SENATE RESOLUTION
8666

By Senators Shin, Jacobsen, Berkey, Kohl-Welles, Rockefeller, Morton, Hatfield, Brandland, Hargrove, Rasmussen, Stevens, Hobbs, Marr, Holmquist, Swecker, Pridemore, Schoesler, Kastama, Carrell, Kline, Sheldon, Tom, Regala, Spanel and Zarelli

     WHEREAS, March 31, 2007, is the 74th anniversary of the signing by President Franklin D. Roosevelt of the law historically known as the Emergency Conservation Work Act, a precursor of the 1937 law that established the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and helped alleviate some of the horrific unemployment of the Great Depression; and
     WHEREAS, Between 1933 and 1942, the CCC provided employment and vocational training nationwide in the conservation and development of natural resources, the protection of forests, and the construction and maintenance of military reservations to more than 3,000,000 men, including unemployed youths, more than 250,000 veterans of the Spanish-American War and World War I, and more than 80,000 Native Americans; and
     WHEREAS, The CCC spent more than $76 million in Washington and provided work for 73,300 men, including 51,300 Washington state residents; and
     WHEREAS, The CCC left the nation a legacy in the form of 3,000,000,000 new trees, 800 state parks, 8,452 improved beaches, and 405,037 signs, markers, and monuments; and
     WHEREAS, The CCC constructed 125,000 miles of road and strung 89,000 miles of telephone line; and
     WHEREAS, The CCC restored and improved the natural environment with the revegetation of 814,000 acres of range, the stocking of 972 million fish, and mosquito control on 248,000 acres of land; and
     WHEREAS, The CCC performed 8 million days of firefighting with Camp North Bend in Washington state among those camps developing an excellent reputation for fighting forest fires; and
     WHEREAS, The CCC contributed to the creation or improvement of 11 state parks in Washington such as Deception Pass, Beacon Rock, Ginkgo Petrified Forest, and Saltwater State Park, and Governor Christine Gregoire will proclaim Civilian Conservation Corps Day in Washington state on March 31, 2007;
     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Washington State Senate recognize how the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps has benefited succeeding generations in Washington and express appreciation for the rich heritage left to those who enjoy the outdoor life in our state.