[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 18058]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         WAYNE NATIONAL FOREST

 Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, 75 years ago this November, 
Ohio's first national forest was established. On November 12, 1935, 43 
acres in the Appalachian foothills of Lawrence County became the Wayne 
National Forest. Today, more than 240,000 acres of reclaimed and 
reforested land spanning 12 counties makeup the ``Wayne.''
  For 75 years, rangers, foresters, and dedicated volunteers have 
worked to restore landscapes that had been abandoned or stripped bare 
by mining and logging. The early years of the Wayne corresponded with 
President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal program, the Civilian 
Conservation Corps, CCC. The CCC gave young people across the country 
work--and a hot meal--improving our Nation's infrastructure and 
preserving our natural resources. The legacy of the CCC lives on in the 
Wayne's Shawnee and Snake Ridge Lookout Towers, constructed in 1939, 
and the Vesuvius Dam, completed in 1941 and now home to wildlife and 
recreational activities on the lake.
  With the help of President Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment 
Act of 2009, the Wayne National Forest is once again preparing for the 
future; restoring ecosystems, improving roads, and installing more than 
250 solar panels on its headquarters in Nelsonville.
  Home to more than 300 miles of trails, the Wayne receives thousands 
of visitors and families each year who go hiking, biking, hunting, 
horseback riding, and camping along the scenic hills and hollows of the 
forest.
  The Wayne has also played an important role in preserving the storied 
history of the Adena and Hopewell Cultures in Ohio. Because the 
archaeological ruins of these mound-building cultures have been 
maintained, a new generation of visitors will learn about the history 
of Native Americans in Ohio.
  Our public lands, and in particular the Wayne, are part of Ohio's 
heritage and history. John F. Seiberling, a former Congressman from 
Akron and longtime conservationist said, ``We will never see the land 
as our ancestors did. But we can understand what made it beautiful and 
why they lived and died to preserve it. And in preserving it for future 
generations, we will preserve something of ourselves. If we all have an 
interest in this land, then we all have a stake in its preservation. 
There is no more worthwhile cause.''
  The Wayne has strengthened the region's economy and encouraged 
responsible stewardship of southeast Ohio's varied ecosystems and 
habitats.
  I congratulate and thank the rangers, staff, and supporters who for 
75 years have served as stewards of Wayne National Forest. When Thomas 
Jefferson granted Ohio's statehood 207 years ago, southeastern Ohio was 
the gateway to our nation's westward expansion--and Marietta the first 
official town of the newly established Northwest Territory. Wayne 
National Forest plays a vital role in our frontier history and will 
continue to serve as a getaway for the tens of thousands of Ohioans who 
enjoy its beauty and embrace its role as one of Ohio's natural crown 
jewels.

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