[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 118 (Thursday, August 5, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S6898]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. BOXER:
  S. 3744. A bill to establish Pinnacles National Park in the State of 
California as a unit of the National Park System, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce the Pinnacles 
National Park Act.
  This legislation would elevate the Pinnacles National Monument to a 
National Park. The legislation would also rename the current Pinnacles 
Wilderness as the Hain Wilderness after Schuyler Hain, an early 
conservationist whose efforts led to the establishment of the Monument 
in 1908.
  The Pinnacles National Monument ascends out of the beautiful Gabilan 
Mountains, east of central California's Salinas Valley. Established by 
President Theodore Roosevelt, the monument protects the spectacular 
remains of the Neenach Volcano. Colossal monoliths, sheer-walled 
canyons and talus caves exhibit millions of years of volcanic evolution 
and tectonic plate movement.
  Originally 2500 acres, the monument has grown to encompass 26,000 
acres of diverse California wildlands. These parklands represent one of 
only 5 regions, or less than 2 percent of the world's surface area, 
supporting a Mediterranean habitat. Less than five percent of the 
world's Mediterranean habitat remains protected, so it is essential 
that we preserve this special resource.
  Mediterranean habitats provide a rare combination of cool wet 
winters, hot dry summer days, and evening fog--supporting many plants 
and animals found nowhere else in the world. One of the animals that 
calls the Pinnacles home is the critically endangered California 
condor. Recently, a condor hatched in the wild just outside the 
monument's boundary--the first to do so in this country in at least 70 
years.
  The Pinnacles area, famously rendered by John Steinbach in ``Of Mice 
and Men'' and ``East of Eden,'' is also an important part of 
California's cultural heritage. The area has held significance for 
several Native American tribes, early Spanish settlers, and Western 
homesteaders. Today, the Pinnacles are a global destination for 
naturalists and outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds, who are attracted by 
the park's scenic trails, natural resources, and some of the most 
unique rock-climbing in the world. The Pinnacles National Monument is 
an important driver of the local tourist economy and jobs, and 
elevating this site to a National Park will draw even more attention to 
this incredible destination.
  I have worked with Congressman Sam Farr to craft legislation that 
will further protect this recreational treasure. It has strong support 
from the surrounding communities and the California Wild Heritage 
Campaign, a coalition of over 500 businesses and organizations.
  I hope my colleagues will join me in recognizing this diverse natural 
and cultural resource by creating Pinnacles National Park.
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