[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 7506-7507]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE AND UTAH'S MIGHTY FIVE NATIONAL 
                                 PARKS

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, our national parks play host to abundant 
animal life, untouched wilderness, and some of the most breathtaking 
vistas I have ever seen. Anyone who has beheld the pristine perfection 
of a mountain lake or the verdant green of our valleys in springtime 
can bear witness to the magnificent grandeur of America's natural 
landscapes. Today I wish to recognize the National Park Service for its 
indispensable role in preserving both the richness and beauty of these 
lands. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the National Park 
Service. On the agency's centennial, I would like to thank the 
thousands of men and women who, over many decades, have served 
selflessly to safeguard the majesty of our national parks.
  In commemoration of the Service's 100th anniversary, I will be 
visiting the Mighty Five National Parks in my home State of Utah next 
week. The Mighty Five play a critical role in Utah's economy, driving 
the tourism industry by attracting millions of visitors to our State 
each year. Today, I would like to pay tribute to the Mighty Five 
National Parks by recognizing the beauty and unique history of each.
  Canyonlands National Park--imagine wave after wave of deep canyons, 
towering mesas, pinnacles, cliffs, and spires stretching across 527 
square miles. This is Canyonlands National Park, formed by the currents 
and tributaries of Utah's Green and Colorado rivers. Canyonlands is 
home to many different types of travel experiences, from sublime 
solitude in the more remote stretches of the park to moderate hikes 
through the Needles district.
  Located just west of Moab and a short distance from Arches National 
Park, Canyonlands is wild, wonderful, and diverse in its landscapes. 
Due to the park's massive size, Canyonlands has four separate 
districts, including three land districts and the rivers themselves, 
each with their own characteristic landscapes and experiences.
  The area's earliest known inhabitants were Puebloans. After the 
Puebloans, other groups from the Ute, Navajo, and Paiutes appeared in 
the area. Ranchers and miners started settling the area in the 1880s, 
and places throughout the park still bear the names of some of these 
early settlers.
  In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Bates Wilson, the superintendent 
of Arches National Park, lobbied for a national park to be created in 
the Canyonlands area. In 1962, Utah Senator Frank Moss introduced the 
Canyonlands Park bill, and 2 years later, President Lyndon B. Johnson 
signed legislation designating Canyonlands a National Park.
  Arches National Park--located northwest of Moab, Arches is a 73,234-
acre wonderland of eroded sandstone fins, towers, ribs, gargoyles, 
hoodoos, balanced rocks, and, of course, arches. The park protects an 
amazing landscape that includes the largest proliferation of arches in 
the world. Over 2,000 arches have been catalogued in Arches National 
Park. Landscape Arch, measuring 306 fragile feet, is the second-longest 
span in the world.
  The sandstone formations in Arches National Park define not only the 
landscape but also its plants and animals. The scarce precipitation--
8.5 inches annually--extreme temperature ranges, and relatively high 
elevation all conspire to limit life among the rocks to only species 
that can adapt to such a harsh environment. Elevations at Arches range 
from 3,960 feet along the Colorado River to the 5,653-foot Elephant 
Butte, the park's high point. A pygmy forest of pinon pine and juniper 
covers about half the park; scrubby steppe and bare slickrock blanket 
the rest.
  The Arches area was first brought to the National Park Service's 
attention by an employee of a railroad company named Frank Wadleigh. 
Wadleigh visited Arches at the request of a prospector, who claimed the 
area had high tourist potential because of its scenic views. With the 
support of the National Park Service, the area was designated a 
national monument in April 1929. The park grew in popularity, and on 
November 12, 1971, President Richard Nixon signed legislation 
designating it a national park.
  Bryce Canyon National Park--the alpine environment of Bryce National 
Park is home to dozens of species of mammals and birds. Water and wind 
over millions of years of freezes and thaws have carved into the 
plateau endless fields of the park's distinctive red rock pillars, 
called hoodoos. By its very nature, Bryce Canyon National Park invites 
discovery.
  Every year, Bryce Canyon awes visitors with spectacular geological 
formations and brilliant colors. The towering hoodoos, narrow fins, and 
natural bridges seem to deny all reason or explanation, leaving hikers 
gazing around with jaws agape in wondrous incredulity. This surreal 
landscape is what brings people from around the world to visit the 
park.
  The Park's hoodoos and fins are formed when rainwater seeps into 
cracks in the rock. The water freezes during Bryce's cold nights, 
expanding just enough to break apart the rock. The deep, narrow walls 
called ``fins'' result from rain and snowmelt running down the slopes 
from Bryce's rim. Eventually the fins form holes, called windows. When 
the windows grow larger, they collapse and create the bizarre hoodoos 
we see today.
  The scenic areas of Bryce Canyon were first described to the Nation 
in 1916 in magazine articles published by Union Pacific and Santa Fe 
railroad companies. As visitations to the area increased, those 
concerned about the damage being done to the delicate features lobbied 
for its protection. On June 8, 1923, Bryce Canyon was declared a 
national monument, and on February 25, 1928, it was established as a 
national park.
  Zion National Park--carved by water and time, Zion National Park is a 
canyon that invites you to participate in the very forces that created 
it. The park's canyons and mesas boast an especially exquisite beauty, 
even in a State known for dramatic landscapes. Breathtaking Zion Canyon 
is the centerpiece of this 147,000-acre parkland that protects a 
spectacular landscape of high plateaus, sheer canyons, and monolithic 
cliffs.
  Opportunities to see and explore Zion National Park abound for people 
of all ages and abilities, from the scenic byways that slice through 
the park to the trails that wind through the backcountry. Wildlife 
watchers can stop at numerous lookouts and search the sky for Zion's 
more than 200 bird species.
  The paintings of Zion Canyon done by Frederick Dellenbaugh in the 
early 1900s, along with previous photographs of the area, led President 
William Howard Taft to proclaim Zion Canyon a national monument on July 
31, 1909. In November 1919, Congress established Zion Canyon as a 
national park, making it the oldest national park in Utah.
  Capitol Reef National Park--even considering Utah's many impressive 
national parks and monuments, it is difficult to rival Capitol Reef 
National Park's sense of expansiveness; of broad, sweeping vistas; of a 
tortured, twisted, seemingly endless landscape; of limitless sky and 
desert rock.
  While Bryce and Zion are like encapsulated little fantasy lands of 
colored stone and soaring cliffs, the less-visited Capitol Reef is 
almost like a planet unto itself. In Capitol Reef, you get a real feel 
for what the earth might have been like millions of years before life 
appeared, when nothing existed but earth and sky.
  Capitol Reef National Park is an evocative world of spectacular 
colored cliffs, hidden arches, massive domes, and deep canyons. It is a 
place that includes the finest elements of Bryce and Zion Canyons in a 
less-crowded park.
  Ephraim Portman Pectol, a member of the Utah State Legislature, and 
his brother-in-law, Joseph Hickman, started a promotional campaign for 
the Capitol Reef area in the early 1930s. In 1937, President Franklin 
D. Roosevelt named the area a national monument.

[[Page 7507]]

Roads built to the area promoted access. In December 1971, President 
Richard Nixon signed an act establishing Capitol Reef as a national 
park.

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