republic-os/legal/us/code/title-16/chapter-1/section-410hhh.md

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LegalText	16 U.S.C. § 410hhh	Findings	us	united_states_code	code_section	16	CONSERVATION	1	NATIONAL PARKS, MILITARY PARKS, MONUMENTS, AND SEASHORES	410hhh	16 U.S.C. § 410hhh	current	119-100	2026-06-26	official	https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc16@119-100.zip	/us/usc/t16/s410hhh	data/legal/raw/us/code/title-16/usc16.xml	0f6d2f56e6a62d084f08b84e14e31cd084b5d9c93d2ca61473c0421111117d09	7be8950da5a93cac7c98e4576ce00340f2aba5e8e46d29915382c203c421d503	9a40ec37ff69fe276f39cc7c52d026cbf994d3e35ff16db604c3e92a6859ef5f	2026-07-04	official	legal us-code

16 U.S.C. § 410hhh - Findings

Text

Congress finds that—

(1) the Great Sand Dunes National Monument in the State of Colorado was established by Presidential proclamation in 1932 to preserve Federal land containing spectacular and unique sand dunes and additional features of scenic, scientific, and educational interest for the benefit and enjoyment of future generations;

(2) the Great Sand Dunes, together with the associated sand sheet and adjacent wetland and upland, contain a variety of rare ecological, geological, paleontological, archaeological, scenic, historical, and wildlife components, which—

(A) include the unique pulse flow characteristics of Sand Creek and Medano Creek that are integral to the existence of the dunes system;

(B) interact to sustain the unique Great Sand Dunes system beyond the boundaries of the existing National Monument;

(C) are enhanced by the serenity and rural western setting of the area; and

(D) comprise a setting of irreplaceable national significance;

(3) the Great Sand Dunes and adjacent land within the Great Sand Dunes National Monument—

(A) provide extensive opportunities for educational activities, ecological research, and recreational activities; and

(B) are publicly used for hiking, camping, and fishing, and for wilderness value (including solitude);

(4) other public and private land adjacent to the Great Sand Dunes National Monument—

(A) offers additional unique geological, hydrological, paleontological, scenic, scientific, educational, wildlife, and recreational resources; and

(B) contributes to the protection of—

(i) the sand sheet associated with the dune mass;

(ii) the surface and ground water systems that are necessary to the preservation of the dunes and the adjacent wetland; and

(iii) the wildlife, viewshed, and scenic qualities of the Great Sand Dunes National Monument;

(5) some of the private land described in paragraph (4) contains important portions of the sand dune mass, the associated sand sheet, and unique alpine environments, which would be threatened by future development pressures;

(6) the designation of a Great Sand Dunes National Park, which would encompass the existing Great Sand Dunes National Monument and additional land, would provide—

(A) greater long-term protection of the geological, hydrological, paleontological, scenic, scientific, educational, wildlife, and recreational resources of the area (including the sand sheet associated with the dune mass and the ground water system on which the sand dune and wetland systems depend); and

(B) expanded visitor use opportunities;

(7) land in and adjacent to the Great Sand Dunes National Monument is—

(A) recognized for the culturally diverse nature of the historical settlement of the area;

(B) recognized for offering natural, ecological, wildlife, cultural, scenic, paleontological, wilderness, and recreational resources; and

(C) recognized as being a fragile and irreplaceable ecological system that could be destroyed if not carefully protected; and

(8) preservation of this diversity of resources would ensure the perpetuation of the entire ecosystem for the enjoyment of future generations.

(Pub. L. 106–530, § 2, Nov. 22, 2000, 114 Stat. 2527.)

Notes

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short TitlePub. L. 106–530, § 1, Nov. 22, 2000, 114 Stat. 2527, provided that: “This Act [enacting this subchapter and provisions listed in a table of National Wildlife Refuges set out under section 668dd of this title] may be cited as the ‘Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve Act of 2000’.”