[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 127 (Tuesday, September 24, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6759-S6760]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 254--DESIGNATING NOVEMBER 2, 2013, AS ``NATIONAL 
                              BISON DAY''

  Mr. ENZI (for himself, Mr. Johnson of South Dakota, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. 
Cochran, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Heinrich, Ms. Heitkamp, Mr. Hoeven, Mr. 
Johanns, Mr. Lee, Mr. Moran, Mr. Portman, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Tester, Mr. 
Thune, Mr. Udall of New Mexico, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Bennet, 
and Mr. Roberts) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 254

       Whereas bison are considered a historical symbol of the 
     United States;
       Whereas bison were integrally linked with the economic and 
     spiritual lives of many Indian tribes through trade and 
     sacred ceremonies;
       Whereas there are more than 60 Indian tribes participating 
     in the Intertribal Buffalo Council;
       Whereas numerous members of Indian tribes are involved in 
     bison restoration on tribal land;
       Whereas members of Indian tribes have a combined herd on 
     more than 1,000,000 acres of tribal land;
       Whereas the Intertribal Buffalo Council is a tribal 
     organization incorporated pursuant to section 17 of the Act 
     of June 18, 1934 (commonly known as ``Indian Reorganization 
     Act'') (25 U.S.C. 477);
       Whereas bison can play an important role in improving the 
     types of grasses found in landscapes to the benefit of 
     grasslands;
       Whereas a bison has been depicted on the official seal of 
     the Department of the Interior since 1912;
       Whereas bison hold significant economic value for private 
     producers and rural communities;
       Whereas, as of 2007, the United States had 4,499 bison 
     producers creating jobs and providing a sustainable and 
     healthy meat source contributing to the food security of the 
     United States;
       Whereas a bison is portrayed on 2 State flags;
       Whereas the bison has been adopted by 3 States as the 
     official mammal or animal of those States;
       Whereas the buffalo nickel played an important role in 
     modernizing the currency of the United States;
       Whereas several sports teams have the bison as a mascot, 
     which highlights the iconic significance of bison in the 
     United States;
       Whereas on December 8, 1905, William Hornaday, Theodore 
     Roosevelt, and others formed the American Bison Society in 
     response to the near extinction of bison in the United 
     States;
       Whereas on October 11, 1907, the American Bison Society 
     sent 15 bison to the first big game refuge in the United 
     States, which was known as the ``Wichita Reserve Bison 
     Refuge'';
       Whereas in 2005, the American Bison Society was 
     reestablished, bringing together bison ranchers, managers 
     from Indian tribes, Federal and State agencies, conservation 
     organizations, and natural and social scientists from the 
     United States, Canada, and Mexico to create a vision for the 
     North American bison in the 21st century;
       Whereas there are bison herds in National Wildlife Refuges 
     and National Parks;
       Whereas there are bison in State-managed herds across 11 
     States;
       Whereas there is a growing effort to celebrate and 
     officially recognize the historical, cultural, and economic 
     significance of the North American bison to the heritage of 
     the United States; and
       Whereas members of Indian tribes, bison producers, 
     conservationists, sportsmen, educators, and other public and 
     private partners have participated in the first annual 
     National Bison Day on November 1, 2012, and are committed to 
     continuing this tradition annually on the first Saturday of 
     November: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates November 2, 2013, the first Saturday of 
     November, as National Bison Day; and
       (2) encourages the people of the United States to observe 
     the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota and I 
are submitting this resolution today because of the significant role 
the North American Bison has played in the history of our Nation. This 
resolution honors that legacy by designating November 2, 2013, as 
National Bison Day.
  Since our frontier days, the bison has become a symbol of American 
strength and determination. The bison has also been integrally linked 
to the economic and spiritual lives of many Native American tribes over 
the centuries. The Department of Interior has depicted the bison on its 
official seal since 1912 and several sports teams across America have 
chosen the bison as their mascot. At one point in American history, 
bison were brought in to graze outside the original Smithsonian 
Institution Building here in Washington, DC.
  In 1911, when sculptor James Earle Fraser was tasked with designing a 
new nickel, he wanted to ``do something totally American.'' On the 
reverse of his design, he chose to depict the American bison, as a 
symbol of America's western background that was ``100 percent 
American.'' This coin came to be known as the buffalo nickel and played 
an important role in modernizing our currency in the early 20th 
century.
  I must also add that my home state of Wyoming is one of three states 
that recognize the bison as its official state mammal and has honored 
an image of a bison on the Wyoming state flag since it was first 
adopted in 1917. Today, thousands of American bison freely roam 
Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming. The bison is also 
important to our state's economic well-being with a growing number of 
ranchers raising bison for consumers all over the world.
  This resolution is supported by a wide variety of stakeholders. I 
want to recognize the National Bison Association that represents the 
interests of the bison ranchers in nearly every single State. Also 
behind this effort is the

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Intertribal Bison Council that supports the cultural role the bison has 
played in Native American history. Finally, there is the Wildlife 
Conservation Society that wishes to honor the restoration of bison in 
North America since the 19th century.
  I ask my colleagues to help me support and pass this resolution 
honoring the bison and designating November 2, 2013, as National Bison 
Day. The bison has and will continue to be a symbol of America, its 
people and way of life.

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