Omnibus Public Land Management Act Of 2009

Floor Speech

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Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, we have an obligation to our communities and to generations that follow, to preserve our nation's scenic beauty, wildlife, and outdoor recreation. The Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, Acadia, and the Blue Ridge Mountains are just a few of our country's natural treasures admired around the world. Yet there are many more, so critical to our natural heritage and to our basic well-being.

The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (S-22) will save many of those other special places and sustain America's unique greatness as a nation of unparalleled natural treasures. One of the many important achievements of this package of 160 public lands bills is Congressional designation of 86 Wild & Scenic rivers in Arizona, California, Idaho, Massachusetts, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, and Wyoming. From our own experience in Connecticut we know the special value of a Wild & Scenic river designation.

Take for example our Eightmile River Wild and Scenic River designation signed into law last May, championed by my colleague JOE COURTNEY. An unprecedented level of protection has now been produced for one of New England's outstanding river systems, and Wild & Scenic designation was the catalyst for getting it done. In CT like New England we are many separate towns with our own identities and agendas. Getting towns to work together on regional issues is very tough. But the Wild & Scenic process brought the watershed towns together and they worked hard for several years. With the support of the designation process, they scientifically identified the river system's outstanding resource values such as its high ``Water Quality'' and diversity of ``Unique Species.'' They built community awareness of the river's importance and community involvement in the Wild and Scenic process. The commitment to protect the river was widespread among citizens and made official through overwhelming town votes for designation. Today, thousands of acres have been conserved and a long term management plan for the entire Watershed developed and adopted. Now, through its Wild and Scenic designation, the Eightmile has a federal partner and special federal protection. It is a model of communities taking strong action together to realize a common vision. It is also a model of how small amounts of federal funding can help inspire local action and leverage substantial non-federal resources.

I am so pleased to see Congress taking action through the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to realize our common desire to keep America the beautiful. As Wild and Scenic designation is a great asset for our state, this bill will help create many more invaluable assets for our entire country.

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