S.Res. 645

[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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