[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3091-3093]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE LIFE OF MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS, CHAMPION OF THE FLORIDA 
       EVERGLADES AND FOUNDER OF FLORIDA'S ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT

  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 807) honoring the life of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, 
champion of the Florida Everglades and founder of Florida's 
environmental movement, as amended.

[[Page 3092]]

  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 807

       Whereas Marjory Stoneman Douglas was born on April 7, 1890, 
     in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the daughter of Frank Stoneman, 
     the first publisher of the Miami Herald;
       Whereas Marjory Stoneman Douglas graduated from Wellesley 
     College in 1912 where she was a member of the literary group 
     Scribblers, editor-in-chief of the yearbook, and served on 
     the executive board of the Equal Suffrage League;
       Whereas Marjory Stoneman Douglas served in the Red Cross in 
     Europe during World War I;
       Whereas Marjory Stoneman Douglas moved to Miami in 1915 and 
     became a reporter and writer at The Miami Herald where she 
     wrote about progressive issues such as the fight for women's 
     rights, racial justice, and environmental conservation;
       Whereas Marjory Stoneman Douglas wrote dozens of short 
     stories that were published in the Saturday Evening Post, 
     Collier's, and Woman's Home Companion throughout the 1920s, 
     30s, and 40s;
       Whereas in 1947 Marjory Stoneman Douglas wrote a ground-
     breaking book titled The Everglades: River of Grass that 
     helped to draw national attention to a vast and little-known 
     area that South Florida developers had deemed a worthless 
     swamp;
       Whereas in the same year, Marjory Stoneman Douglas' book 
     mustered the public support to guard this subtropical 
     marshland through a declaration from President Harry Truman, 
     officially protecting the Everglades as a National Park;
       Whereas at the age of 78, Marjory Stoneman Douglas founded 
     the Friends of the Everglades, an educational and advocacy 
     group dedicated to the protection and restoration of this 
     ecosystem that continues to be at forefront of Florida 
     conservation;
       Whereas in November 1993, President Bill Clinton awarded 
     Marjory Stoneman Douglas the Presidential Medal of Freedom, 
     the highest honor given to a civilian;
       Whereas 2007 marked the 60th anniversary of the publication 
     of her book, The Everglades: River of Grass; and
       Whereas Marjory Stoneman Douglas passed away in 1998 living 
     to the age of 108, her ashes scattered in the Everglades she 
     worked so tirelessly to preserve: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors the 
     life, achievements, and distinguished career of Marjory 
     Stoneman Douglas, pioneer in the field of conservation, on 
     the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the publication of 
     The Everglades: River of Grass.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) and the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from West Virginia.


                             General Leave

  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from West Virginia?
  There was no objection.

                              {time}  1430

  Mr. RAHALL. Following on the heels of the resolution just considered 
by the House, this resolution honors the life, accomplishments, and 
distinguished career of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the ``Grande Dame of 
the Everglades,'' on the 60th anniversary of the publication of her 
book, The Everglades: River of Grass. House Resolution 807 was 
introduced by our colleague from Florida, Representative Ileana Ros-
Lehtinen, and is cosponsored by every member of the Florida delegation.
  Marjory Stoneman Douglas was an author, journalist, and environmental 
conservationist, best known for her advocacy for the preservation of 
the Florida Everglades. Her best known work, The Everglades: River of 
Grass, is considered a classic example of environmental writing and is 
credited with bolstering public support for preserving the Everglades 
as a National Park.
  I support passage of H. Res. 807 and urge its adoption by the House.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. I also rise in support of House Resolution 807 
and yield myself such time as I may consume.
  This resolution has been well explained by the chairman, and I would 
also like to commend the Congresswoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) 
for her work on this resolution. What is most extraordinary about 
Marjory Stoneman Douglas is that she did not take a central role the 
Everglades fight until she was 78, an age when most people begin to 
settle into their retirement, and she would continue her fight for 
another 30 years, until the age of 108.
  I urge the adoption of this resolution.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support 
of House Resolution 807, a resolution honoring the life of Marjory 
Stoneman Douglas, champion of the Florida Everglades and founder of 
Florida's environmental movement. I am proud to have introduced this 
resolution with my colleague and good friend, Representative Ileana 
Ros-Lehtinen. I share Representative Ros-Lehtinen's desire to recognize 
and commemorate the significance of Marjory Stoneman Douglas's lifelong 
work to promote awareness of the need to protect and conserve Florida 
and the entire Nation's natural resources.
  As co-chair of the Everglades Caucus, I particularly share Ms. 
Douglas's passionate commitment to restoring the River of Grass to the 
pristine ecosystem it once was.
  Ms. Douglas deserves much credit for raising awareness of the 
importance of these majestic wetlands and making restoration efforts a 
national priority. In 1947 she wrote the infamous book, ``The 
Everglades: River of Grass,'' which helped draw national attention to 
the Everglades. This book is responsible for initiating public support 
for President Harry Truman's 1947 declaration officially protecting the 
Everglades as a national park. Today, this book serves a the ``bible'' 
for all Everglades supporters and environmental activists around the 
world.
  Ms. Douglas is also responsible for founding the Friends of the 
Everglades, an educational and advocacy group dedicated to the 
protection and restoration of the Everglades. Through the group's 
ecosystem conservation efforts, Ms. Douglas's legacy lives on.
  This resolution enjoys bipartisan support from every Member of the 
Florida delegation. The support this resolution enjoys indicates the 
respect our delegation has for Ms. Douglas's lifelong work and the 
impact of her contributions on the entire State of Florida.
  I am proud to join Representative Ros-Lehtinen in introducing this 
bipartisan resolution and pledge to carry on Ms. Douglas's legacy 
effort by continuing to champion Everglades restoration efforts in 
Congress.
  I urge my colleagues to adopt this excellent resolution.
  Ms. CASTOR. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H. Res. 807, honoring the 
life of Marjory Stoneman Douglas, champion of the Florida Everglades, 
and founder of Florida's environmental movement. Marjory Stoneman 
Douglas's life was dedicated to the idea that my State of Florida, and 
indeed the United States has a great treasure in the Everglades, unlike 
any other in the world. When others were looking at the land of the 
Everglades with the hope of draining away the water, and building on 
the land, Marjory Stoneman Douglas allowed all of us to see Florida the 
way she saw it, in its utterly unique natural majesty. When she spoke, 
it was with the voice of the Everglades, and the natural places of 
Florida.
  Marjory Stoneman Douglas was a tireless advocate since her youth, 
writing as a voice for the voiceless and downtrodden, and fighting for 
equality of people of all races, genders, and for the conservation of 
the natural places. But it was not until she was almost 60 years old, 
that she wrote ``Everglades: River of Grass.'' That book, in the 
simplicity, beauty and depth of its prose, opened the eyes of America 
to the significance of the Everglades, and the great danger of allowing 
that treasure to be squandered. Marjory Stoneman Douglas wrote 
``Everglades: River of Grass in 1947.'' By December of that year, the 
Everglades had been dedicated as a part of the National Parks System.
  Marjory Stoneman Douglas devoted her life to preserving the 
Everglades she had first helped to bring into American consciousness. 
She fought to prevent shortsighted development that would have 
permanently damaged the Everglades, and to restore the park to its 
former majesty. In her autobiography, she wrote that ``Since 1972, I've 
been going around making speeches on the Everglades. No matter how poor 
my eyes are I can still talk. I'll talk about the Everglades at the 
drop of a hat. Whoever wants me to talk, I'll come over and tell them 
about the necessity of preserving the Everglades.''
  She began ``Everglades: River of Grass'' by writing, ``there are no 
other Everglades in the world. They are, they have always been, one

[[Page 3093]]

of the unique regions of the earth.'' In the same way, there was only 
one Marjory Stoneman Douglas. She was a unique individual, in the 
conservation movement, and we in Florida, and in the United States, owe 
her a great debt. We are proud to honor her life and her work today.
  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. RAHALL. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from West Virginia (Mr. Rahall) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 807, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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