Mr. PUTNAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 845 to bring awareness and recognize the 60th anniversary of our beautiful and unique Everglades National Park.

The Everglades are truly a national treasure, an irreplaceable part of our national landscape with its vast wetland wilderness unlike any other in the world. The Everglades National Park is part of the south Florida ecosystem that includes over 3 million acres with subtropical wetland landscapes that stretch 220 miles from Orlando to Florida Bay. As President Truman noted when he dedicated the park in 1947, ``To its natural abundance we owe the spectacular plant and animal life that distinguishes this place from all others in our country.''

The Everglades National Parks constitutes the largest subtropical wilderness in the Nation featuring slow-moving waters and provides critical habitat to ecosystems for countless animals including rare and endangered species such as the American crocodile, Florida panther, Western Indian manatee and more than 350 species of birds, including the Great Egret, Wood Stork, Swallow-tailed Kite, Cape Sable seaside sparrow, and Roseate Spoonbill.

For good reason, it has been designated an International Biosphere Reserve, a World Heritage Site, and a Wetland of International Importance--in recognition of its significance to all people of the world.

Many people have had a great impact on the establishment and history of the Everglades, including former Florida Governor Spessard Holland, who incidentally is a Bartow native. His work in the 1940s to secure thousands of acres needed for the creation of the park along with his 25 year Senate career in which he championed and ensured resources were made available for projects was instrumental. He was one of the first great champions of the Everglades and I am so grateful for his work, without which, we might not be here celebrating the Park's 50th anniversary.

Unfortunately, the Everglades have been negatively impacted by encroachment and disruption that has harmed wildlife and destroyed wetlands. I am pleased that Congress and the State of Florida have been working together through to restore and rehabilitate this treasure through the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, CERP. I join my colleagues in continued support and dedication to these efforts in the years to come to ensure and preserve the Everglades' majesty and beauty for future generations to enjoy.