I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 620 

To designate the Rachel Carson Nature Trail, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 12, 2013 

Ms. NORTON introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To designate the Rachel Carson Nature Trail, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rachel Carson Nature 

5 Trail Designation Act of 2013’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that Rachel Carson— 

8 (1) was born on May 27, 1907, on a farm in 

9 Springdale, Pennsylvania, graduated magna cum 

10 laude with a bachelor’s degree in biology from the 

11 Pennsylvania College for Women (later Chatham 


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1 College), and was awarded a full scholarship that en2 abled her to obtain a master’s degree in marine zool3 ogy from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore; 

4 (2) was a world-renowned environmental sci5 entist, writer, and educator; 

6 (3) worked as a writer, editor, and ultimately 

7 Editor-in-Chief for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serv8 ice’s publications department; 

9 (4) published the groundbreaking book Silent 

10 Spring in September 1962, which was translated 

11 into more than a dozen foreign languages and in12 spired the environmental movement; 

13 (5) used the National Park Service’s Glover 

14 Archbold Park in the District of Columbia for her 

15 observations and study of nature and the environ16 ment; 

17 (6) accomplished much of her professional work 

18 at the United States Department of the Interior in 

19 the District of Columbia; 

20 (7) performed research on pesticides, the find21 ings of which were sustained by a Science Advisory 

22 Committee appointed during President John F. Ken23 nedy’s administration, and resulted in State legisla24 tures enacting pesticide-regulating legislation; 


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1 (8) was inducted into the American Academy of 

2 Arts and Letters and received many other honors; 

3 (9) passed away on April 14, 1964, in Silver 

4 Spring, Maryland; and 

5 (10) leaves a rich legacy that will continue to 

6 benefit present and future generations well beyond 

7 the 50th anniversary of Silent Spring in September 

8 2012. 

9 SEC. 3. DESIGNATION OF THE RACHEL CARSON TRAIL. 

10 (a) DESIGNATION.—The trail located in Glover 

11 Archbold Park in the District of Columbia from Canal 

12 Road to Van Ness Street, designated by the National Park 

13 Service as Reservation 351 and 450, shall be designated 

14 and known as the ‘‘Rachel Carson Nature Trail’’. 

15 (b) REFERENCE.—Any reference in any law, regula16 tions, document, record, map, paper, or other record of 

17 the United States to the trail referred to in subsection (a) 

18 is deemed to be a reference to the ‘‘Rachel Carson Nature 

19 Trail’’. 

20 (c) SIGNAGE.—The Secretary of the Interior shall 

21 post signs on or near the Rachel Carson Nature Trail that 

22 include one or more of the following: 

23 (1) Information on Rachel Carson and her con24 tributions to the environmental movement. 

25 (2) Images of Rachel Carson. 


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1 (3) References to Rachel Carson’s efforts to 

2 educate others about the importance of environ3 mental protection, conservation, and sustainability. 

Æ 


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