[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 181 (Friday, December 16, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1724]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            H.R. 4680, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE CENTENNIAL ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, December 16, 2016

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the National 
Park Service Centennial Act. This year, our nation is celebrating the 
first one hundred years of what filmmaker Ken Burns so accurately 
labelled ``America's best idea''. With this legislation, we are helping 
to strengthen the National Park Service for its second century of 
serving visitors and conserving our national treasures.
  America's National Parks are the best example of our commitment to 
preserve and celebrate the natural wonder and cultural heritage of the 
United States. It is our responsibility to ensure that future 
generations can have the same chance our families do to experience our 
national landscapes and history.
  The Centennial Act will support that goal by building upon the 
public-private partnerships created by the extremely successful 
National Park Service's Centennial Challenge. Federal investments of 
$25 million over the past two years have been more than doubled by 
private investments. These public-private collaborations provide an 
opportunity to reinvest in our parks and to re-engage with the hundreds 
of millions of visitors who come to our parks every year. In 
Minnesota's 4th District, the Centennial Challenge supported a vibrant 
new visitor center in the heart of St. Paul to connect families to an 
urban National Park: the Mississippi National River and Recreation 
Area.
  In addition, the Centennial Act establishes an endowment for the 
National Park Service. The gifts and donations that go into the 
endowment will form a base of funding to address future park projects 
and needs. This endowment fund will protect ancient landscapes and tell 
the ever evolving story of the American people and our nation. It will 
help to preserve the unique ecosystem within our oldest parks, like 
Yellowstone and Yosemite. It will demonstrate the diversity of the 
American dream at the newly created Stonewall and Belmont-Paul Women's 
Equality National Monuments.
  For a century, the National Park Service has conserved our natural 
treasures, preserved our cultural heritage, offered unparalleled 
opportunities for recreation, and taught young and old alike about the 
history of our land and our people. This is an impressive legacy, and 
it is one we must build upon to keep our national parks a part of our 
national fabric for generations to come.
  The National Park Service Centennial Act is an important step forward 
to protecting that legacy, and I urge all my colleagues to support it.

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