IV 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 730 
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 17, 2014 
Mr. GIBSON (for himself, Mr. CONNOLLY, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mr. 
LOWENTHAL, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. SPEIER, Ms. 
DELBENE, Mr. GEORGE
MILLER
of California, Mr. MORAN, Ms. 
DELAURO, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. POLIS, Ms. MOORE, Ms. LEE of Cali-
fornia, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. HONDA, Ms. KUSTER, Mr. LANGEVIN, Mr. 
FITZPATRICK, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. SCHOCK, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. GER-
LACH, Mr. PETRI, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. BENISHEK, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. PRICE 
of North Carolina, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. LOEBSACK, Ms. SHEA-PORTER, 
Mr. RUIZ, Mr. TONKO, Mr. BARBER, Mr. KEATING, Ms. CHU, Mr. 
FRELINGHUYSEN, Mr. GRIMM, Mr. FORTENBERRY, Mr. NOLAN, Ms. PIN-
GREE of Maine, Mr. MCINTYRE, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. LANCE, 
Mr. COHEN, and Mr. KING of New York) submitted the following resolu-
tion; which was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources 
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, 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:25 Sep 18, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR730.IH
HR730
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
•HRES 730 IH 
George Perkins Marsh, Mary Hunter Austin, David 
James Duncan, and John Muir, poets such as William 
Cullen Bryant, and painters such as Thomas Cole, Fred-
eric Church, Frederic Remington, Georgia O’Keefe, Al-
bert Bierstadt, and Thomas Moran, helped define the dis-
tinct cultural value of wild nature and concept of wilder-
ness in the United States; 
Whereas national leaders, such as President Theodore Roo-
sevelt, who reveled in outdoor pursuits, have sought to 
ensure the wisest use of natural resources, so as to pro-
vide 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 ad-
vocated 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 Senator Hubert H. Humphrey, a Democrat from 
Minnesota, and Representative John Saylor, a Repub-
lican from Pennsylvania, introduced versions of the Wil-
derness Act in each House of Congress and worked tire-
lessly 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; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:25 Sep 18, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR730.IH
HR730
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
•HRES 730 IH 
Whereas, over the 50 years since the enactment of the Wil-
derness Act, various Presidents from both parties, leaders 
of Congress, and experts in the land management agen-
cies within the Departments of the Interior and Agri-
culture have expanded and improved the system of wil-
derness protection created by the Wilderness Act; 
Whereas the Wilderness Act instituted an unambiguous na-
tional policy to recognize the natural heritage of the 
United States as a valuable resource and protect wilder-
ness 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 wilder-
ness area—the preservation of a vital element in our her-
itage’’ and that ‘‘wilderness preservation ensures that a 
central facet of our Nation can still be realized, not just 
remembered’’: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) commemorates the 50th anniversary of the 
Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.); 
(2) recognizes and commends the extraordinary 
work of the individuals and organizations involved in 
building and maintaining the National Wilderness 
Preservation System; and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:25 Sep 18, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HR730.IH
HR730
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
•HRES 730 IH 
(3) is grateful for wilderness, a tremendous 
asset the United States continues to preserve as a 
gift to future generations. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
02:25 Sep 18, 2014
Jkt 039200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HR730.IH
HR730
smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS