[applause] and a special shoutout to their leader, ted bechtel, the superintendent of capitol grounds, who had the tough task of selecting just one tree from the many amazing trees found in chippewa national forest. next, ladies and gentlemen, the it's my honor the bring up members of the minnesota delegation to offer their remarks. i have the honor of introducing senator amy klobuchar who became the first woman elected to represent the state of minnesota in the united states senate in 2006. she serves on the senate committee on agriculture, nutrition and forestry which has jurisdiction over forestry policy, and she was at the chippewa national forest to oversee the harvesting of this magnificent tree. senator klobuchar? [applause] >> well, hello, everyone. it is so great to see you here. we're so proud of this tree from the state of minnesota where in the words of our unofficial poet laureate, garrison keillor, a state where the women are strong, right? the men are good looking, right, franken? and all the trees are above average. [laughter] and this tree is 88 feet above average. we