Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 111 Part 2.djvu/460

 Ill STAT. 1540 PUBLIC LAW 105-82—NOV. 13, 1997 Public Law 105-82 105th Congress Nov. 13, 1997 [S. 931] Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness and Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center Designation Act. 16 USC 410r-5 note. 16 USC 410r-7 note. An Act To designate the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness and the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the "Marjory Stoneman Douglas Wilderness and Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center Designation Act". SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. (a) FINDINGS. —Congress finds that— (1)(A) Marjory Stoneman Douglas, through her book, "The Everglades: River of Grass" (published in 1947), defined the Everglades for the people of the United States and the world; (B) Mrs. Douglas's book was the first to stimulate widespread understanding of the Everglades ecosystem and ultimately served to awaken the desire of the people of the United States to restore the ecosystem's health; (C) in her 107th year, Mrs. Douglas is the sole surviving member of the original group of people who devoted decades of selfless effort to establish the Everglades National Park; (D) when the water supply and ecology of the Everglades, both within and outside the park, became threatened by drainage and development, Mrs. Douglas dedicated the balance of her life to the defense of the Everglades through extraordinary personal effort and by inspiring countless other people to take action; (E) for these and many other accomplishments, the President awarded Mrs. Douglas the Medal of Freedom on Earth Day, 1994; and (2)(A) Ernest F. Coe (1886-1951) was a leader in the creation of Everglades National Park; (B) Mr. Coe organized the Tropic Everglades National Park Association in 1928 and was widely regarded as the father of Everglades National Park; (C) as a landscape architect, Mr. Coe's vision for the park recognized the need to protect south Florida's diverse wildlife and habitats for future generations; (D) Mr. Coe's original park proposal included lands and waters subsequently protected within the Everglades National Park, the Big Cypress National Preserve, and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary; and

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