Representative Betty McCollum honored during Great Outdoors America Week
WASHINGTON (August 2, 2012) – A diverse group of people from across the country came together to honor and celebrate Minnesota Representative Betty McCollum (D, MN-4) as one of America’s Great Outdoors Congressional Champions during Great Outdoors America Week in Washington DC.
The Wilderness Society and participating organizations honored Rep. McCollum for her efforts to gain consistent and permanent funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and working to protect America’s wild places and green spaces that are critical in reconnecting people to the great outdoors.
“Our country’s wilderness areas and natural treasures belong to all of us for our enjoyment and for responsible recreation like hiking, hunting and fishing. As Americans, these lands are a part of us and I protecting them for future generations is a priority for me,” Rep. McCollum said.
Representative Betty McCollum has been an outspoken voice for conservation, voting to protect America’s Wilderness areas, and working to ensure that the President has the ability to designate national monuments through the Antiquities Act. She has co-sponsored the Udall-Eisenhower Arctic Wilderness Act (H.R. 139), the Clean Water Protection Act (H.R.1375), America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 2011 (H.R.1916), and the National Forest Roadless Area Conservation Act (H.R.3465), in addition to other environmental initiatives.
“The Wilderness Society recognizes and thanks Representative McCollum for her commitment to protecting the lands that belong to all Americans,” said Paul Spitler, director of Wilderness policy at The Wilderness Society. “Representative McCollum has worked to protect Boundary Waters and other wild places across the United States.”
In the heart of Great Outdoors Month, Great Outdoors America Week (June 26th - 28th) brought together outdoor enthusiasts from all walks of life -- high school students and adults, active members of the military and veterans, conservationists and business leaders, hunters and anglers, bikers and boaters -- to celebrate America’s great outdoors, and ask their elected officials to protect our natural heritage.
Great Outdoors America Week offered an opportunity for participants to celebrate and advocate for a number of conservation issues, ranging from wilderness and national monument protection to reconnecting inner-city kids to the great outdoors. Great Outdoors America Week serves as another example of the long-standing, bipartisan tradition of conservation in the United States.
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The Wilderness Society is the leading public-lands conservation organization working to protect wilderness and inspire Americans to care for our wild places. Founded in 1935, and now with more than 500,000 members and supporters, TWS has led the effort to permanently protect 110 million acres of wilderness and to ensure sound management of our shared national lands. www.wilderness.org