Wayne Gilchrest: “Mr. Chairman, I think the last couple of days has been an extraordinary debate about a profound issue about the future…”

“Mr. Chairman, I think the last couple of days has been an extraordinary debate about a profound issue about the future of conservation for this country. This legislation, in my judgment, is as profound and may be more so than the concept of national parks and national forests to preserve the heritage of a Nation and, certainly, the world. There has been some discussion about maintenance backlog in our national parks and our national forest, and those are legitimate questions, but I would like to pose this thought, how were they managed before Columbus came? There is a certain amount of natural processes that go into place the mechanics of creation have created. This legislation creates the potential, if we take advantage of the opportunity, for disparate interests to collectively collaborate on land use issues. There is a lot of money coming directed towards certain States. In my district, we are, and have been for about a year, in anticipation of this legislation, bringing farmers together, real estate agents together, developers together, nonprofit people together, local government folks together. You name it, and we are beginning to understand the nature of what our region should look like to preserve those natural resources, to preserve the agricultural heritage of our districts in future years.”