[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 112 (Friday, July 25, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1657-E1658]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN HONOR OF NATIONAL MARINA DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JON C. PORTER

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 25, 2003

  Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House 
Resolution 323, honoring the goals and ideals of National Marina Day.
  In every State in the country, marinas provide millions of Americans 
the opportunity to enjoy our greatest national treasure, our waters.
  Marinas today are working with their communities to increase 
knowledge of the importance of our rivers, lakes, and oceans in our 
communities, and to provide opportunities for people from all areas and 
walks of life to experience our waterways firsthand.
  The Marina Operators Association of America has designated August 9, 
2003 as National Marina Day, and is using this opportunity to encourage 
Americans to learn more about their waterways and how they can be 
enjoyed safely while protecting the environment.
  Across the country, marinas employ more than 140,000 people at more 
than 12,000 locations.
  Marinas are often at the center of efforts to convert underused 
waterfronts into exciting cultural, recreational, and commercial areas 
that highlight the potential of a community.
  National Marina Day exists to highlight these contributions, 
encourage community

[[Page E1658]]

celebration of their waterways, and to facilitate ways to make our 
waterway environments healthy, safe, and accessible for future 
generations.
  In my own State of Nevada, which is erroneously thought of as being 
just a desert State, the marinas at Lake Mead and along the Colorado 
River provide hundreds of thousands of people, not just the opportunity 
to relax and enjoy their vacations, but the opportunity to take a trip 
in time, from the ancient canyon walls of the Colorado River to the 
twentieth century wonder of the Hoover Dam complex, to the exciting 
resort community of Laughlin, Nevada.
  I recently wrote a letter to the Secretary of the Interior asking her 
to support improvements to the boat ramps and adjacent facilities on 
Lake Mead to attract more users to this magnificent body of water.
  I am pleased to be the sponsor of this bi-partisan resolution, and 
look forward to its passage by this House. I urge all my colleagues to 
lend it their support.

                          ____________________