[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 66 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. CON. RES. 66

     To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 30, 2010

Mr. Warner (for himself, Mr. Webb, Mrs. Hagan, and Mr. Burr) submitted 
    the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the 
               Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
     To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Whereas the Blue Ridge Parkway links the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to 
        the Shenandoah National Park, providing 469 scenic miles for motor 
        recreation along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina 
        and Virginia;
Whereas North Carolina state geologist Joseph Hyde Pratt first proposed a scenic 
        road along the Blue Ridge Mountains in 1906;
Whereas, on November 24, 1933, at the recommendation of Virginia Senator Harry 
        Byrd, Secretary of the Interior Harold Ickes approved construction of 
        the new highway to connect the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with 
        the Shenandoah National Park;
Whereas, on September 11, 1935, construction began on the first 12.5-mile 
        section of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Cumberland Knob in North 
        Carolina;
Whereas Stanley L. Abbott is widely remembered as the ``father of the Blue Ridge 
        Parkway'' for his work to oversee planning of the project;
Whereas the Blue Ridge Parkway was established by Congress as a unit of the 
        National Park Service on June 30, 1936;
Whereas the National Park Service development program, ``Mission 66'', oversaw 
        the completion of most remaining gaps along the Blue Ridge Parkway 
        during the 1950s and 1960s;
Whereas the final stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway was completed in 1987 with 
        the construction of the Linn Cove Viaduct;
Whereas the Blue Ridge Parkway provides recreational opportunities for families 
        in the United States at picnic areas and campgrounds and on scenic 
        drives through the Appalachian mountain passes;
Whereas the diverse topography and numerous vista points along the Blue Ridge 
        Parkway make the road the most accessible way to visit and experience 
        the Southern Appalachian rural landscape and mountains;
Whereas the Parkway is world-renowned for biodiversity, including 74 species of 
        mammals, 50 species of salamanders, 35 species of reptiles, 159 species 
        of birds, and 25 species of fish;
Whereas the Blue Ridge Parkway is the most visited unit of the National Park 
        Service with nearly 20 million visitors each year;
Whereas the Blue Ridge Parkway promotes regional travel and tourism by unifying 
        the 29 counties through which the road passes, engendering a shared 
        regional identity, providing a common link of interest, and contributing 
        to the economic vitality of the area;
Whereas the Blue Ridge Parkway is one of the strongest economic engines in the 
        Southern Appalachian region, generating an estimated $2,300,000,000 in 
        North Carolina and Virginia annually;
Whereas the Blue Ridge Parkway has received volunteer support from thousands of 
        North Carolinians and Virginians, including 1,400 volunteers in 2008 who 
        provided a total of more than 50,000 hours of service;
Whereas the Blue Ridge Parkway is a great public works achievement that 
        maintains natural, historic, and cultural significance for the people of 
        North Carolina and Virginia; and
Whereas this crown jewel of the National Park Service deserves the support of 
        Congress to preserve the ecological and cultural integrity, maintain the 
        infrastructure, and protect the famously scenic views of the Parkway: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge 
        Parkway; and
            (2) acknowledges the historic and enduring scenic, 
        recreational, and economic value of this unique national 
        treasure.
                                 <all>