119-sres475

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 475 Agreed to Senate

    (ATS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
S. RES. 475

 Designating November 1, 2025, as ``National Bison Day''.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 October 29, 2025

 Mr. Hoeven (for himself, Mr. Heinrich, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Barrasso, Mr. 
Bennet, Mr. Booker, Mr. Boozman, Mr. Coons, Mr. Cramer, Ms. Duckworth, 
 Mr. Hickenlooper, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Lujan, Ms. 
Lummis, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Moran, Mr. Mullin, Mr. Ricketts, Mr. Rounds, 
Mr. Scott of Florida, Ms. Smith, Mr. Sheehy, Mr. Thune, Ms. Warren, and 
 Mr. Whitehouse) submitted the following resolution; which was 
 considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

 Designating November 1, 2025, 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 87 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 25,000 bison on 
 more than 1,000,000 acres of Tribal land in 22 States;
Whereas bison play an important role in the health of the wildlife, landscapes, 
 and grasslands of the United States;
Whereas bison hold significant economic value for private producers and Tribal 
 and rural communities;
Whereas, as of 2022, the Department of Agriculture estimates that 192,477 head 
 of bison 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 and restoration 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, Native American leaders and bison herd 
 managers, Federal and State agencies, conservation organizations, 
 artists, writers, young people, 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, 
 national forests, and 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 1, 2025, 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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