[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 114 (Thursday, July 14, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5173-S5174]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    SENATE RESOLUTION 541--RECOGNIZING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 
ESTABLISHMENT OF HAWAII VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK AND HALEAKALA NATIONAL 
    PARK IN THE STATE OF HAWAII, AND DESIGNATING AUGUST 1, 2016, AS 
         ``HAWAII VOLCANOES AND HALEAKALA NATIONAL PARKS DAY''

  Ms. HIRONO (for herself and Mr. Schatz) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

[[Page S5174]]

  


                              S. Res. 541

       Whereas the Hawaii National Park was established by section 
     1 of the Act entitled ``An Act to establish a national park 
     in the Territory of Hawaii'', approved August 1, 1916 (16 
     U.S.C. 391), consisting of tracts of land on the island of 
     Hawaii and on the island of Maui;
       Whereas the portion of the Hawaii National Park situated on 
     the island of Hawaii was renamed Hawaii Volcanoes National 
     Park by Public Law 87-278 (16 U.S.C. 391d);
       Whereas Hawaii Volcanoes National Park protects and 
     interprets the largest and most continuously active shield 
     volcanoes in the United States and provides the best physical 
     evidence of island-building processes, which continue to form 
     the 2,000 mile-long Hawaiian archipelago;
       Whereas Hawaii Volcanoes National Park provides access to 2 
     of the most active volcanoes in the world and an opportunity 
     to understand and appreciate the distinctive geology and 
     natural and cultural adaptations to the land;
       Whereas, through Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the 
     National Park Service protects, restores, and studies unique 
     and diverse ecosystems and endemic species that are the 
     result of more than 30,000,000 years of evolution in an 
     isolated environment characterized by its active volcanic 
     landscape and wide climate variations;
       Whereas, in 1978, more than 100,000 acres of the park were 
     designated as wilderness, which constitutes the largest and 
     most ecologically diverse wilderness in the Pacific Islands, 
     by section 401(6) of the National Parks and Recreation Act of 
     1978 (Public Law 95-625; 16 U.S.C. 1132 note);
       Whereas Hawaii Volcanoes National Park embraces the Native 
     Hawaiian spiritual significance of the landscape and 
     interprets related cultural traditions;
       Whereas the park encompasses sites, structures, objects, 
     and landscapes that document more than 600 years of human 
     life and activities on an active volcanic landscape;
       Whereas the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and 
     Cultural Organization designated Hawaii Volcanoes National 
     Park as a biosphere reserve in 1980 and as a World Heritage 
     Site on December 10, 1987;
       Whereas, effective July 1, 1961, Haleakala National Park 
     was established by Public Law 86-744 (16 U.S.C. 396b) as a 
     separate unit of the National Park System on the detached 
     portion of the Hawaii National Park on the island of Maui;
       Whereas Haleakala National Park protects a wild volcanic 
     landscape with a wide array of fragile and diverse native 
     ecosystems, including plant and animal species found nowhere 
     else on Earth;
       Whereas extreme gradients of rainfall and temperature shape 
     the remarkable biodiversity of Haleakala National Park, which 
     rises approximately 10,000 feet from the sea to the summit of 
     the Haleakala shield volcano;
       Whereas Haleakala National Park preserves places, 
     resources, stories, and intangible elements of profound 
     sacred importance to Native Hawaiians;
       Whereas those elements are linked by the piko, the lifeline 
     that honors the past and connects the living Hawaiian culture 
     of today to future generations;
       Whereas Haleakala National Park is known for its 
     exceptional scenery, including sunrises and sunsets above the 
     clouds, coursing waterfalls, clear pools, and crashing waves, 
     lush rainforests, and sparkling, star-filled skies;
       Whereas the Haleakala shield volcano, one of the highest 
     peaks in the Pacific, is the result of countless volcanic 
     eruptions during the past 2,000,000 years and unique erosion 
     in action;
       Whereas Public Law 94-567 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note) designated 
     more than 19,000 acres of Haleakala National Park as 
     wilderness in 1976, and the United Nations Educational, 
     Scientific, and Cultural Organization designated the park as 
     a biosphere reserve in 1980; and
       Whereas Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and Haleakala 
     National Park were the first national park units in a 
     territory of the United States and are 2 of the 8 units of 
     the National Park System in the Hawaiian islands: Now, 
     therefore be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) congratulates and celebrates Hawaii Volcanoes National 
     Park and Haleakala National Park on the 100th anniversary of 
     their establishment;
       (2) acknowledges the range of natural and cultural wonders 
     that make up the other national parks and monuments of the 
     State of Hawaii, including--
       (A) Honouliuli National Monument;
       (B) Kalaupapa National Historical Park;
       (C) Kaloko-Honokohau National Historical Park;
       (D) Puuhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park;
       (E) Puukohola Heiau National Historic Site; and
       (F) World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument;
       (3) encourages the people of Hawaii and of the United 
     States to visit those parks and monuments, which are national 
     treasures; and
       (4) designates August 1, 2016, as ``Hawaii Volcanoes and 
     Haleakala National Parks Day''.

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