[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 103 (Monday, June 25, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S8355]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                        NATIONAL GRASSLANDS WEEK

 Mr. DOMENICI. Mr. President, while many may not know, last 
week was National Grasslands Week. I would like to join Secretary 
Johannes and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to celebrate and 
recognize the legacy represented by the establishment and maintenance 
of our national grasslands and to honor all of the individuals that 
have worked so diligently over the years to preserve New Mexico's 
precious grassland ecosystem.
  In my home State of New Mexico we enjoy the luxury of hosting two 
officially designated national grassland areas. Those are the Kiowa and 
the Rita Blanca National Grasslands. These grassland reserves, located 
near the towns of Clayton and Roy, in the northeastern part of the 
State, are chartered under the Cibola National Forest System. They are 
both ongoing ecosystem restoration projects that were implemented 
following the Dust Bowl in the 1930s.
  While the Kiowa and Rita Blanca National Grasslands started as a 
means to preserve the environment and wildlife, they are rich in 
cultural significance as well. The lands were once inhabited by a 
number of Native-American tribes, including the Comanche, Kiowa, and 
Kiowa-Apaches. They were nomadic tribes whose culture depended heavily 
on hunting Buffalo and gathering food from the areas vast array of 
native plants. The area also plays a significant part in the history of 
the Wild West as the Homestead Act of 1862 brought thousands of 
settlers out West, many of which settle in the grasslands of eastern 
New Mexico. They contain over 100 individual grazing permits, which 
incorporate the use of a wide variety of grazing management techniques, 
a large range of pinon-juniper management programs, which includes 
prescribed burning and mechanical treatment along with a personal use 
fuel wood program, and many active partnerships with State and local 
governments, and other entities such as Quail Unlimited and New Mexico 
State University's Clayton Livestock Research Center.
  The National Grasslands of northeastern New Mexico provide thousands 
of acres of wildlife habitat, livestock forage and even serve as 
centers for recreation and clean energy initiatives. The Kiowa and Rita 
Blanca National Grasslands also attract many visitors who get to see 
firsthand the biological wealth, culture, and heritage the grasslands 
preserve and maintain. Visitors can participate in a wide range of 
activities like camping, picnicking, fishing, and wildlife viewing and 
get a taste of our western heritage.
  The New Mexico's Grasslands provide a place of peace, quiet, and 
beautiful sunsets. Next time you are in my home State, I invite and 
encourage you to visit these great places in northeast New Mexico. I 
commend USDA, which has managed public grasslands to meet the needs of 
the American people for over seven decades, and salute the staff of the 
Cibola National Forest and the people of New Mexico who work so hard to 
help administer these grasslands in a way to maintain and preserve 
sustainable use.

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