[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 173 (Thursday, October 31, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6341-S6342]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 399--DESIGNATING NOVEMBER 2, 2019, AS ``NATIONAL 
                              BISON DAY''

  Mr. HOEVEN (for himself, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Portman, Mr. Tester, Mr. 
Cornyn, Ms. Warren, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Markey, Mr. Enzi, Mr. Udall, Mr. 
Cramer, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Moran, Mr. Schumer, Mr. Rounds, Ms. Baldwin, 
Mr. Thune, Mr. Bennet, Mr. Braun, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Inhofe, Mrs. Hyde-
Smith, Mr. Whitehouse, and Ms. Smith) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 399

       Whereas on May 9, 2016, the North American bison was 
     adopted as the national mammal of the United States;
       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, which is a Tribal 
     organization incorporated pursuant to section 17 of the Act 
     of June 18, 1934 (commonly known as the ``Indian 
     Reorganization Act'') (25 U.S.C. 5124);
       Whereas numerous members of Indian Tribes are involved in 
     bison restoration on Tribal land;
       Whereas members of Indian Tribes have a combined herd of 
     bison on more than 1,000,000 acres of Tribal land;
       Whereas bison can play an important role in improving the 
     types of grasses found in landscapes to the benefit of 
     grasslands;
       Whereas bison hold significant economic value for private 
     producers and rural communities;
       Whereas, as of 2017, the Department of Agriculture 
     estimates that 182,780 head of bison were under the 
     stewardship of private producers, creating jobs and 
     contributing to the food security of the United States by 
     providing a sustainable and healthy meat source;
       Whereas a bison has been depicted on the official seal of 
     the Department of the Interior since 1912;
       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 a small group of ranchers helped save bison from 
     extinction in the late 1800s by gathering the remaining bison 
     of the diminished herds;
       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 captive-bred bison from the New York Zoological Park, 
     now known as the ``Bronx Zoo'', to the first big game refuge 
     in the United States, now known as the ``Wichita Mountains 
     Wildlife 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, 
     national parks, and national forests, and on other Federal 
     land;
       Whereas there are bison in State-managed herds across 11 
     States;

[[Page S6342]]

       Whereas private, public, and Tribal bison leaders are 
     working together to continue bison restoration throughout 
     North America;
       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 celebrated the annual National Bison 
     Day since 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, 2019, 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.

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