[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 58 (Thursday, May 11, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3921-S3922]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ALLARD (for himself and Mr. Campbell):
  S. 2547. A bill to provide for the establishment of the Great Sand 
Dunes National Park and the Great Sand Dunes National Preserve in the 
State of Colorado, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources.


               great sand dunes national park act of 2000

 Mr. ALLARD. Mr. President, today I am introducing legislation 
to establish the Great Sand Dunes National Park and the Great Sand 
Dunes National Preserve.
  This legislation is a major step in protection and preservation of 
the Great Sand Dunes and San Luis Valley water. I along with 
Congressman McInnis decided to introduce companion bills at the request 
of valley residents, locally elected officials and the Rio Grande Water 
Conservation District. In an era of Presidential threats and 
questionable uses of the Antiquities Act, a locally driven legislative 
process is something I strongly support.
  Anyone who has visited the Sand Dunes understands the unique feeling 
they offer the visitor, the dunes seem out of place--a contradiction in 
nature. The San Luis Valley serenely placed between the Sangre De 
Cristo and the San Juan Mountains is the last place one would expect to 
see 750 foot high sand dunes. Still, the Sand Dunes offered the early 
residents and explorers a unique look into the earth's geological 
wonders. This bill will help to ensure that future generations have 
that same opportunity.
  Developing legislation that satisfies everyone is a difficult task, 
but this bill reflects compromises on all sides and puts forth a unique 
proposal for a complicated issue. The provisions of the bill allow for 
(1) establishing the Great Sand Dunes National Park; (2) establishing 
the Great Sand Dunes National Preserve; (3) the acquisition of the Luis 
Maria Baca Grant No. 4; (4) protection of San Luis Valley's water 
resources; (5) hunting in the new Great Sand Dunes National Preserve; 
(6) creation of a new National Wildlife Refuge and (7) a local advisory 
council.
  Protection of the valley's water resources is very important to the 
citizens of Colorado and a primary motivation for virtually everyone's 
support for this measure. An integral part of the water component is 
the federal acquisition of the Baca Ranch. While I am usually very 
skeptical of additional federal ownership of land, it makes sense here 
to purchase the land from willing sellers and incorporate it into the 
combination park, wildlife refuge and forest. The legislation requires 
the Department of the Interior to work with the State of Colorado to 
protect the water dependent resources of the Sand Dunes while not 
jeopardizing valid existing water rights held by others. I want to 
assure everyone that this bill does not create a federal reserve water 
right.
  The Great Sand Dunes National Preserve allows the Secretaries of the 
Interior and Agriculture to transfer existing Forest Service lands to 
the Park Service and manage these lands as a Preserve. The transfer 
would allow the Park Service jurisdiction of the watershed affecting 
the Sand Dunes, while not affecting the wilderness status or existing 
hunting in the area. As a veterinarian I understand and recognize 
hunting as an important tool in game management. The bill stipulates 
that the Colorado Division of Wildlife will play an integral role in 
continued game management of the area.
  The bill also creates a new National Wildlife Refuge on the western 
edge of the existing Baca Ranch and adjacent state trust lands. This 
new Refuge will provide additional hunting opportunities in an area 
that has been historically closed to public hunting. It has extensive 
wetlands and is home to an extensive diversity of plants and animals, 
including a large elk herd. The Refuge would also give the affected 
county an additional source of revenue

[[Page S3922]]

through the Refuge and Revenue Sharing Act as an offset to the loss of 
property taxes from the federal acquisition of the Baca.
  President Herbert Hoover in 1932 recognized the unique 
characteristics of the sand dunes and wanted to protect their scenic, 
scientific and educational features. With the support of the local 
community, the Great Sand Dunes National Monument was established. Now 
sixty-eight years later, residents of the San Luis Valley are 
advocating expansion and upgrade of the national monument to a national 
park.
  Last December, I along with Senator Campbell, Congressman McInnis, 
Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt and Colorado Attorney General 
Ken Salazar met at the Great Sand Dunes to discuss the merits of 
expanding and protecting the resources of the San Luis Valley. We all 
recognized the significance of the meeting and vowed to work towards 
passage of a bill.
  Our time is short in Congress this year, and soon I will be asking 
for a hearing in the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. 
This is an important issue to Coloradans, and I look forward to Senate 
passage of my legislation.
                                 ______