[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 25989]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    RECOGNITION OF SPORTSMEN'S WEEK

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                           HON. JOHN J. HALL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 27, 2007

  Mr. HALL of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in 
enthusiastic recognition of Sportsmen's Week in the House of 
Representatives.
  Outdoor activities are important parts of the fabric of American 
life. As our Nation faces new environmental challenges, we can look to 
the historic commitment of sportsmen to conservation, wildlife 
management, and the preservation of open spaces to find guiding 
principles that will allow us to coexist with nature. The most famous 
embodiment of this tradition can be found in the tireless drive of 
President Theodore Roosevelt, an avid outdoorsman and hunter, to make 
conservation and harmonious existence with nature national priorities.
  My home, New York's Hudson Valley, has been blessed by an abundance 
of natural beauty and wildlife. The tie between sportsmen and their 
natural surroundings there remains strong and makes a significant 
contribution to our quality of life.
  Hunters and fisherman in the region, organized in groups like the 
Orange County Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, are constantly engaged 
in a wide variety of activities to maintain and improve our environment 
and enhance local recreation. They include important educational 
programs that teach important hunting and fishing skills in addition to 
the safety courses needed to obtain licenses and hunt responsibly. 
Sportsmen also set an admirable example by establishing a respectful, 
mutually beneficial relationship with ecosystems and wildlife through 
seasonal restocking operations. They also work to ensure that the 
natural beauty of our Nation will be passed on to future generations by 
aggressively working to preserve open space and expand parkland.
  All these activities have important social, economic, and 
environmental benefits, and it is only right that we acknowledge them 
here in the House of Representatives during Sportsmen's Week. I was 
proud to support Representative Gillibrand's resolution supporting the 
goals of National Hunting and Fishing Day, and am honored to recognize 
Sportsmen's Week in Congress.

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