Recognizing the 60th anniversary of Everglades National Park.

Mr. Speaker, ``Here are no lofty peaks seeking the sky, no mighty glaciers or rushing streams wearing away the uplifted land. Here is land, tranquil in its quiet beauty, serving not as the source of water, but as the receiver of it. To its natural abundance we owe the spectacular plant and animal life that distinguishes this place from all others in our country.''

These were the words of Harry Truman, 60 years ago at the dedication of the Everglades National Park. And it is in the same spirit that I support H. Res. 845, recognizing the 60th anniversary of Everglades National Park. The Everglades are a completely unique treasure for Floridians, and all Americans. So it is fitting that they should also be unique in the national park system. The Everglades were the first unit of the park system to be designated not for their scenic beauty alone, but for the extraordinary diversity of their wildlife.

One of the largest bodies of fresh water in the United States, Lake Okeechobee, sits at the top of the Everglades. During the wet season, Okeechobee slowly pours water over its southern edge, and it flows out in a slow flood that slides south and spreads out over hundreds of square miles. The water flows south, but very slowly, sometimes as little as a hundred feet in a day. And it is remarkably shallow, as little as a foot in depth, which allows the incredible diversity of plant and animal life, unrivaled in the Nation.

In 1947, when Marjory Stoneman Douglas published ``Everglades: River of Grass'' and Harry Truman dedicated the Everglades as part of the parks system, it was with the intention of preserving the Everglades for future generations. Douglas continued to fight for the Everglades for the rest of her life, and she led an ever growing chorus of voices, advocating for our environment. The Everglades became a touchstone for an entire movement of Floridians and other Americans who continue to fight to save our natural places, not only for future generations, but also for their own sake.

Unfortunately, the Everglades still faces threats of the attrition of development, and the redirection of its waters. In the Water Resources Development Plan of 2000, Congress included a comprehensive restoration plan to bring the Everglades back to its natural state. The Everglades remain one of the Nation's greatest natural treasures, and I am proud to stand in recognition today of their 60th anniversary as part of the park system.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 845 to bring awareness and recognize the 60th anniversary of our beautiful and unique Everglades National Park.

The Everglades are truly a national treasure, an irreplaceable part of our national landscape with its vast wetland wilderness unlike any other in the world. The Everglades National Park is part of the south Florida ecosystem that includes over 3 million acres with subtropical wetland landscapes that stretch 220 miles from Orlando to Florida Bay. As President Truman noted when he dedicated the park in 1947, ``To its natural abundance we owe the spectacular plant and animal life that distinguishes this place from all others in our country.''

The Everglades National Parks constitutes the largest subtropical wilderness in the Nation featuring slow-moving waters and provides critical habitat to ecosystems for countless animals including rare and endangered species such as the American crocodile, Florida panther, Western Indian manatee and more than 350 species of birds, including the Great Egret, Wood Stork, Swallow-tailed Kite, Cape Sable seaside sparrow, and Roseate Spoonbill.

For good reason, it has been designated an International Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site, and a Wetland of International Importance--in recognition of its significance to all people of the world.

Many people have had a great impact on the establishment and history of the Everglades, including former Florida Governor Spessard Holland, who incidentally is a Bartow native. His work in the 1940s to secure thousands of acres needed for the creation of the park along with his 25 year Senate career in which he championed and ensured resources were made available for projects was instrumental. He was one of the first great champions of the Everglades and I am so grateful for his work, without which, we might not be here celebrating the Park's 50th anniversary.

Unfortunately, the Everglades have been negatively impacted by encroachment and disruption that has harmed wildlife and destroyed wetlands. I am pleased that Congress and the State of Florida have been working together through to restore and rehabilitate this treasure through the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, CERP. I join my colleagues in continued support and dedication to these efforts in the years to come to ensure and preserve the Everglades' majesty and beauty for future generations to enjoy.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House Resolution 845, a resolution recognizing the 60th anniversary of Everglades National Park. I

proudly introduced this resolution with my colleague and fellow co- chair of the Everglades Caucus, Representative Mario Diaz-Balart.

I applaud Representative Diaz-Balart for his commitment to working together to preserve and restore the Everglades.

I thank the chairman of the Committee on Natural Resources, Representative Nick Rahall, a true champion of protecting our Nation's natural resources, especially our majestic national parks, for his support for protecting Florida's environment.

I also would like to thank the ranking member of the Committee, Representative Don Young, for his support as well.

The bipartisan support this resolution enjoys is reminiscent of the past and present bipartisan support Everglades restoration efforts enjoy.

Today we honor the 60th anniversary of Everglades National Park. The park, which spans 3 million acres of wetlands, is habitat to many endangered species and is an international center for business, agriculture, and tourism.

Our work to restore the Everglades is the largest restoration effort of its kind in history.

As a fifth generation Floridian and great grandson of a Creek Indian, my passion for these majestic wetlands extends back to my birth.

I have seen species that have since become endangered, and a living ecosystem that has since been degraded by management and development activities.

Regrettably, since the passage of landmark legislation in 2000, restoration efforts in Congress have been mired. Now the Everglades is paying a hefty price for Federal delays. Expected project completion timeframes have been shifted, and the restoration price tags increased.

With new perspectives and new priorities, Congress is again reaffirming our commitment to the Everglades.

Just last November, Congress overrode a President Bush veto and passed the Water Resources Development Act of 2007, authorizing $1.8 billion in Everglades restoration funding.

As we pause to celebrate the anniversary of the Everglades National Park today, we enhance our vigilant efforts to restore the park to the pristine ecosystem it once was.

I thank the leadership of the House for their work on this bill, and urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 845, as amended, recognizing the 60th anniversary of the Everglades National Park.

Former Florida Governor Reubin Askew once stated, ``We must build a peace in south Florida--a peace between the people and their place, between the natural environment and man-made settlement, between the creek and the canal, between the works of man and the life of mankind itself.''

Indeed, the natural areas surrounding and encompassing Everglades National Park represent the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States featuring slow-moving freshwater. The Everglades are naturally unique and provide tremendous benefits to south Florida in many capacities, but the park is also one of the most endangered national parks in our country.

The Park totals more than 1 million acres, and the Everglade ecosystem itself encompasses 3 million acres of wetlands. More than 1 million visitors come to the Everglades each year, learning of the Everglades environmental importance while igniting the State's tourism industry.

The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has a long history of oversight of the Everglades restoration. The Water Resources Development Act of 2007, P.L. 110-114, authorized the first three projects in the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Project--Picayune Strand, Indian River Lagoon, and the Site 1 Impoundment Project. Support for provisions like these was so strong that this Congress overrode the President's veto of the bill by a vote of 381-40, an overwhelming majority of the House of Representatives.

We must continue to take action to preserve and protect this treasured wetland. This resolution reminds us of this precious natural resource, and I urge my colleagues to join me in agreeing to the resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate one of the Nation's greatest treasures and to express my continued support for this important resolution introduced by my colleague from Florida which recognizes the 60th anniversary of Everglades National Park. It is our responsibility to ensure that a healthy and vibrant Everglades is there for future generations.

In addition to being an international center for business, tourism, and agriculture, the Everglades is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States and is home to numerous rare and endangered species. Growing up in southwest Florida and so close to the Everglades, I was able to experience all the Everglades has to offer.

This resolution recognizes the continuing impact the Everglades has made on individuals throughout the world with the inception of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, CERP. The Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan is one of the most extensive ecosystem restoration efforts ever created which will restore and protect one of our Nation's greatest natural resources. CERP's main goal is to capture fresh water that now flows to the ocean and the Gulf of Mexico and redirect it to the areas that need it most. The majority of water will be devoted to environmental restoration, and the rest will enhance water supplies in south Florida. Make no mistake: the Everglades and Florida's unique environment are vital to our quality of life.

Mr. Speaker, protecting the Everglades is important for the overall health of south Florida's environment and way of life. It is our responsibility to ensure that a healthy and vibrant Everglades is there for our children and grandchildren. I urge all of my colleagues to recognize and support this important bipartisan resolution.