CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -- SENATE. Wednesday, June 18, th Congress, 1st Session. 143 Cong Rec S 5927

Transcription

1 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD -- SENATE Wednesday, June 18, th Congress, 1st Session 143 Cong Rec S 5927 REFERENCE: Vol. 143, No. 85 TITLE: STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS SPEAKER: Mr. KERRY; Mr. GRAHAM; Ms. DOUGLAS AND MR; Ms. MOSELEYBRAUN; Mr. KENNEDY; Mr. SPECTER; Mr. THURMOND By Mr. GRAHAM (for himself and Mr. Mack): S A bill to designate the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness and the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center, to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. marjory stoneman douglas wilderness and ernest f. coe visitor center designation act Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I'm happy to have this opportunity today to introduce legislation to amend the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 to designate the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness and to amend the Everglades National Park Protection and Expansion Act of 1989 to designate the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center. Ms. Douglas and Mr. Coe led the charge to establish Everglades National Park and raise public awareness to restore its vitality. I think most Americans know that Everglades National Park preserves the subtropical region at the southern tip of Florida. But what most people don't realize is that the park has been nominated by the United States and accepted by the world community as a world heritage site, a wetland of international significance, and a biosphere reserve in recognition of its international significance. It is the only site in the Nation that has received all three designations, which serves to underscore the superlative qualities of the park on a global scale. Everglades National Park is well known for its diverse and unique

2 wildlife, including alligators and crocodiles, eagles, manatees, and various fish species. The park has 13 species of endangered birds. It has open prairies and extensive saltwater areas with sawgrass marshes, mangroves, and shallow bays. Its 1.3 million acres of wilderness make it the largest subtropical wilderness in the continental United States. In 1926 and again in 1928, Senator Park Trammel of Florida introduced legislation calling for an examination of the Everglades to determine if a portion could qualify as a national park. The National Park Service had made some preliminary inquiries into the matter when Ernest Francis Coe came forward to champion the idea of creating a national park in southern Florida. Coe came to Coconut Grove from New England in 1925 and was overwhelmed with the natural beauty and wildlife of the Cape Sable and Ten Thousand Islands area. He wanted to find some way to protect the bird rookeries and hammocks, and the establishment of a national park seemed like an ideal solution. Mr. Coe became the central leader in the campaign to create Everglades National Park. In 1928, he organized the Tropic Everglades National Park Association and is widely regarded as the Father of Everglades National Park. As a landscape architect, Mr. Coe's vision for the park recognized the need to protect south Florida's diverse wildlife and their habitats for future generations. His leadership, selfless devotion, and commitment to achieving this vision culminated in the authorization of the park by Congress in 1934 and its subsequent dedication by President Truman in While it is not required by law that Congress name park visitor centers, this legislation will demonstrate Congress' support for honoring Mr. Coe's legacy. Because of his central role in the establishment of Everglades National Park, it is also a fitting tribute that park visitors be greeted by the congressionally designated Coe Center. In 1947, Marjory Stoneman Douglas published her landmark book, The Everglades: River of Grass,'' which greatly increased interest in and concern for the Everglades. Ms. Douglas, who celebrated her 107th birthday on April 6, symbolizes the struggle to save the Everglades. Her pioneering work was the first to highlight the plight of the Everglades and ultimately served to awaken public interest in restoring its health. Ms. Douglas has dedicated her life to the defense of the Everglades through her extraordinary personal effort and by inspiring countless others

3 [*S5929] to take action. Recognizing these accomplishments, in 1992 President Clinton awarded her to the Medal of Freedom, the Nation's highest civilian award. Ms. Douglas has consistently stated her wish to have Ernest Coe's efforts suitably commemorated at the park. She has expressed through her associates Dr. Sharon T. Richardson her delight with the idea of designating the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness area. Dr. Richardson has added her opinion that, Nothing could mark her life more suitably than to give her name to this resplendent wilderness.'' I can only echo that sentiment and add that nothing could be more appropriate during this 50th anniversary year of Everglades National Park, than the commemoration of these two legends as proposed in this bill. To quote from Marjory Stoneman Douglas' book River of Grass:'' There are no other Everglades in the World. They are, they have always been, one of the unique regions of the earth, remote, never wholly known. Nothing anywhere else is like them: their vast glittering openness, wider than the enormous visible round of the horizon, the racing free saltness and sweetness of their massive winds, under the dazzling blue heights of space. They are unique also in the simplicity, the diversity, the related harmony of the forms of life they enclose. The miracle of the light pours over the green and brown expanse of saw grass and of water, shining and slowmoving below, the grass and water that is the meaning and the central fact of the Everglades of Florida. It is a river of grass. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record. There being no objection, the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows: S. 931

4 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness and Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center Designation Act''. SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. (a) Findings.Congress finds that (1)(A) Marjory Stoneman Douglas, through her book, The Everglades: River of Grass'' (published in 1947), defined the Everglades for the people of the United States and the world; (B) Mrs. Douglas' book was the first to stimulate widespread understanding of the Everglades ecosystem and ultimately served to awaken the desire of the people of the United States to restore the ecosystem's health; (C) in her 107th year, Mrs. Douglas is the sole surviving member of the original group of people who devoted decades of selfless effort to establish the Everglades National Park; (D) when the water supply and ecology of the Everglades, both within and outside the park, became threatened by drainage and development, Mrs. Douglas dedicated the balance of her life to the defense of the Everglades through extraordinary personal effort and by inspiring countless other people to take action; (E) for these and many other accomplishments, the President awarded Mrs. Douglas the Medal of Freedom on Earth Day, 1994; and (2)(A) Ernest F. Coe ( ) was a leader in the creation of Everglades National Park; (B) Mr. Coe organized the Tropic Everglades National Park Association in 1928 and was widely regarded as the father of Everglades National Park; (C) as a landscape architect, Mr. Coe's vision for the park

5 recognized the need to protect south Florida's diverse wildlife and habitats for future generations; (D) Mr. Coe's original park proposal included lands and waters subsequently protected within the Everglades National Park, the Big Cypress National Preserve, and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary; and (E)(i) Mr. Coe's leadership, selfless devotion, and commitment to achieving his vision culminated in the authorization of the Everglades National Park by Congress in 1934; (ii) after authorization of the park, Mr. Coe fought tirelessly and lobbied strenuously for establishment of the park, finally realizing his dream in 1947; and (iii) Mr. Coe accomplished much of the work described in this paragraph at his own expense, which dramatically demonstrated his commitment to establishment of Everglades National Park. (b) Purpose.It is the purpose of this Act to commemorate the vision, leadership, and enduring contributions of Marjory Stoneman Douglas and Ernest F. Coe to the protection of the Everglades and the establishment of Everglades National Park. SEC. 3. MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS WILDERNESS. (a) Redesignation.Section 401(3) of the National Parks and Recreation Act of 1978 (Public Law 95625; 92 Stat. 3490; 16 U.S.C note) is amended by striking to be known as the Everglades Wilderness'' and inserting to be known as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness to commemorate the vision and leadership shown by Mrs. Douglas in the protection of the Everglades and the establishment of the Everglades National Park''. (b) Notice of Redesignation.The Secretary of the Interior shall provide such notification of the redesignation made by the amendment made by subsection (a) by signs, materials, maps, markers, interpretive programs, and other means (including changes in signs, materials, maps, and markers in existence before the date of enactment of this Act) as will adequately inform the public of the redesignation of the wilderness area and the reasons for the redesignation.

6 (c) References.Any reference in any law, regulation, document, record, map, or other paper of the United States to the Everglades Wilderness'' shall be deemed to be a reference to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness''. SEC. 4. ERNEST F. COE VISITOR CENTER. (a) Designation.Section 103 of the Everglades National Park Protection and Expansion Act of 1989 (16 U.S.C. 410r7) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: (f) Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center.On completion of construction of the main visitor center facility at the headquarters of Everglades National Park, the Secretary shall designate the visitor center facility as the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center', to commemorate the vision and leadership shown by Mr. Coe in the establishment and protection of Everglades National Park.''. SEC. 5. CONFORMING AND TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS. Section 103 of the Everglades National Park Protection and Expansion Act of 1989 (16 U.S.C. 410r7) is amended (1) in subsection (c)(2), by striking personallyowned'' and inserting personallyowned''; and (2) in subsection (e), by striking Visitor Center'' and inserting Marjory Stoneman Douglas Visitor Center''.