[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 62 (Thursday, May 18, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4791-S4792]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   COMMEMORATING THE 80TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF THE DESERT 
                        NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to bring recognition to one of 
the most majestic places in Nevada--the Desert National Wildlife 
Refuge. On Saturday, May 20 the refuge will have been in existence for 
80 years. Established in 1936 during the Presidency of Franklin Delano 
Roosevelt, the Desert National Wildlife Refuge is a key part of the 
National Wildlife Refuge System that protects sensitive lands and 
species throughout our great Nation.
  Covering 1.5 million acres of the Mojave Desert in southern Nevada, 
the Desert refuge is the largest National Wildlife Refuge in the 
continental United States. The Mojave Desert is known for its wide 
variety of geology, plant life, and animal life. The Desert National 
Wildlife Refuge epitomizes this diversity. It contains six different 
mountain ranges and four different habitat types. With an average 
rainfall between 4 and 15 inches, elevations ranging from 2,500 ft to 
10,000 ft, and over 300 different animal species, the

[[Page S4792]]

Desert refuge offers a truly varied landscape.
  The Desert National Wildlife Refuge was originally established for 
the preservation and management of Nevada's desert bighorn sheep 
population, which had begun to decline as early as the 1880s. The 
desert bighorn sheep is the State animal of Nevada and, thanks in large 
part to the refuge and the work of groups such as the Fraternity of the 
Desert Bighorn and Nevada Bighorns Unlimited, our bighorn sheep 
population has been steadily rising in recent years.
  I would be remiss if I didn't also take a few moments to talk about 
the incredible sheep range that runs up the east side of refuge. Rising 
nearly 10,000 feet out of the desert floor and running over 50 miles in 
length, this mountain range has engaged the imaginations of Americans 
since well before southern Nevada was settled. This most memorable 
natural landmark is one of the key reasons that President Nixon 
proposed much of the refuge for wilderness designation in 1974.
  On this occasion of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the 
Desert National Wildlife Refuge, I thank all those who have worked to 
protect these lands. I also salute those visionary individuals--some 
generations ago--that recognized the need to preserve this incredible 
habitat for desert bighorn sheep and the myriad of other species that 
still thrive on these lands.

                          ____________________