Recognition of Sportsmen's Week

Floor Speech

RECOGNITION OF SPORTSMEN'S WEEK -- (Extensions of Remarks - September 28, 2007)

* Mr. HALL of New York. Madam Speaker, I rise today to speak in enthusiastic recognition of Sportsmen's Week in the House of Representatives.

* Outdoor activities are important parts of the fabric of American life. As our Nation faces new environmental challenges, we can look to the historic commitment of sportsmen to conservation, wildlife management, and the preservation of open spaces to find guiding principles that will allow us to coexist with nature. The most famous embodiment of this tradition can be found in the tireless drive of President Theodore Roosevelt, an avid outdoorsman and hunter, to make conservation and harmonious existence with nature national priorities.

* My home, New York's Hudson Valley, has been blessed by an abundance of natural beauty and wildlife. The tie between sportsmen and their natural surroundings there remains strong and makes a significant contribution to our quality of life.

* Hunters and fisherman in the region, organized in groups like the Orange County Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, are constantly engaged in a wide variety of activities to maintain and improve our environment and enhance local recreation. They include important educational programs that teach important hunting and fishing skills in addition to the safety courses needed to obtain licenses and hunt responsibly. Sportsmen also set an admirable example by establishing a respectful, mutually beneficial relationship with ecosystems and wildlife through seasonal restocking operations. They also work to ensure that the natural beauty of our Nation will be passed on to future generations by aggressively working to preserve open space and expand parkland.

* All these activities have important social, economic, and environmental benefits, and it is only right that we acknowledge them here in the House of Representatives during Sportsmen's Week. I was proud to support Representative Gillibrand's resolution supporting the goals of National Hunting and Fishing Day, and am honored to recognize Sportsmen's Week in Congress.

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