
may seem like a simple undertaking, yet Toledo is nestled inside the 
largest watershed in the entire Great Lakes. It is sustainable and 
unique globally if properly tended.
  Our citizenry is motivated to manage our precious assets going 
forward, including attention to new-age production greenhouses that 
produce millions of plants and fresh produce we all enjoy. If this were 
Amish country, there would be a welcome center, signage, websites, 
beautified exit ramps leading off the turnpike exit to Reynolds Road up 
to Hill Avenue at the Kyle Farm where we have the opportunity for a 
visitor center and dozens and dozens of local farm markets in the 
region.

  Mr. Speaker, I thank you so very much for allowing me to speak today 
because we all know what America makes and grows makes and grows 
America.

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