Representative Heather Wilson: “I rise today to support S. 643, the Hibben Center Act. S. 643 is identical to H.R. 3258, a bill that I introduced on…”

“I rise today to support S. 643, the Hibben Center Act. S. 643 is identical to H.R. 3258, a bill that I introduced on November 7, 2003 and that was favorable reported by the House Resources Committee on September 9, 2004. For six centuries, massive prehistoric structures lay untouched in a remote area of northwestern New Mexico. Chaco Canyon was the home of many indigenous southwestern peoples from between A.D. 850 and 1250. The Pueblo peoples of New Mexico, the Hopi of Arizona, and the Navajo consider Chaco Canyon to be part of their ancestral homelands. In recognition of its significance, President Theodore Roosevelt designated Chaco Canyon a national monument in 1907 and Congress changed the park's designation to a national historical park in 1980. The University of New Mexico (UNM) has participated in exploring, preserving, and documenting Chaco Canyon's extensive archaeological sites since Chaco Canyon National Monument was founded in 1907. In 1949, UNM deeded its lands in Chaco Canyon National Monument to the United States Government in exchange for continued rights to conduct scientific research in the area. Since then, UNM and the National Park Service (NPS) have been partners in researching and reserving the Chaco Canyon collection. S. 643 is an authorization bill, allowing the NPS to spend money away from Park Service lands for this collection.”