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[Pages S5983-S5984]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 732--DESIGNATING NOVEMBER 7, 2020, AS ``NATIONAL
BISON DAY''
Mr. HOEVEN (for himself, Mr. Heinrich, Mr. Moran, Mr. Roberts, Mr.
Cramer, Mr. Tester, Ms. Smith, Ms. Baldwin, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Thune, Mr.
Braun, Mr. Udall, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Enzi, Mr.
Boozman, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Portman, Mr. Schumer, Ms. Warren, Mr. Markey,
and Mr. Bennet) submitted the following resolution; which was
considered and agreed to:
S. Res. 732
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 and cultural
symbol of the United States;
Whereas bison are integrally linked with the economic and
spiritual lives of many Indian Tribes through trade and
sacred ceremonies;
Whereas there are approximately 70 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'') (48 Stat. 988, chapter 576; 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
almost 20,000 bison on more than 1,000,000 acres of Tribal
land;
Whereas bison play an important role in the landscapes and
grasslands of the United States;
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
[[Page S5984]]
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 the Department of the Interior has launched the
Bison Conservation Initiative, a 10-year cooperative
initiative to coordinate the conservation of wild American
bison;
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 and businesses have the bison
as a mascot, which highlights the iconic and cultural
significance of bison in the United States;
Whereas indigenous communities and a 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;
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 7, 2020, 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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