Assembly Resolution No. 2321

BY: M. of A. Rules (Rajkumar)

LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION, memorializing Governor Kathy
Hochul to proclaim May 29, 2024, as Mount Everest
Day in the State of New York

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to support and
promote the historic and significant observance of Mount Everest Day in
New York State; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 29, 2024, as Mount
Everest Day in the State of New York, in conjunction with the observance
of international Mount Everest Day; and

WHEREAS, A holiday in Nepal and around the world, Mount Everest Day
commemorates the anniversary of the first confirmed summit of Mount
Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa on May 29, 1953;
and

WHEREAS, Summiting Mount Everest is generally considered one of the
greatest achievements in life, with over 11,000 successful summits by
more than 6,000 people; and

WHEREAS, The entire world also honors the more than 300 brave
climbers who lost their lives attempting to summit the mountain; and

WHEREAS, Mount Everest, also known as Sagarmatha in Nepali and
Chomolungma in Tibetan and the Sherpa language, is the highest mountain
above sea level in the world, with an elevation of 29,032 feet; and

WHEREAS, Having formed about 55 million years ago from the collision
of the Indian and Asian tectonic plates, the mountain is located in the
Mahalangur Himal section of the Himalaya mountain range, situated along
the border of Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China; and

WHEREAS, A UNESCO World Heritage site, Mount Everest is one of the
most iconic and well-known geological sites in the world, attracting
thousands of visitors and hundreds of climbers most years, and serving
as a source of pride and engine of economic growth for Nepal; and

WHEREAS, The name Chomolungma, meaning "Mother Goddess of the
World," has existed for centuries; and in the twentieth century, the
Nepalese government adopted the Nepali name Sagarmatha, meaning "Goddess
of the Sky" or "Head in the Sky," at the suggestion of Nepalese
historian Baburam Acharya; and

WHEREAS, The mountain carries spiritual significance in Buddhism,
regarded as the home of Miyolangsangma, the Goddess of Inexhaustible
Giving, and is the site of the Rongbuk Monastery; and

WHEREAS, The Sherpa people, who trace their origins to the Mount
Everest region, and count among them elite mountaineers, constitute a
thriving community in New York City, where thousands reside,

predominantly in Queens, and contribute to the vitality of the city,
which honored the community by co-naming a street in Jackson Heights as
Mount Everest Way, and a street in Woodside as Tenzing Norgay Sherpa
Way; and

WHEREAS, Among the outstanding achievements of the Sherpa community
in New York is the US Nepal Climbers Association Inc., under the
leadership of President Passang Nima Sherpa, which engages in advocacy
and education on sustainable mountaineering around the world, and
supports the welfare of the Sherpa people in Nepal; and

WHEREAS, Mount Everest and its environs face conservation threats
including accumulation of waste on the mountain, habitat destruction to
develop tourism infrastructure, deforestation, and snow and ice receding
due to climate change; and

WHEREAS, It is imperative that there be greater public awareness of
this serious environmental issue, and more must be done to increase
activity at the local, state, national and international levels; now,
therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 29, 2024, as Mount
Everest Day in the State of New York; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York, the Consul General of Nepal and the US Nepal Climbers Association
Inc.