[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 55 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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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 and Mr. Sullivan) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               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 key tourism partners like the Alaska Railroad, the cruise ship industry, 
        air and bus tour companies, and other outfitters have worked diligently 
        to provide a wide array of ways in which the many visitors to Denali 
        National Park and Preserve may experience Denali, 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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