Bill Frist to Congress: Stand up for nature

Earlier this month, my wife Tracy and I explored on horseback for three days the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area — a gem of the national park system in east Tennessee. It was established in 1974 by a U. S. Senate majority leader before me, Republican Howard Baker of Tennessee, through bipartisan, broadly supported congressional legislation. I remember him telling me years later that of all the contributions he made to the country, this would be the most remembered because of the impact it would have on millions of people for generations to come. I think he’s right.

As a doctor and scientist, I speak and write often on the wellestablished connection between people’s physical, mental and emotional health and their natural environment. As a former senator, I witnessed the synergistic connection between responsible, smart government and forwardleaning partnerships that help people thrive.

But right now, I worry about the health of our people, natural resources and government institutions. Getting back to basics for things we all need — healthy land, clean air and water — would help put us on a stronger path. We need Congress and the Trump administration to fully support our public lands and investments in our natural resources.

More than 24 million jobs are tied to our land — 9.3% of total U. S. employment. More than 7 million of us are employed in outdoor recreation; 17 million of us have agricultural jobs. Even beyond that, natural infrastructure such as reefs, dunes, marshes, floodplains and forests help protect our communities from flooding and other natural disasters.

As Congress shapes the nation’s budget, funding conservation and science programs is essential to sustain the health of our lands and waters. We should encourage those who represent us to stand up for nature so nature can do its job sustaining and protecting us.

These are programs lawmakers from both parties can support. For example, the Land and Water Conservation Fund helps every state conserve community parks, local ball fields, public trails and critical water supplies.

Right now, the Environmental Protection Agency faces potentially steep cuts that would affect regional efforts such as the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Since its inception in 2010, the Initiative has funded hundreds of projects to combat invasive species, clean up toxic chemicals and protect and restore wildlife habitat. It has also been good for the economy, bringing approximately $ 2 in economic return for every restoration dollar invested, according to a Brookings Institution report.

Congress has the power to support these and other cost- effective programs, as well as the public lands that provide so much to all of us. Our three- day getaway on horseback made us grateful for our bipartisan tradition of conserving America’s natural resources. This is a wise investment in the health and well- being of our nation, one that I hope Congress will continue.

Republican Bill Frist of Tennessee, a heart transplant surgeon and a former Senate majority leader, is on the board of directors of The Nature Conservancy.