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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Senate last night unanimously approved a resolution offered by Senators Jim Webb (D-VA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) commemorating the 75th anniversary of Shenandoah National Park.  The resolution, S.260, honors the cultural and ecological importance of Shenandoah, dedicated on July 3, 1936 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and affirms the support of Congress for Virginia’s national park.

“Shenandoah National Park is one of the Commonwealth’s most significant tourist attractions, providing economic benefits to communities across the Valley,” said Senator Webb. “As a longtime supporter of natural and cultural landmarks, I will continue to work to preserve the Park for future generations to enjoy.”

“The Shenandoah National Park provides outstanding recreation and tourism opportunities, and it has served as a real economic driver for the Blue Ridge region,” Senator Warner said. “Virginia is fortunate to have a world-class destination like the Shenandoah National Park, and I hope this Resolution helps increase interest in maintaining and enhancing this resource.”   

In the 1920s, the Congressionally appointed Southern Appalachian National Park Committee recommended that Congress authorize the establishment of a national park in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia for the purposes of uniting the western national park experience to the populated eastern seaboard.  Today, Shenandoah National Park attracts nearly 2 million visitors a year and is home to numerous historical landmarks, including ten Civil War battlefields.

Full text of the resolution is below:

To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the dedication of Shenandoah National Park.  

Whereas this historical milestone for Shenandoah National Park corresponds with the Civil War sesquicentennial, enriching the heritage of both the Commonwealth of Virginia and our nation;

Whereas in the early to mid-1920s, with the efforts of the citizen-driven Shenandoah Valley, Inc. and the Shenandoah National Park Association, the Congressionally appointed Southern Appalachian National Park Committee recommended that Congress authorize the establishment of a national park in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia for the purposes of uniting the western national park experience to the populated eastern seaboard;

Whereas, in 1935, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Harold Ickes accepted the land deeds from the Commonwealth of Virginia and, on July 3, 1936, President Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated Shenandoah National Park “to this and to succeeding generations for the recreation and re-creation they would find”;  

Whereas the Appalachian Mountains extend through 200,000 acres of the Shenandoah National Park and borders eight Virginia counties of Albemarle, Augusta, Greene, Madison, Page, Rappahannock, Rockingham, Warren;

Whereas the Shenandoah National Park is home to a diverse ecosystem of 103 rare and endangered species, 1405 plant species, 51 mammal species, 36 fish species, 26 reptile species, 23 amphibian species, and more than 200 bird species;

Whereas the proximity of the Shenandoah National Park to heavily populated areas, including the nation’s capital, promotes regional travel and tourism in partnership with its gateway communities, providing thousands of jobs and contributing millions of dollars to the economic vitality of the region;

Whereas the Shenandoah National Park, rich with recreational opportunities, offers 520 miles of hiking trails, 200 miles of which are designated horse trails and 101 miles of which are part of the 2,175-mile Appalachian National Historic Trail; over 90 fishable streams; four campgrounds; seven picnic areas; three lodges; six backcountry cabins; and an extensive, rugged backcountry open to wilderness camping to the millions of people who annually visit the park;

Whereas the park protects significant cultural resources including a National Historic Landmark (Rapidan Camp, once a summer retreat for President Herbert Hoover); a Historic District (all of Skyline Drive) listed on the National Register of Historic Places; a structure (Massanutten Lodge) individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places; 360 buildings and structures included on the List of Classified Structures; 577 significant, recorded archeological sites, 11 of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and more than 100 historic cemeteries;

Whereas Congress named ten battlefields in the Shenandoah Valley for preservation in the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District and Commission Act of 1996 and the Shenandoah National Park, an integral partner in this endeavor, provides visitors with outstanding views of strategic locations vital to the Civil War legacy in their pristine, natural landscapes;

Whereas the Shenandoah National Park protects both tangible and intangible resources, including the heritage of the American people through the rigorous commitments of the Civilian Conservation Corps and the advancement of Civil Rights as Shenandoah’s “separate but equal” facilities became the first to desegregate in Virginia;

Whereas, on October 20, 1975, Congress passed legislation designating 79,579 acres within the Shenandoah National Park’s boundaries as wilderness under the 1964 Wilderness Act and the 1975 Eastern Wilderness Act which protects the wilderness character of the lands “for the permanent good of the whole people;”

Whereas this exemplary National Park unit deserves the support of Congress to preserve the ecological and cultural integrity, maintain the infrastructure, and protect the famously scenic views of the Shenandoah Valley:

Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That Congress¬

(1)          Commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Shenandoah National Park; and

(2)          Acknowledge the historic and enduring scenic, recreational, and economic value of this unique national treasure.  

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