[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 4819]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               CELEBRATING SOUTH FLORIDA'S NATIONAL PARKS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight south 
Florida's wild and wonderful national parks--Biscayne, Dry Tortugas, 
and Everglades--during National Park Week and the National Park Service 
Centennial.
  American Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and historian Wallace Stegner 
is quoted as having said that our national parks were ``the best idea 
we have ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they 
reflect us at our best rather than our worst.''
  Indeed, south Florida is supremely fortunate to have Superintendent 
Pedro Ramos in charge of Dry Tortugas and Everglades National Parks. 
Superintendent Ramos understands and appreciates the importance of 
public access, the importance of the public's experiences, and the 
importance of continuing to reconnect the people of south Florida with 
the natural lands and waters that surround and support our community.
  Ultimately, enhancing public access and recreational opportunities in 
our national parks are vital to conserving America's natural and 
cultural heritage. That is why I am so troubled, Mr. Speaker, by the 
fishing access restrictions included in the 2015 general management 
plan of another iconic south Florida park, Biscayne National Park.
  The plan's marine reserve zone imposes a permanent moratorium on 
fishing across 10,500 acres of State waters, including 30 percent of 
the reef tract, denying fishing access to families and professional 
fishermen alike, without adequate scientific evidence to back it up.
  My Preserving Public Access to Public Waters Act, which passed the 
House in February as part of the SHARE Act, and its newly introduced 
Senate counterpart, from Senators Bill Cassidy and Marco Rubio, would 
help ensure that Federal bureaucrats and special interest groups do not 
overrule local community needs and concerns in this way anymore.

                              {time}  1015

  If our national parks are to remain absolutely American and 
absolutely democratic, then it is long since time for the National Park 
Service to consistently represent the Federal Government at its best 
rather than at its worst once again.
  The Park Service's stated mission is to preserve ``unimpaired the 
natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System 
for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future 
generations by cooperating with partners to extend the benefits of 
natural and cultural resources conservation and outdoor recreation 
throughout the country and the world.''
  Everglades National Park Superintendent Ramos has demonstrated that 
he is a true ambassador for this lofty and worthy mission. He 
represents the National Park Service and the Federal Government at its 
best: open and inclusive, seeking balanced solutions, and guided by a 
profound sense of service to the American people.
  Meanwhile, Biscayne's general management plan represents some of the 
worst aspects of the National Park Service and the Federal Government. 
It is focused so much on a narrow definition of preservation that it 
continually and completely fails the National Park Service's mission 
and disregards a whole community of park users.
  What is worse, with the varied threats facing south Florida's coral 
reefs, from changing ocean conditions to water quality issues, today 
fishing is a relatively minor contributor to coral reef decline in 
Biscayne.
  The real effect of Biscayne's marine reserve zone plan will be to 
continue losing coral at a drastic pace while also undercutting the 
public support needed to develop and implement real solutions to what 
ails our reefs.
  The National Park Service can, should, and must do better, and they 
should look to Superintendent Ramos and his leadership over similar 
issues at Everglades National Park for inspiration.
  Everglades National Park's own recently finalized general management 
plan, lauded by both fishermen and
environmentalists, clearly represents what is possible when guided by a 
true sense of the Park's mission.

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