[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 19]
[Senate]
[Page 25916]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                       TRIBUTE TO DR. PAIGE BAKER

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to Dr. Paige 
Baker, superintendent of Badlands National Park. Dr. Baker is retiring 
from the National Park Service at the end of this year, and his 
leadership at the park will be greatly missed. I have enjoyed working 
with Dr. Baker in his capacity as superintendent and want to take this 
opportunity to recognize his dedication to public service.
  Dr. Baker grew up on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in western 
North Dakota. Education has been a strong theme throughout his life, 
and his commitment to educating others is evident in his work at the 
Badlands. He attended college at the University of Mary in Bismarck and 
went on to earn both his master's and doctorate in education 
administration at Pennsylvania State University. Prior to joining the 
National Park Service, he worked at several universities and for the 
Bureau of Indian Affairs. In 2004, he became superintendent of the Casa 
Grande Ruins National Monument in Arizona. In late 2005, Dr. Baker came 
to southwestern South Dakota to serve as superintendent of the Badlands 
National Park. The Baker family has been kind to the National Park 
Service and South Dakota; his brother Gerard Baker serves as 
superintendent of Mount Rushmore National Memorial.
  At the Badlands, Dr. Baker has overseen the management of a unique 
and treasured landscape visited by more than a million people each 
year. Badlands National Park encompasses 244,000 acres of some of the 
most spectacular scenery in the world. The Badlands formations contain 
rich geology and paleontological resources, and the mixed-grass prairie 
within the park offers visitors from around the world the chance to 
view bison, bighorn sheep, and other wildlife. Dr. Baker's charismatic 
and respected leadership has no doubt had a positive impact on the 
experience of each visitor to the park.
  The Badlands also have strong historical and spiritual significance 
to the Lakota people. Dr. Baker has expanded visitors' understanding of 
the Badlands through interpretation programs that recognize the 
cultural significance of the area. Among his most significant 
contributions, Dr. Baker has helped to improve relationships with 
tribes and bridge cultural divides. He has brought Native and non-
Native students to the Badlands to learn from one another and find 
common ground. He has also fostered greater communication with tribes, 
particularly with regard to the South Unit of the Badlands that is 
currently comanaged with the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Dr. Baker has brought 
a level of understanding and respect to these multi-faceted issues that 
deserves recognition.
  In closing, I thank Dr. Baker for his service at Badlands National 
Park and wish him all the best in his retirement. Dr. Baker's work at 
the Badlands will leave a lasting legacy, and I congratulate him on his 
accomplishments.

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