K 570: Memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 29, 2025, as Mount Everest Day in the State of New York

 Assembly Resolution No. 570 BY: M. of A. Rajkumar LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION, memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 29, 2025, 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, 2025, 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 12,000 successful summits by more than 7,000 people; and WHEREAS, The entire world also honors the more than 300 brave climbers who lost their lives climbing 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, 2025, 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.