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Floor Speech
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Mr. PADILLA. Madam President, I rise to introduce legislation to rename the visitor center at Joshua Tree National Park in honor of Senator Dianne Feinstein.
This legislation would redesignate the Cottonwood Visitor Center at Joshua Tree National Park to the ``Senator Dianne Feinstein Visitor Center.''
Dianne Feinstein was a towering figure not just in modern California politics but in the history of our State and our Nation. Her contributions to our Nation, particularly in environmental conservation, are a reminder of the public power of public service. For Californians, so much of our lands have been preserved thanks to her singular drive and leadership, from the redwoods of the Headwaters and the San Francisco Bay, to Lake Tahoe and, most notably, the California desert.
Senator Feinstein was known as a great protector of the California desert, and some have lovingly referred to her as the ``Queen of the Desert''. Senator Feinstein was the driving force behind the establishment of Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley National Park, the Mojave National Preserve, the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, the Mojave Trails National Monument, the Sand to Snow National Monument, and the Castle Mountains National Monument. In all, it is estimated that Senator Feinstein protected over 3 million acres of the California desert.
In 2019, on the 25th anniversary of the passage of Senator Feinstein's landmark California Desert Protection Act, Senator Feinstein wrote: ``When I think of the California desert, I think of magnificent landscapes and mountain vistas. I think of beautiful species like bighorn sheep, mule deer and desert tortoises. I think of unique vegetation like the beautiful wildflower blooms and iconic Joshua trees. And I think of the long history of local Native American tribes. The California desert is a true American treasure. Our efforts over the past 25 years have resulted in the largest areas of public lands protected in the lower 48 states--that is something truly to celebrate.''
It is only fitting that we celebrate Senator Feinstein's memory by renaming the visitor center at Joshua Tree National Park in her honor. I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact this legislation as soon as possible.
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