S.Res. 708 — Agreed to in Senate

III 118th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 708 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 23, 2024Mr. Heinrich (for himself and Mr. Luján) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the designation of the Gila Wilderness. Whereas on June 3, 1924, the Forest Service set aside 755,000 acres as the Gila Wilderness; Whereas this was the first designated wilderness in the United States and the world; Whereas this designation marked the beginning of a national system of wilderness areas and helped inspire the Wilderness Act of 1964 (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.); Whereas Aldo Leopold, a Forest Service employee in New Mexico, worked to initiate a Federal wilderness concept in the backcountry of what is now the Gila National Forest; Whereas Arthur Carhart, a Forest Service employee, argued that wilderness recreation would help to develop individual and national character; Whereas the Apache and Mimbres people have been stewards of this land from time immemorial; and Whereas, 100 years later, the character of the Gila Wilderness remains without permanent human-built structures, protected and managed to preserve this condition, and the wilderness remains a place unrestrained by human development: Now, therefore, be it That Congress commemorates the 100th anniversary of the designation of the Gila Wilderness.