madam speaker , i rise today in support of the wind cave national park boundary revision act of 2005 . 
wind cave national park is one of our nation 's oldest national parks and one of the jewels in our national park system . 
established over 100 years ago , wind cave was the first cave in the world to be set aside as a national park . 
at the turn of the 20th century , its first explorers reported that the cave was only three miles long . 
well , that report was a little off . 
today , we know that the cave has over 117 miles of mapped tunnels and explorers are still discovering new passages . 
this makes it the fifth largest cave in the world . 
these passages contain many natural treasures -- rare and exceptional displays of box work , a honeycomb-shaped formation that protrudes from the cave 's ceilings and walls , as well as other rare cave formations , and a geology that scientists are still working to understand . 
past congresses recognized the value of these treasures by creating the park ; our ability to enjoy them today is a testament to their foresight . 
with over 28 , 000 acres today , the park 's surface is an impressive asset as well . 
the wind cave national park boundary revision act would expand this stewardship to include an additional 5 , 000 acres of mixed grass prairie , ponderosa pine forest , and a dramatic river canyon . 
home to native wildlife such as bison , elk , pronghorn , mule deer , coyotes , and prairie dogs , the park is one of the few remaining mixed-grass ecosystems in the country . 
the expansion would be a natural extension of this habitat and enhance the park 's holdings . 
this project began when the ranching family that owns the land approached the national parks service over 3 years ago . 
the black hills region of south dakota is developing rapidly and , rather than allow the land to be developed into subdivisions and strip malls , they envisioned preserving it for future generations . 
that initial discussion expanded to the surrounding community , state government , and eventually , the united states congress . 
the bill 's passage in the senate and its consideration here today are the fruits of those discussions . 
in addition to receiving support in the house of representatives from my two predecessors and myself , this bill enjoys the bipartisan backing of the south dakota senate delegation and south dakota governor mike rounds . 
as the expansion project has proceeded , interested parties have weighed in with their concerns and they have been answered . 
wind cave national park has protected and preserved a national treasure for over 100 years . 
the wind cave national park boundary revision act is a unique opportunity to expand the park and enhance its value to the public so that visitors can enjoy it forever . 
it is my hope that my colleagues will support the expansion of this park and vote in favor of this important legislation . 
