[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 11]
[Senate]
[Pages 15258-15259]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  30TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PRESIDENT'S COMMISSION ON AMERICANS OUTDOORS

  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, in 1985, when I was Governor of 
Tennessee, I got a call from Don Hodel, the Secretary of the Interior 
for President Reagan. He asked me to be the chairman of ORRRC 2, a 
follow-up (commission to the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review 
Commission, which was led by Laurance Rockefeller a generation earlier. 
I agreed in part because of my love for the outdoors, but also because 
Don told me that Gil Grosvenor would serve as vice chairman of the 
commission and Pat Noonan would serve on the board.
  The chance to work with them and the National Geographic Society made 
the request to serve as chairman of the commission even more 
attractive. My first act as chairman was to change the name from ORRRC 
2 to the President's Commission on Americans Outdoors. The new name did 
a better job of conveying our mission: ``to look ahead for a generation 
and see what needs to be done for Americans to have appropriate places 
to do what they want to do outdoors.''
  More than a generation has passed now, and on this 30th anniversary 
of the commission, we can look back on the recommendations of the 
report and take an assessment.
  Overall, the commission found that ``outdoor recreation occurs close 
to home, in or near towns or cities where 80 percent of us soon will 
live. So, more and more, the solutions must be found close to home. We 
have concluded that the best way to assure that Americans will have 
adequate outdoor recreation opportunities is through a prairie fire of 
concern and investment, community by community. State and local 
governments will play a major role, but implementation of our 
recommendations ultimately will depend on the efforts of thousands of 
individual citizens, nonprofit organizations, and businesses.''
  The idea that outdoor recreation occurs close to home was especially 
true for me.
  I was one of the luckiest guys in the world growing up in Maryville, 
in Blount County, TN.
  When you grow up next to a national park, what do you do? You grow up 
in the park. You spent your weekends and special times there, and most 
all the memories I have are related to the Smokies.
  When I was 15, my dad dropped me off at Newfound Gap on the day after 
Christmas. I was with two other boys in 3 feet of snow, and my dad 
said, ``I'll pick you up in Gatlinburg,'' which was 15 miles away. He 
did, later that afternoon.
  Then, later that same year, we were in Spence Field, and we made an 
error in judgment. About 3 in the morning, I looked over, and I thought 
one of my bunkmates was moving around, but it turns out it was a bear. 
We left breakfast in our packs inside the tent, which is something you 
should never do and something I have never done since. These are 
memories that stick with us forever.
  A generation earlier, in 1958, Congress created the Outdoor 
Recreation Resources Review Commission to ensure America did not 
neglect its heritage of the outdoors. The commission was chaired by 
Laurance Rockefeller. Like me, Laurance Rockefeller was fascinated with 
the natural world from a young age. His father, John D. Rockefeller, 
Jr., was an enthusiastic supporter of park-building and historic 
preservation. John D. Rockefeller, Jr., also had a hand in shaping my 
childhood outdoor memories.
  1872, Congress established Yellowstone National Park, carving the 
park out of land already owned by the Federal Government. In the 
following years, Congress followed this model, protecting and 
preserving Federal acres out West. In the early 20th century, citizens 
in the eastern part of the country began to push for national parks of 
their own. However, the land was already privately owned and would need 
to be purchased and donated to the Federal Government before a park 
could be created.
  In the late 1920s, $5 million was raised to create a new national 
park in the Smokies on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina. The 
two States had appropriated $2 million each for the effort and combined 
that with $1 million in private donations, but that was only half the 
money needed to purchase the land that was needed to create the new 
park.
  That is when John D. Rockefeller, Jr., stepped in and matched the 
money that had been raised with a donation of $5 million through the 
Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Fund. Rockefeller's donation assured 
the purchase of the land and the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains 
National Park, where I spent my childhood and still live next to today.
  Nearly 25 years after the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was 
established, John D. Rockefeller, Jr.'s son worked with Congress to 
find solutions to continue to protect our Nation's treasures. The 
Rockefeller Commission advocated for a Federal national recreation 
policy ``to preserve, develop and make accessible to all Americans the 
resources needed for individual enjoyment and outdoor recreation.''
  The Land and Water Conservation Fund and the National Wild and Scenic 
Rivers System grew out of the recommendations of the report. Years 
later, the President's Commission on Americans Outdoors reaffirmed our 
commitment to these Federal programs, and we also took an important 
step forward by recommending policies that States, towns, and 
individuals could adopt. We focused on State and local action, calling 
for investments from communities around the country to help keep our 
outdoors great.
  First, our commission recommended land trusts, ``private landowners 
recognizing the opportunity to provide expanded recreation resources 
and services to the public.'' Local land trusts have been one of the 
fastest growing conservation tools in the past 30 years. These local 
land trusts work with landowners who volunteer to preserve their 
property through conservation easements. According to the Land Trust 
Alliance's ``Land Trust Census,'' there are over 1,300 land trusts that 
are active in the United States.
  These 1,300 national, State, and local land trusts have conserved 
more than 56 million acres as of the end of 2015, an increase of 9 
million acres since 2010. In Tennessee, 15 active land trusts have 
protected nearly 900,000 acres throughout the State. In 1999, Jeanie 
Nelson and former Governor Phil Bredesen founded the land trust for 
Tennessee. In less than 20 years, the land trust has protected over 
100,000 acres of Tennessee landscapes. In 2015, the Foothills Land 
Conservancy, which ``is dedicated to protecting, preserving, and 
enhancing the lands and environments of the Southern Appalachian 
region,'' completed ``a record number 24 land partnerships totaling 
7,215 acres'' spanning five States and seven Tennessee counties.
  When our report came out 30 years ago, less than 5 million acres were 
protected by State and local land trusts. Today more than 20 million 
acres are protected by State and local land trusts. The explosion of 
state and local land trusts has greatly increased access to our 
country's outdoors.
  Second, our commission recommended that ``local and state governments 
create a network of scenic byways, compose of scenic roadways and 
thoroughfares throughout the nation.'' We are seeing the benefits from 
that recommendation today. In 1991, Congress created the National 
Scenic Byways Program to recognize and protect roads for their 
archaeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic 
value.
  Today, according to the Federal Highway Administration, there are 150 
designated National Scenic Byways and American Roads in 46 States 
throughout the Nation. Five of these national scenic byways pass 
through Tennessee.
  In the 1980's, as Tennessee was building new highways to attract the 
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industry, the State created 10,000 miles of State roads and scenic 
highways. These roads, marked with mockingbird signs, prohibited new 
billboards and new junkyards and allow people to enjoy the beauty of 
the state as they drive across the country. These scenic byways bring 
visitors to Tennessee and the beauty of our State keeps them coming 
back.
  Third, we recommended that ``communities establish greenways, 
corridors of private and public recreation lands and waters, to provide 
people with access to open spaces close to where they live, and to link 
together the rural and urban spaces in the American landscape.'' Today, 
there are almost 1,000 greenways and trails in Tennessee that provide 
access to the outdoors to Tennesseans in their own communities.
  A good national example of the popularity of greenways is the 
dramatic increase in rails-to-trails projects across the country. In 
communities throughout the Nation, unused railroad tracks and the land 
surrounding the tracks are sold or donated and converted into to new 
recreational trails.
  According to the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, there are over 22,000 
miles of open trails that were converted from previous railroad tracks 
and rights-of-way. In Tennessee, today there are over 30 rails-to-
trails projects that cover 125 miles.
  Fourth, we recommended full funding of the Land and Water 
Conservation Fund, which was first proposed in Laurance Rockefeller's 
Commission. The idea for the Land and Water Conservation Fund was very 
simple. It was to say, ``When we have an environmental burden, we 
should have an environmental benefit.'' If we are going to drill for 
oil offshore for example, that is an environmental burden. We said 
let's take some of those revenues and use them for an environmental 
benefit.
  So since the 1960s, we have used oil and gas revenues to conserve 
important parts of America. Rocky Fork, in my home State of Tennessee, 
is an excellent example of the productive use of LWCF funding. Ten 
years ago, the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, the 
Appalachian Trail Conservancy, and the Conservation Fund began working 
with the U.S. Forest Service, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, 
and the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to protect 
Rocky Fork, a 10,000-acre tract in Tennessee within the Cherokee 
National Forest.
  In 2015, working together and using Land and Water Conservation Fund 
dollars, Federal, State, and local partners saved the largest 
unprotected tract of land in the Southern Appalachians from 
development. To make sure everyone could enjoy this natural treasure, 
the State of Tennessee used some of the land to create the Rocky Fork 
State Park. The State park--with its proximity to the Appalachian 
Trail, miles of native brook trout streams with cascades and 
waterfalls, historic battle site, Black Bear Reserve, significant 
wildlife habitat and scenic vistas--may 1 day be the State's most 
popular park. It wouldn't have been possible without tree Land and 
Water Conservation Fund.
  As chairman, I also called on my fellow Governors to establish State-
level outdoor commissions. Twenty-five States responded by establishing 
commissions or holding Governors' forums. Seven additional States had 
recently completed conferences on the topic in anticipation of a 
national study. The purpose of my call to the Nation's Governors was 
``to stimulate action at the local and state levels on behalf of the 
outdoors. More than 2,000 people testified at hearings or participated 
in meetings sponsored by States in 1986.'' The Tennessee State-level 
outdoor commission, Tennesseans Outdoors, sought to ``look 40 years 
down the road, to consider what people will want to do outdoors, and to 
see that there will be places for them to do those things.''
  The Tennessee Commission recommended setting aside special places 
throughout the State, making the most of the State's resources, 
ensuring a quality environment, spreading the word on the importance of 
the outdoors and recreation, and providing stable funding for important 
conservation and outdoor recreation projects. Specifically, one of the 
report's recommendations was for cities to promote urban open space 
preservation and riverfront planning. Today all of my home State's 
major metropolitan areas have taken steps to implement this 
recommendation.
  In 2004, Memphis adopted the Memphis Riverfront Master Plan, and the 
city has been making progress on riverfront redevelopment. Just 3 
months ago, the Big River Crossing--the longest public pedestrian and 
bike bridge across the Mississippi River--opened in Memphis.
  In 2005, the city of Chattanooga completed the 21st Century 
Waterfront Project, which redeveloped 129 acres ``along the river to 
create multiple public spaces and opportunities for citizens to enjoy 
Chattanooga's waterfront.''
  In 2006, Nashville began the process to revise the Nashville 
Riverfront for the 21st Century to ``provide new public attractions, 
parkland and waterfront access, giving residents and visitors a reason 
to come and enjoy both banks of the Cumberland River.''
  Also in 2006, Knoxville adopted the Knoxville South Waterfront Vision 
Plan to implement an improvement strategy for 750 acres along the 3-
mile shoreline of the Tennessee River that flows through Knoxville.
  Last year, the Tennessee Wildlife Federation called for the State to 
create a forum on Tennessee's great outdoors to ``assess the current 
status of our state's natural resources, identify critical challenges 
facing their management and conservation, and develop strategic 
solutions to ensure their persistence well into the future.''
  When advocating for a new forum, Mike Butler, the CEO of the 
Tennessee Wildlife Federation, acknowledged the success of the 
implementation of many of the recommendations of the Tennesseans 
Outdoors report, but also recognized that much has changed over the 
last 30 years and ``these changes have had a profound effect on our 
natural resources and outdoor recreation needs.'' Mike understands the 
need to reexamine the issues facing our State's great outdoors and to 
work together to maintain and expand the benefits that our outdoors 
provide.
  Like the State of Tennessee, 30 years ago, we looked at ways to help 
our future generations enjoy the great American outdoors like we did. 
Our report stated: ``We have learned over the course of our study of 
urgent needs for action to protect our outdoor recreation estate. 
Preservation of fast-disappearing open space, investment in 
rehabilitation of deteriorating facilities, getting ahead of urban 
growth as it races across the land--these are actions which cannot 
wait, but must be taken now, for tomorrow they will be more expensive, 
or in some cases, impossible.''
  From land trusts to greenways to scenic highways, many of the 
recommendations have been implemented, and we, as a country, have been 
able to preserve some of our open spaces and protect our outdoor 
recreation estate.
  One way to illustrate the success of these programs is to take a look 
at the economic benefit of today's outdoor economy. According to an 
Outdoor Industry Association economic study in 2012, outdoor recreation 
generates $646 billion in consumer spending and 6.1 million direct jobs 
each year. In Tennessee, outdoor recreation generates $8.2 billion 
annually in consumer spending and supports 83,000 direct jobs across 
the State.
  Our work is not done. Theodore Roosevelt once said that nothing short 
of defending this country in wartime ``compares in importance with the 
great central task of leaving this land even a better land for our 
descendants than it is for us. . . .''
  On the 30th anniversary of the Americans Outdoors Commission report, 
I look forward to continuing to work to protect and preserve the great 
American outdoors and leave future generations a more beautiful nation.

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