WHEREAS, Rachel Carson was born in 1907 and grew up on a small Pennsylvania farm where she spent hours exploring the outdoors; and
     WHEREAS, Her enthusiasm for the natural world was matched by an early love of writing, leading to her first publication in a children's magazine at age 10; and
     WHEREAS, Rachel Carson entered the Pennsylvania College for Women and went on to graduate magna cum laude with a degree in zoology and then earned a master's degree in genetics at Johns Hopkins University; and
     WHEREAS, Rachel Carson continued her writing, and her 1951 book, The Sea Around Us, became an instant success, receiving the National Book Award for nonfiction and the John Burroughs medal; and
     WHEREAS, In 1962, Rachel Carson alerted America to the hazards of pesticides in her landmark and courageous book, Silent Spring, which documented how DDT enters the food chain and causes cancer and genetic damage; and
     WHEREAS, Silent Spring, a best-seller for a year and translated into many languages, raised public awareness about pesticide dangers and the effects of human action on our natural world; and
     WHEREAS, Rachel Carson researched and wrote Silent Spring while she was fighting breast cancer and bone cancer and died two years after its publication; and
     WHEREAS, It is fitting to recognize on March 8th, proclaimed by the United Nations as International Women's Day, this woman who played such a critical role in raising public awareness that nature is vulnerable to human intervention;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives honor Rachel Carson for her contributions to scientific understanding and respect for our environment.