A resolution recognizing the 60th anniversary of Everglades National Park.

Whereas Everglades National Park will celebrate its 60th anniversary on December 6, 2007;

Whereas when President Harry S. Truman dedicated Everglades National Park on December 6, 1947, he stated: Here is land, tranquil in its quiet beauty, serving not as the source of water, but as the last 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;

Whereas Marjory Stoneman Douglas gave the Everglades the name River of Grass stating, There are no other Everglades in the world;

Whereas Everglades National Park has been designated an International Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site, and a Wetland of International Importance, in recognition of its significance to all the people of the world;

Whereas the Everglades ecosystem encompasses 3,000,000 acres of wetlands and is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States featuring slow-moving freshwater that flows south from Lake Okeechobee through sawgrass and tree islands to the mangroves and seagrasses of Florida Bay;

Whereas Everglades National Park is home to rare and endangered species, such as the American crocodile, the Florida panther, and the Western Indian manatee and more than 350 species of birds, including the Great Egret, Wood Stork, Swallow-tailed Kite, and Roseate Spoonbill;

Whereas the greater Everglades ecosystem is also an international center for business, agriculture, and tourism, with a rapidly growing population of varied ethnic, economic, and social values, all of which are dependent on a fully functioning ecosystem for an adequate freshwater supply, a healthy and sustainable economy, and overall quality of life;

Whereas Everglades National Park is the subject of the most extensive ecosystem restoration plan in the history of mankind, the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan; and

Whereas this restoration plan must succeed in order for the treasures of Everglades National Park to be passed on to our children and grandchildren: Now, therefore, be it