Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 835) to update the map of, and modify the maximum acreage available for inclusion in, the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.…
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 835) to update the map of, and modify the maximum acreage available for inclusion in, the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 835 is a bill that I am very pleased to have introduced with bipartisan support from my friends, Congressman Scott Tipton and Congressman Jared Polis, both of Colorado. Specifically, H.R. 835 would increase the current 6,000 acres to 6,300 acres and allow the National Park Service to accept the donation of 280 acres currently being held by the Palmer Land Trust and Coalition for the Upper South Platte into the monument's boundaries.
The Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument was designated by Congress in 1969 to preserve and study one of the most diverse fossil deposits in the world and to interpret its geologic significance.
Located in a high mountain valley just west of Pikes Peak in my congressional district and 35 miles west of Colorado Springs, Colorado, the monument features detailed fossils of insects, plants, and giant petrified redwood stumps that teach visitors about prehistoric Colorado.
The park also maintains a collection of over 12,000 fossil specimens, conducts inventory and monitoring of the fossil sites, has ongoing collaborations, and continues to be the subject of scientific publications. Many of these extraordinary fossils from the monument can be found in some of the most prominent natural history museums in the world, with the largest exhibit of perhaps 10,000 specimens located close by here in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.
The monument also offers a variety of recreational experiences, including sightseeing, stargazing, interpretive visitor center exhibits, hiking, picnicking, daily ranger-guided programs during the summer, junior ranger programs, and curriculum-based education programs for visiting school groups. It is truly an excellent addition to the National Park Service.
Expanding the monument will provide critical access to the park's western boundary for wildfire protection and opportunities for completing future hazardous fuel mitigation projects, while also providing additional wildlife habitat. In addition, the donated acreage could, and will, provide visitors with more recreational opportunities, including hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and wildlife watching, all with no supplement funding or staff needed.
The proposed monument boundary expansion has received unanimous local support from all stakeholders; including, the State of Colorado, the Friends of the Florissant Fossil Beds, Sanborn Western Camps, Teller Historic and Environmental Coalition, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Palmer Land Trust, Coalition for the Upper South Platte, the Pikes Peak Historical Society, and the Teller County Board of Commissioners.
This bipartisan bill is a great example for how the Antiquities Act should be applied, with strong local support, consensus, and engagement to identify and conserve the ``smallest area compatible with proper care and management of the objects to be protected.''
That language, Mr. Speaker, is from the original Antiquities Act itself.
Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the measure. I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Hawaii for her support and great work in committee. This is something that has a lot of bipartisan support.
Mr. Speaker, I would ask all Members to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
