III 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 573 

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 

Mr. WYDEN (for himself, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. BENNET, Mr. 

BURR, Mr. HARKIN, Mr. KIRK, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. LEVIN, 

Ms. STABENOW, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. JOHNSON of South Dakota, Mr. 

MENENDEZ, Mr. REID, Mr. WALSH, Mrs. BOXER, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Mr. 

BOOKER, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mrs. MURRAY, Mr. KING, 

Mr. COONS, Mr. CASEY, Mr. SCHATZ, Ms. HIRONO, Mr. TESTER, Mr. 

HEINRICH, Mr. FRANKEN, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. WARNER, 

Ms. BALDWIN, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. ROCKEFELLER, Mr. 

MURPHY, Mrs. HAGAN, and Ms. WARREN) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. 

Whereas September 3, 2014, marks the 50th anniversary of 

the date of enactment of the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 

1131 et seq.), which gave to the people of the United 

States the National Wilderness Preservation System, an 

enduring resource of natural heritage; 

Whereas great writers of the United States, including Ralph 

Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Willa Cather, 

George Perkins Marsh, Mary Hunter Austin, David 

James Duncan, and John Muir, poets such as William 

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Cullen Bryant, and painters such as Thomas Cole, Frederic Church, Frederic Remington, Georgia O’Keefe, Albert Bierstadt, and Thomas Moran, helped define the distinct cultural value of wild nature and concept of wilderness in the United States; 

Whereas national leaders, such as President Theodore Roosevelt, who reveled in outdoor pursuits, have sought to 

ensure the wisest use of natural resources, so as to provide the greatest good for the greatest number of people 

as possible; 

Whereas luminaries in the conservation movement, such as 

scientist Aldo Leopold, writer Howard Zahniser, teacher 

Sigurd Olson, biologists Olaus, Adolph, and Margaret 

‘‘Mardy’’ Murie, and conservationists David Brower and 

Marjory Stoneman Douglas, envisioned and ardently advocated for a national system of protected wilderness 

areas and believed that the people of the United States 

could and should protect and preserve wilderness so that 

wilderness lasts well into the future; 

Whereas legislators such as Senator Hubert H. Humphrey, a 

Democrat from Minnesota, Senator Clinton P. Anderson, 

a Democrat from New Mexico, and Representative John 

Saylor, a Republican from Pennsylvania, introduced 

versions of the Wilderness Act in each House of Congress 

and worked tirelessly along with colleagues for 8 years to 

secure its passage with bipartisan votes of 78 to 12 in 

the Senate and 373 to 1 in the House of Representatives; 

Whereas President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Wilderness 

Act into law in the Rose Garden on September 3, 1964; 

Whereas, over the 50 years since the enactment of the Wilderness Act, various Presidents from both parties, leaders 

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of Congress, and experts in the land management agencies within the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture have expanded and improved the system of wilderness protection created by the Wilderness Act; 

Whereas the Wilderness Act instituted an unambiguous national policy to recognize the natural heritage of the 

United States as a valuable resource and protect wilderness for the good of future generations; 

Whereas wilderness provides billions of dollars of ecosystem 

services in the form of safe drinking water, clean air, and 

recreational opportunities; 

Whereas 44 States have protected wilderness areas; and 

Whereas President Gerald R. Ford stated that the National 

Wilderness Preservation System ‘‘serves a basic need of 

all Americans, even those who may never visit a wilderness area—the preservation of a vital element in our heritage’’ and that ‘‘wilderness preservation ensures that a 

central facet of our Nation can still be realized, not just 

remembered’’: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

(1) commemorates the 50th 2 anniversary of the 

3 Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.); 

4 (2) recognizes and commends the extraordinary 

5 work of the individuals and organizations involved in 

6 building and maintaining the National Wilderness 

7 Preservation System; and 

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1 (3) is grateful for wilderness, a tremendous 

2 asset the United States continues to preserve as a 

3 gift to future generations. 

Æ 

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