[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 55 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]
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115th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 55
Recognizing February 26, 2017, as the 100th anniversary of the
establishment of Denali National Park and Preserve in the State of
Alaska.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 7 (legislative day, February 6), 2017
Ms. Murkowski (for herself, Mr. Sullivan, and Mrs. Gillibrand)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on the Judiciary
February 17 (legislative day, February 16), 2017
Committee discharged; considered and agreed to with an amended preamble
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing February 26, 2017, as the 100th anniversary of the
establishment of Denali National Park and Preserve in the State of
Alaska.
Whereas Alaska Natives have lived on the land surrounding the Denali area and
used the resources of the land for food, shelter, clothing,
transportation, handicrafts, and trade for thousands of years;
Whereas Judge James Wickersham, of Fairbanks, Alaska, discovered gold in the
Kantishna Hills following his attempted ascent of Denali in 1903,
prompting a gold rush with several thousand prospectors and the
establishment of successful placer and commercial mining operations that
lasted for decades;
Whereas explorer Belmore Browne and hunter-naturalist Charles Sheldon visited
the Denali region, observed the natural splendor of Denali, and, along
with Alaska's territorial delegate to Congress, Judge Wickersham, and
pioneering biological survey naturalist Edward Nelson, tirelessly
advocated for Denali's protection;
Whereas early proponents of national parks, such as the Boone and Crockett Club,
the Campfire Club of America, and the American Game Protective and
Propagation Association, sponsored early expeditions, including those of
Sheldon and Brown, and advocated for the creation of a national park at
Denali;
Whereas in 1910, miners from the Kantishna Hills discovered an approach by which
Denali might be climbed, relying on years of observations while
following quartz leads and hunting sheep in the foothills of the Denali
area;
Whereas Athabascan Walter Harper joined Archdeacon Hudson Stuck, Harry Karstens,
and Robert Tatum to successfully summit the highest peak of Denali in
1913, opening the door for thousands of individuals to test their own
endurance and fortitude by attempting to climb the giant massif;
Whereas President Woodrow Wilson signed into law the Act entitled ``An Act to
establish the Mount McKinley National Park, in the Territory of
Alaska'', approved February 26, 1917 (39 Stat. 938, chapter 121), for
the benefit and enjoyment of the people of the United States and the
preservation of the Denali area's scenic beauty, animals, birds, and
fish;
Whereas Congress expanded the boundaries of Mount McKinley National Park in
1922, 1932, and 1980 and renamed that national park Denali National Park
and Preserve after the traditional Koyukon Athabascan name for the
highest peak in the park, Deenaalee, meaning the High One;
Whereas Denali National Park and Preserve protects and interprets Denali, which
is the highest mountain in North America, at 20,310 feet, and the
tallest above-water mountain, with a vertical relief of almost 18,000
feet measured from its base;
Whereas Denali National Park and Preserve preserves a wild subarctic landscape
with a rich and diverse tapestry of plant life and intact ecosystems
where bears, wolves, caribou, moose, and Dall sheep roam as they have
for thousands of years;
Whereas Denali National Park and Preserve protects a wide array of fossils that
point to an age 70,000,000 years ago, when dinosaurs roamed that
northern land;
Whereas Denali National Park and Preserve contains 2 of the oldest-known
archaeology sites in North America, the oldest of which dates to just
over 13,000 years old;
Whereas glaciers still blanket \1/6\ of Denali National Park and Preserve and
continue to shape the landscape by carving mountains, feeding silt-laden
rivers, and depositing rock and silt across the valleys;
Whereas Denali National Park and Preserve was designated as an International
Biosphere Reserve in 1976 and has become a premier international tourist
destination;
Whereas in 2016, nearly 600,000 visitors set foot in Denali National Park and
Preserve, the greatest number of visitors in the history of Denali
National Park and Preserve and a record number of visitors for the State
of Alaska;
Whereas Denali National Park and Preserve has provided a wide array of visitor
experiences to tourists, including hiking, dog mushing, rafting, and
cycling;
Whereas Denali National Park and Preserve's historic Denali Park Road provides
visitors with unparalleled opportunities to experience and explore
millions of acres of an accessible wildlife sanctuary that represents
one of the crown jewels of the United States;
Whereas residents of the State of Alaska continue their subsistence way of life
by hunting and gathering in the majority of Denali National Park and
Preserve;
Whereas Denali National Park and Preserve hosts the only working sled dog kennel
in a national park, and winter patrols are conducted inside Denali
National Park and Preserve using the age-old tradition of dog mushing;
and
Whereas Denali National Park and Preserve, known for its breathtaking scenery
and iconic wildlife, protects more than 6,000,000 acres of towering
mountains, expansive valleys, glacial rivers of ice, braided streams,
and wildland for the benefit of all people of the United States: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) congratulates and celebrates Denali National Park and
Preserve on its centennial anniversary;
(2) encourages all people of the State of Alaska and the
United States to visit and experience this national treasure;
and
(3) designates February 26, 2017, as ``Denali National Park
and Preserve Day''.
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