[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 32, Number 31 (Monday, August 5, 1996)]
[Pages 1366-1367]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Statement on Signing the Mollie Beattie Wilderness Area Act

July 29, 1996

    I have today signed into law S. 1899, the ``Mollie Beattie 
Wilderness Area Act''. While not everyone had the pleasure of knowing 
and working with Mollie Beattie, her lifelong dedication to conservation 
has enriched every American. This legislation names one of Alaska's most 
imposing wilderness areas in her honor. It ensures that future 
generations will recall the lasting contributions Mollie made to 
conserving our Nation's priceless natural heritage.
    Mollie stands out in my memory as the person releasing a bald eagle 
named Hope back into the wild to celebrate the improving condition of 
our national symbol. I also remember her as one of the people carrying 
the gray wolf back into the Yellowstone ecosystem in a vital effort to 
help restore nature's balance. Yet these two events, unforgettable as 
they are, represent only symbols of Mollie's many achievements as the 
first female Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
    Although her tenure as director was tragically cut short, Mollie 
left an enduring legacy to the American people. She was determined to 
conserve the world's wild creatures and their habitat, and to do so 
effectively. As a direct result of her efforts to make the Endangered 
Species Act work better, Americans everywhere have voluntarily joined in 
conserving and restoring the landscapes and open spaces that surround 
them.
    Mollie strove throughout her life to help people understand the 
connections that linked the quality of their daily lives to the health 
and well-being of America's wildlife. Anyone who ever worked with Mollie 
recognized that her caring, compassion, and wisdom extended to all 
living creatures. She truly understood the need to actively engage 
people in wildlife conservation efforts.
    Under this legislation, Mollie Beattie's name will be forever 
associated with one of the most wild and beautiful places on this 
planet, the Brooks Range of Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It 
is entirely appropriate that we honor Mollie in this way. She was a 
passionate defender of our 508 National Wildlife Refuges, the largest 
system of lands in the world dedicated to wildlife conservation. She saw 
them as places that must be appreciated and honored, as places where we 
could begin to fulfill our sacred trust as stewards of God's creation. 
Mollie worked tirelessly, even as her health was failing, to keep these 
places wild for the benefit of Americans today and for those who will 
follow us.
    I am deeply grateful to the Alaska delegation for their leadership 
in introducing this legislation. I appreciate their willingness to

[[Page 1367]]

commemorate this wild and beautiful place forever to the memory of 
Mollie Beattie.
                                            William J. Clinton
The White House,
July 29, 1996.

Note: S. 1899, approved July 29, was assigned Public Law No. 104-167.