Tennessee 2025-2026 Regular Session

Tennessee House Bill HJR0488 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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4	4	HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 488
5	5	By Faison
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7	7
8	8	HJR0488
9	9	006064
10	10	- 1 -
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12	12	A RESOLUTION to recognize and honor the Great Smoky
13	13	Mountains National Park.
14	14
15	15	WHEREAS, Tennessee is proud to be home to the Great Smoky Mountains National
16	16	Park, which spans across the border into North Carolina to include 522,427 acres of pristine
17	17	landscape in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains; and
18	18	WHEREAS, replete with breathtaking mountain peaks, sprawling lush green forests,
19	19	gorgeous cascading waterfalls, scenic trails, hikes, drives, and so much more, the Great Smoky
20	20	Mountains National Park is one of the most celebrated parks in the United States; and
21	21	WHEREAS, the park boasts many fascinating fauna, including black bear, white-tailed
22	22	deer, elk, chipmunk, nineteen firefly species, over 200 species of birds, and more than thirty
23	23	species of salamander, earning the park the designation of "salamander capital of the world";
24	24	and
25	25	WHEREAS, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park employs approximately 200
26	26	permanent staff and 140 seasonal workers and engages more than 2,000 volunteers annually;
27	27	the park further supports 33,748 jobs in the surrounding communities and has a total economic
28	28	impact of over $2.2 billion annually; and
29	29	WHEREAS, with thirteen million recreational visits in 2023 alone, the Great Smoky
30	30	Mountains National Park is the most visited National Park in the country, with visitation totaling
31	31	more than that of Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Grand Canyon national parks combined; and
32	32	WHEREAS, the park was designated an International Biosphere Reserve on October
33	33	26, 1976, and a World Heritage Site on December 6, 1983; and
34	34	WHEREAS, although its grandeur and environmental, economic, and cultural
35	35	importance are now quite evident, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park might not exist,
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40	40	had it not been for the efforts of conscientious, prescient Tennesseans of the early twentieth
41	41	century; and
42	42	WHEREAS, after a failed attempt by the North Carolina legislature to preserve the
43	43	Smoky Mountain area in the 1890s, Tennesseans David Chapman, Ann Davis, Ben Morton, and
44	44	Paul Fink took up the mantle of preservation in the 1920s; and
45	45	WHEREAS, in the late 1920s, the legislatures of Tennessee and North Carolina
46	46	appropriated $2 million each for land purchases, with Tennessee passing Senate Bill 781 in
47	47	1927 to allocate its funding for the endeavor; and
48	48	WHEREAS, additional money was raised by individuals, private groups, and even school
49	49	children, who pledged their pennies, and by 1928, a total of $5 million had been raised; the
50	50	Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Fund matched this amount, resulting in a total of $10
51	51	million and assuring the purchase of the remaining land; and
52	52	WHEREAS, as a result of these efforts, and with official dedication as a National Park by
53	53	President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940, Tennesseans, North Carolinians, and visitors from the
54	54	world over continue to enjoy the verdant haven that is the Great Smoky Mountains National
55	55	Park; and
56	56	WHEREAS, the park is an enduring symbol of the rich history of our State, and it is most
57	57	fitting that we pause to reflect on its important legacy and continued impact at this time; now,
58	58	therefore,
59	59	BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED
60	60	FOURTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE
61	61	CONCURRING, that we recognize and honor the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a true
62	62	Tennessee treasure and a gift from our forebears that we will continue to protect and cherish.
63	63	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared
64	64	for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
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68	68
69	69	the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear
70	70	without House or Senate designation.