I am proud to inform you that yesterday the House passed the Omnibus Public Land Management Act, a bill I strongly supported for its provisions to protect many of our country’s pristine natural spaces and historically significant areas.  One such area of particular significance to us here in southeast Michigan is the River Raisin Battlefield, which the Omnibus bill designates as a new addition to our National Park System. 

The River Raisin Battlefield is the site of a major engagement during the War of 1812 where the Americans suffered a devastating military defeat.  Nearly 1,000 men lost their lives in what then General, and future president, William Henry Harrison described as a “national calamity.” 

With the passage of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act, we are one step closer to designating this site as part of the National Park System.  The creation of the River Raisin National Battlefield Park will not only provide cultural and economic enhancement for the area, but it will also protect this site so that all Americans may learn what happened there and better understand how it shaped the country we know today. 

I wish to thank Senators Carl Levin & Debbie Stabenow for their support on this bill.  I look forward to President Obama signing this bill into law, which will make the River Raisin Battlefield Park a nationally venerated site and allow us to finally honor the sacrifice of the brave young patriots who lost their lives there.