Department of the Interior

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CONTACT: Joan Moody
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 10, 2005
202-208-6416
Members of Congress, Family and Friends Gather for Opening Ceremony of Exhibit at Interior Department Honoring Udall "Voices for the Environment"

WASHINGTON - Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton hosted a ceremony today honoring former Secretary Stewart Udall and the late Rep. Morris Udall, both prominent figures in Arizona and U.S. conservation, at the U.S. Department of the Interior's headquarters. The ceremony opened a traveling museum exhibit at the department called "The Udall Brothers: Voices for the Environment," which will run until July 29.

Former Secretary Udall participated in the event, where current Assistant Secretary Lynn Scarlett, a board member of the Udall Foundation, served as master of ceremonies. Other participants from the Udall family included relatives currently serving in Congress--Rep. Mark Udall, D-Colo.; Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M.; and Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., spoke in praise of the Udall brothers.

"The Udall brothers understood the importance of public service," said Secretary Norton. That approach parallels my own vision of citizen stewardship and cooperative conservation. Cooperative conservation has been the touchstone of this administration's tenure. My 4 C's: cooperation, communication, and consultation, all in the service of conservation, embody the Udall brother's tenets of civility, integrity and consensus."

The "Udall Brothers: Voices for the Environment" exhibition is located in the reading room of the Department of the Interior Library at 1849 C Street, N.W. and is open to the public, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday except on federal holidays until July 29.

The exhibition was organized by the Special Collections Department of the University of Arizona Library. It presents reproductions of photographs and documents from the congressional archives of Morris and Stewart Udall. The exhibit profiles their many years of public service, emphasizing their contributions in the areas of environmental leadership and legislation.

Stewart Udall was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for Arizona in 1954. He was re-elected three times before President John F. Kennedy appointed him Secretary of the Interior in 1961. Udall advanced the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, as well as legislation that set aside 9.2 million acres of wilderness. Later, he represented Arizona, New Mexico and Utah Native American uranium miners in lawsuits against the U. S. government.

Elected into the House of Representatives after his brother's appointment to the Presidential Cabinet, Morris K. Udall served as Arizona Congressman for thirty years. He was chairman of the House Interior Committee, now known as the Resources Committee. One of his most important accomplishments was the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980. His concern for Native Americans and love of the environment led him to advance numerous pieces of legislation supporting indigenous rights and environmental sustainability.

 


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