LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the estab-
lishment of the National Parks Service

WHEREAS, The health and well-being of the citizens, natural beauty and
historic resources of the State of New York are of immense importance to
this Legislative Body; and
WHEREAS, One hundred years ago, the National Parks Service was created
under the auspices of the United States Department of Interior on August
25, 1916, through a bill signed by President Woodrow Wilson called, "The
Organic Act," to protect and promote our national parks, monuments and
reservations for future generations; and
WHEREAS, On June 10, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt of Hyde
Park, New York, signed Executive Order 6166 to transfer 56 national
monuments and military sites to the National Parks Services for manage-
ment, which had been previously split between the authority of the War
Department and the Department of Agriculture's Forest Service; and
WHEREAS, In 1949, President Harry S. Truman signed the National Trust
for Historic Preservation Act to facilitate public participation in the
preservation of sites, buildings, and objects of national significance
or of international interest; this vital legislation was instrumental in
furthering the preservation movement and the work of the National Parks
Service; and
WHEREAS, The National Parks Service has worked for a Century to
sustain access to historical and natural sites to present and future
citizens, encompassing more than 84.4 million acres of land, creating
252,000 jobs and bringing $30.1 billion in visitor spending; and
WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of Interior, the
National Parks System has been an economic engine for New York, leading
to 7,300 jobs; in 2015, 16,328,212 people visited New York State's 22
National Parks, 268 National Historic Landmarks, 28 National Natural
Landmarks, 4 National Heritage Areas, 307 Archeological Sites, three
National Memorials, and six National Monuments, including the Statue of
Liberty, a World Heritage Site; and
WHEREAS, The National Parks Service contributes to the continued
biodiversity of ecosystems across the Nation through its stewardship of
Natural Preserves like the Appalachian Trail, a 2,180+ mile scenic foot-
path which passes through New York, and Natural Landmarks like the
Thompson Pond in Dutchess County; and
WHEREAS, The National Parks Service has maintained vital historical
parks and landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, the Homes of Presi-
dents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt and Martin Van Buren, as
well as the home of our Former First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, the
Vanderbilt Mansion and the location of the Seneca Falls Convention on
Women's Suffrage; and
WHEREAS, With each dollar of funding, the National Parks Service
returns four dollars in local economic activity and in 2015, New York
alone saw $606,700,000 in visitor spending, $304,400,000 million in
labor income, and $742,700,000 in economic output; and
WHEREAS, The National Parks Service is proud to serve the People of
New York State by protecting and preserving our environmental, recre-
ational and cultural treasures in the community; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the establishment of the National
Parks Service; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the National Parks Service in Hyde Park, New York.