A resolution recognizing 2026 as the "International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists".

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 645 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 645

    Recognizing 2026 as the ``International Year of Rangelands and 
                            Pastoralists.''

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 17, 2026

  Ms. Lummis (for herself, Mr. Lujan, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Ricketts, Mrs. 
  Blackburn, Mr. Daines, Mr. Moran, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Curtis, Mr. 
Crapo, Mr. Hickenlooper, Ms. Rosen, and Ms. Cortez Masto) submitted the 
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
    Recognizing 2026 as the ``International Year of Rangelands and 
                            Pastoralists.''

Whereas rangelands cover up to 770,000,000 acres of land in the United States;
Whereas rangelands include prairies, grasslands, pampas, shrublands, wetlands, 
        woodlands, savannas, chaparrals, steppes, and tundras inhabited by 
        grasses, grass-like plants, forbs, or shrubs that comprise nearly 36 
        percent of land in the United States;
Whereas rangelands are economically, socially, and culturally vital to human 
        communities through an array of ecological services, water resources, 
        biodiversity, wildlife habitat, and carbon sequestration and storage, 
        and provide renewable and nonrenewable energy resources and aesthetic 
        and recreational opportunities;
Whereas American rangelands are crucial for domestic production of forage, food, 
        and fiber like beef, lamb, wool, and hides, as more than 50 percent of 
        the national sheep herd and 60 percent of the Western cattle herd spend 
        some time on Federal public rangelands;
Whereas rangelands cover over half the terrestrial surface of the globe, 
        totaling more than 19,800,000,000 acres and supporting nearly 
        2,000,000,000 people;
Whereas pastoral grazing management decreases the risk of catastrophic wildfire 
        by up to 60 percent, makes rangelands more diverse and resilient, and 
        increases biodiversity;
Whereas pastoralists are the ranchers, nomads, and transhumant herders who raise 
        livestock or semi-domesticated animals as they steward and protect these 
        rangelands;
Whereas American pastoralists and ranchers have generations of traditional 
        knowledge in managing these landscapes and use science-based management, 
        adaptive grazing practices, and emerging information and technologies to 
        support ecological balance and economic productivity;
Whereas American ranchers and land management stewards work with the Federal 
        Government to manage 43 percent of the rangelands across the country, 
        with millions of acres managed as private land on agricultural 
        operations;
Whereas rangelands and the pastoralists who manage them play a key role in 
        domestic food security, rural community viability, and ecosystem health 
        in the United States and worldwide;
Whereas the United Nations, in recognition of the vital nature of rangelands and 
        the significance of pastoralism to the stewardship and societal benefits 
        of rangelands, designated 2026 as the ``International Year of Rangelands 
        and Pastoralists'';
Whereas national, regional, provincial, and local governments around the world 
        will celebrate the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists in 
        2026 through education, research, advertisements, films, and advocacy 
        efforts that are supportive of rangelands and pastoralists; and
Whereas the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists provides an 
        opportunity for the United States to highlight the contributions of 
        pastoralists, ranchers, farmers, scientists, and land managers in the 
        United States and across the world who work on behalf of multiple-use 
        and sustainable rangeland management: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes 2026 as the ``International Year of 
        Rangelands and Pastoralists'';
            (2) recognizes the economic, social, and ecological 
        importance of rangelands and the ranchers, farmers, land 
        managers, pastoralists, and partners who have been caretakers 
        of the American rangelands for generations; and
            (3) encourages Federal agencies, universities, and 
        organizations across the country to engage in activities that 
        promote education, research, and outreach related to rangeland 
        management.
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