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National CCC Day - March 31, 2002

In April, I presented a copy of Senate Resolution 207 to members of the New Mexico Chapter of the CCC Alumni Association. My resolution designated March 31, 2002, as ``National Conservation Corps Day." This date marked the 69th anniversary of former President Franklin Roosevelt's establishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps.

In the picture to the right, Dr. Vicente Ximenes of the New Mexico CCC alumni receives this resolution from the Senate, and below that are pictures of New Mexico CCC alumni and their families.

 

Below is the complete and unedited text of my floor statement to the United States Senate.

“Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce a resolution today with Senators Lugar, Carnahan, Bond, Torricelli and DeWine, designating March 31, 2002 and March 31, 2003 as ``National Civilian Conservation Corps Day." March 31, 2002 is the 69th anniversary and March 31, 2003 is the 70th anniversary of the signing by President Roosevelt of the Emergency Conservation Work Act, the precursor to the Civilian Conservation Corps Act.

The Civilian Conservation Corps, commonly known as the CCC, was a Depression-era public works program started by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The CCC put over 3 million young men to work on natural resources conservation and public lands infrastructure improvements. Many of the physical accomplishments of the CCC are still visible, but even more importantly, the CCC also provided its participants with education, lasting friendships, a cooperative spirit, and a foundation of self-confidence and discipline.

Americans still enjoy the benefits of the work done by the CCC in the 1930s and 1940s at national and state parks across the U.S. CCC participants planted more than 3 billion trees, developed more than 800 state parks, improved more than 3,000 beaches and are responsible for countless monuments, signs, wells, and other improvements. CCC camps were located in every state, including the then-territories of Hawaii and Alaska.

CCC alumni across the country still share the bonds of friendship and hard work. The National Association of Civilian Conservation Corps Alumni has thousands of active members from all 50 states whose lives were often dramatically changed for the better by their enrollment years ago. Many traveled for the first time, learned new trades and developed self-confidence, while sending much-needed money home to their families during the Depression.

This resolution would pay tribute to the lasting contribution of the CCC to natural resources conservation and infrastructure improvements and to its outstanding success in providing employment and training to millions of Americans.

I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.”