Jeff Fortenberry: “Let me thank the distinguished gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop), the chairman of the House Committee on Natural…”

“Let me thank the distinguished gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop), the chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, and the distinguished gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Grijalva), who is the ranking member on the committee, as well as the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock), the chairman of the Federal Lands Subcommittee, and the distinguished gentlewoman from Massachusetts (Ms. Tsongas), the ranking member on the subcommittee, for their outstanding work and help to me in bringing this legislation to the floor. This is important. This legislation directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a feasibility study for the Chief Standing Bear National Historic Trail. Now, Chief Standing Bear holds a very special place in Native American and U.S. history. Establishing a trail in his name would be an outstanding way to recognize his contributions to our great land. I would like to provide some additional background on this extraordinary individual, who prevailed in one of the most important court cases for Native Americans in our country's history. Chief Standing Bear was a Ponca chief. In the 1800s, the Ponca Tribe made its home in the Niobrara River Valley area of Nebraska. In 1877, the United States Government forcibly pressured the Poncas from that homeland, compelling them to move to the Indian territory in Oklahoma.…”