[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 525 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 525

      Recognizing March 1, 2022, as the 150th anniversary of the 
 establishment of Yellowstone National Park, which spans the States of 
                      Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 17, 2022

   Mr. Barrasso (for himself, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Daines, Mr. Risch, Mr. 
 Crapo, Mr. Tester, Mr. King, Mr. Braun, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Manchin, Mr. 
 Cruz, and Mr. Heinrich) submitted the following resolution; which was 
                        considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
      Recognizing March 1, 2022, as the 150th anniversary of the 
 establishment of Yellowstone National Park, which spans the States of 
                      Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho.

Whereas Yellowstone National Park, the first national park in the world, was 
        established to share the wonders and preserve and protect the scenery, 
        cultural heritage, wildlife, and geologic and ecological systems and 
        processes in their natural condition for the benefit and enjoyment of 
        present and future generations;
Whereas human history in the Yellowstone area dates back more than 11,000 years;
Whereas the location of Greater Yellowstone at the convergence of the Great 
        Plains, Great Basin, and Columbia Plateau Indian cultures means that 
        many Native American Tribes have traditional connections to the land and 
        its resources;
Whereas, for thousands of years before the designation of the national park, the 
        Greater Yellowstone area was a place where Native Americans hunted, 
        fished, gathered plants, quarried obsidian, and used the thermal waters 
        for religious and medicinal purposes;
Whereas many Native American Tribes are associated with Yellowstone National 
        Park, including--

    (1) Assiniboine and Sioux;

    (2) Blackfeet;

    (3) Cheyenne River Sioux;

    (4) Coeur d'Alene;

    (5) Comanche;

    (6) Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation;

    (7) Crow;

    (8) Crow Creek Sioux;

    (9) Eastern Shoshone;

    (10) Flandreau Santee Sioux;

    (11) Gros Ventre and Assiniboine;

    (12) Kiowa;

    (13) Little Shell Chippewa;

    (14) Lower Brule Sioux;

    (15) Nez Perce;

    (16) Northern Arapaho;

    (17) Northern Cheyenne;

    (18) Oglala Sioux;

    (19) Rosebud Sioux;

    (20) Salish and Kootenai;

    (21) Shoshone-Bannock;

    (22) Sisseton Wahpeton;

    (23) Spirit Lake;

    (24) Standing Rock Sioux;

    (25) Turtle Mountain Band of the Chippewa;

    (26) Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation; and

    (27) Yankton Sioux;

Whereas the Yellowstone area was visited by fur traders and explorers during the 
        early 1800s and by organized expeditions in the 1860s and 1870s that 
        reported the abundant resources and immense value of the region to 
        Congress;
Whereas painter Thomas Moran and photographer William Henry Jackson accompanied 
        the first geographical survey of the Yellowstone area in 1871 and 
        returned from the expedition with visual evidence of the grandeur that 
        earlier explorers could only describe with words;
Whereas, on March 1, 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant signed into law the 
        Yellowstone National Park Protection Act, which states, ``The tract of 
        land . . . lying near the headwaters of the Yellowstone River . . . is 
        reserved and withdrawn from settlement, occupancy, or sale under the 
        laws of the United States, and dedicated and set apart as a public park 
        or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.'';
Whereas Yellowstone National Park is the first national park in the world, an 
        idea that has spread throughout the world;
Whereas Yellowstone National Park is the core of the Greater Yellowstone 
        Ecosystem, one of the last, largest, nearly intact natural ecosystems on 
        the planet, where natural processes operate in an ecological context 
        that has been subject to little human alteration;
Whereas the Federal Government has made substantial efforts to maintain 
        ecological balance within Yellowstone National Park through wildlife 
        conservation and partnership efforts;
Whereas Yellowstone National Park is 3,472 square miles and more than 2,000,000 
        acres in size;
Whereas Yellowstone National Park contains half of the world's hydrothermal 
        features, with more than 10,000 in total and more than 500 active 
        geysers, including the Old Faithful Geyser;
Whereas Yellowstone National Park has the most active, diverse, and intact 
        collections of combined geothermal, geologic, and hydrologic features 
        and systems on Earth, including the Grand Prismatic Spring;
Whereas Yellowstone National Park has 67 species of mammals, 285 species of 
        birds, 6 species of reptiles, and 5 species of amphibians within its 
        boundaries;
Whereas Yellowstone National Park has the largest free-ranging bison herd in 
        North America;
Whereas Yellowstone National Park has over 1,000 native flowering species and 9 
        species of conifers;
Whereas Yellowstone National Park has more than 900 historic buildings and 25 
        sites, landmarks, and districts on the National Register of Historic 
        Places;
Whereas Yellowstone National Park has more than 720,000 museum items that 
        document the park and the western United States from pre-history through 
        the present;
Whereas the United States Army managed Yellowstone National Park between 1886 
        and 1918;
Whereas more than 1,850 archeological sites have been documented in Yellowstone 
        National Park;
Whereas Yellowstone National Park hosts over 4,000,000 visits annually, with 
        people from across the world traveling to the park to enjoy the many 
        recreational opportunities, including hiking, horseback riding, biking, 
        camping, rafting, boating, swimming, fishing, viewing wildlife and 
        geothermal features, photography, and exploring, contributing hundreds 
        of millions of dollars into local and State economies in Wyoming, 
        Montana, and Idaho;
Whereas, in 2020, visitors to Yellowstone National Park spent over $444,000,000 
        in gateway communities and supported 6,110 jobs in Wyoming, Montana, and 
        Idaho, with a cumulative benefit to the local economy of $560,000,000;
Whereas Yellowstone National Park partners with concessioners that provide 
        services for the general public, including lodging, dining, shopping, 
        and medical services; and
Whereas the National Park Service employs hundreds of permanent and seasonal 
        staff dedicated to preserving the natural and cultural resources of 
        Yellowstone National Park for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration 
        of current and future generations: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) congratulates Yellowstone National Park on its 
        sesquicentennial anniversary;
            (2) celebrates 150 years of the unique cultural heritage 
        and natural beauty of Yellowstone National Park; and
            (3) encourages people across the United States and around 
        the world to visit Yellowstone National Park to experience this 
        extraordinary treasure.
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