Morris K. Udall.

United States Rep. Morris K. "Mo" Udall's death last December following a decade-long struggle with Parkinson's disease should encourage us all to reflect on the important message he gave us during his life: Significant achievements in resource conservation, recreation access, and dozens of related objectives rarely come easily or quickly. Knowledge, dedication, and persistence are critical.

We should be instructed by this message and by the resulting legacy of this master of the legislative process and treasure-trove of political humor.

These were the Udall trademarks. They were perhaps best defined by his eight-year battle that concluded with the 1980 passage of the Alaska Lands Conservation Act. The Udall-Anderson bill, named in part for its principal cosponsor, then Republican Rep. John Anderson of Illinois, set aside more than 100 million acres of the Alaska landscape for national parks, wildlife refuges, and other designated federal lands.

Udall could not have found a better colleague to cosponsor the Alaska initiative, and this, too, attests to his deep understanding of people and politics. Anderson remains one of the most passionate and effective orators on progressive public causes. He believed deeply in the conservation of the American landscape and the imperative for public recreation.

The Alaska lands issue was politically high-profile, and the final day of House floor action reinforced the importance of Udall's ability to attract individuals to a cause. The long debate pitted legislators sympathetic to the views of resource extraction industries against the most ardent preservationists. Saving Alaska's phenomenal historical resources, landscapes, and wildlife was the dominant theme of most advocates.

Then Anderson rose to speak.

Certainly, Alaska's wild places and wildlife merited full congressional protection, Anderson observed, "but these places and Alaska's wildlife do not need this bill. Man needs this legislation to protect him from himself." The imperative for the legislation became evident at that point, and the House voted overwhelmingly to pass it.

Udall shared this view and practiced a variation of it -- man needs man -- to effectively chair the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs (now the Committee on Resources). The allocation and use of America's natural resources bring out strongly held views, and Udall faced this challenge through many committee sessions. His ability as both committee chair and equal to understand his colleagues and their perspectives inspired the House to name him the "most respected and most effective" member of Congress in 1984.

The National Recreation and Park Association was a close observer of the Alaska lands initiative, not an integral player. Rather, the Association was fully engaged in the early stages of what was to become a continuing fight to save the Land and Water Conservation Fund, especially local and state access to it. Focusing the widespread but politically diffused support for state and local government access to this program was a particular challenge, an issue Udall was later to address.

In March 1988, Udall introduced -- and nearly passed -- what was to become his last great initiative on recreation and parks: a proposal to create an American Heritage Trust. This bill and its counterpart, introduced by Sen. John H. Chafee of Rhode Island, proposed to combine the LWCF, the Historic Preservation Fund, and the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Program to yield 81 billion annually to support plans, acquisition, development, and restoration of state and local systems and acquisition in federal land systems. The Udall bill cleared his committee, but the politician's failing health undermined the strength necessary for a sustained political baffle on such an aggressive proposal.

In recognition of his unwavering support for parks and recreation, NRPA presented Udall with its National Congressional Award in 1988.

"The chair observes that great affairs of state are being carried out behind the bar," Udall would exclaim to his colleagues when he presided over House debate, referring to the brass rail separating the House floor from a passageway off the floor. From the gallery, it was obvious that Udall knew that the most important discussions and compromise on issues were, in fact, being made out of public view. It is comforting to believe that when he was involved in these discussions, his enormous sense of humor helped break through high tension to achieve agreement.

Udall's unsuccessful campaigns in 1976 and '80 for Democratic nominee for president often drew inspiration and, I suspect, relief from his frequent delving into his legendary black notebooks of political stories.

These black books ultimately became his autobiography, Too Funny to Be President. A personal copy, which contains an inscription from Udall, is among my most treasured collectibles. Along with the late Thomas P. "Tip" O`Neill's All Politics is Local, it is recommended reading for people who tend to create a false sense of importance or wisdom.

It is worth noting that Morris Udall died while members of his beloved Congress and the administration had advanced initiatives to conserve land and enhance recreation. The passage of a bill that embraces the most important elements of these proposals will occur as individuals with Udall's wisdom, knowledge, spirited dedication, and sense of humor engage the issue.

The leadership and humanity of Morris K. Udall will be missed.

Barry S. Tindall is director of public policy and international affairs for the National Recreation Association.