[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 69 (Tuesday, June 7, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: June 7, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                 THE POUDRE RIVER TRAIL GROUND BREAKING

 Mr. BROWN. Mr. President, congratulations to the citizens of 
the Cache la Poudre River Basin on this ground breaking for the Poudre 
River Trail. As the sponsor of the National Trails Day resolution, I am 
delighted that the 1994 celebration is marked by the kickoff of this 
visionary project.
  Our trails are a key to preserving the special quality of life in 
Colorado. Developing and preserving recreational areas as we grow is 
essential. In an era of increased awareness of physical fitness, trails 
provide healthy, inexpensive entertainment opportunities for people of 
all ages.
  My interest in the Poudre River corridor is longstanding. In the 
early 1970's, I was active in promoting an expansion of Island Grove 
Park. As a State senator from Larimer, Weld and Morgan Counties, I was 
the prime sponsor of Colorado's Conservation Trust Fund legislation.
  In 1986, I was the sponsor of legislation designating a portion of 
the Cache la Poudre as wild and scenic--the only stretch of river in 
Colorado to have received such designation. Currently, I am sponsoring 
S. 1270, the Cache la Poudre River Basin Heritage Study Act. Creation 
of the Cache la Poudre National Water Heritage Area would honor more 
than a century of water development and conservation in the basin--
which changed the region from a semi-arid desert into some of the most 
productive farmland in the world. This act will allow city, county and 
State officials to work together to exchange surplus land for land 
along the floodplain for open space.
  One of the most important aspects of the heritage study and 
demonstration project is that its management remains in the hands of 
the people who understand the river best--the people who reside in the 
Poudre River basin.
  Again, I congratulate you on this ground breaking. I look forward to 
being here with you in the near future when you dedicate the finished 
trail for the use of the citizens of this area. Good planning is not a 
product of stopping progress but of preparing for the future.
  Congratulations on a major step forward.

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