A resolution designating November 7, 2020, as "National Bison Day".

III 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. RES. 732 Designating November 7, 2020, as ‘‘National Bison Day’’. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES SEPTEMBER 30 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 29), 2020 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 RESOLUTION Designating November 7, 2020, as ‘‘National Bison Day’’. 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 partici- pating 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:51 Oct 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR732.ATS SR732 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •SRES 732 ATS ‘‘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 esti- mates that 182,780 head of bison were under the stew- ardship of private producers, creating jobs and contrib- uting to the food security of the United States by pro- viding 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 ini- tiative 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 offi- cial mammal or animal of those States; Whereas the buffalo nickel played an important role in mod- ernizing the currency of the United States; Whereas several sports teams and businesses have the bison as a mascot, which highlights the iconic and cultural sig- nificance of bison in the United States; VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:51 Oct 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR732.ATS SR732 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •SRES 732 ATS 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 reestab- lished, 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 Fed- eral 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 signifi- cance of the North American bison to the heritage of the United States; and VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:51 Oct 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR732.ATS SR732 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •SRES 732 ATS Whereas members of Indian Tribes, bison producers, con- servationists, 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 Novem- ber: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) designates November 7, 2020, the first Sat- 2 urday of November, as ‘‘National Bison Day’’; and 3 (2) encourages the people of the United States 4 to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies and 5 activities. 6 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 05:51 Oct 01, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR732.ATS SR732 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS