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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Gene Sparling of Garland County,
Arkansas, who recently rediscovered the ivory-billed woodpecker in the
Big Woods area of Arkansas. North America's largest woodpecker, often called
the "Lord God Bird,'' was last spotted in 1944 and thought to be extinct.
Mr. Sparling has sought out wild and natural wonders throughout his
life, exploring Mexico's Baja Peninsula, the Rocky Mountains, and Arkansas's
own Ozark and Ouachita Mountains. In 2003, Mr. Sparling began exploring
Big Woods of Arkansas through the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge
by way of kayak and observed the ivory-billed woodpecker.
Since the search began in March 2004, there have been over a dozen sightings
of the ivory-billed woodpecker by experts in the Big Woods of Arkansas's
Mississippi Delta. The ivory-billed woodpecker, valued for its plumage
and sought after by American Indians as magical, has birdwatchers and environmentalists
around the world rejoicing.
I am honored to recognize Mr. Sparling, and extend my sincere gratitude
for his incredible discovery of the once thought extinct ivory-billed woodpecker.
Mr. Sparling is an inspiration to us all, and I consider it a privilege
to serve as his United States Congressman in the House of Representatives. |
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PROCEEDINGS AND DEBATES OF
THE 109th CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION
