[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 109 (Thursday, July 7, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4911-S4912]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

  Mr. ROUNDS. Mr. President, today I wish to commemorate the 100th 
anniversary of the National Park Service and 100 years of national 
parks.
  Often called the land of ``Great Faces, Great Places,'' South 
Dakota's differing landscapes and abundance of outdoor activities mean 
there is something for everyone to enjoy. As a result, spending time 
outside with our family and friends is one of our favorite pastimes.
  This August marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. 
South Dakota is fortunate to be home to six national parks located 
throughout the State. Among them are the desolate but beautiful 
Badlands and one of our country's oldest national parks: Wind Cave. 
Jewel Cave in Custer, the Lewis & Clark Trail, the Minuteman Missile 
Site, and Mount Rushmore are all maintained by the National Park 
Service as well. The sixth national park, the Missouri River, cuts the 
State in half and provides energy and entertainment to people across 
the State. Few realize that a 100-mile stretch of the Missouri River is 
part of both the National Park System and the National Wild and Scenic 
Rivers System.
  The world's first national park, Yellowstone, was established by 
Congress in 1872, before Montana or Wyoming were official States. 
Following that, the Organic Act of 1916 created the National Park 
Service as an agency under

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the jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior. The Organic Act was 
signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on August 25, 1916. The 
purpose of the National Park Service was to ``conserve the scenery and 
the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to 
provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means 
as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future 
generations.'' The National Park Service has continued to fulfill this 
mission for the past 100 years.
  There is no better place to spend quality time with friends and 
family than the great outdoors of South Dakota, and there is no better 
time to celebrate the great outdoors than this year.

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