[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 119 (Wednesday, September 3, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1675-E1676]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 IN HONOR OF THE POTOMAC TRAIL COUNCIL'S RECEIPT OF A 2003 CHESAPEAKE 
                       BAY GATEWAYS NETWORK GRANT

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                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 3, 2003

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker I rise today to recognize the Potomac Trail 
Council. The Potomac Trail Council received a 2003 Chesapeake Bay 
Gateways Network Grant for a project designed to improve access and 
interpretation along a one mile section of trail in Piscataway Park and 
Fort Washington Park in Accokeek, Maryland.
  The Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, which includes more than 120 
museums, state parks, wildlife refuges and other sites in five states 
and the District of Columbia, was created to enhance the experience of 
visitors to the Chesapeake Bay and its many roads, rivers and trails. 
Authorized by the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998, the Gateways 
Network is coordinated by the National Park Service in partnership with 
the Chesapeake Bay Program.
  During the past four years, Gateways Network Grants have funded new 
maps, improved signs, and expanded trails that have made visits to 
parks, wildlife refuges and water trails even more exciting and 
enjoyable than they had previously been. These grants help enhance the 
public's ability to learn and enjoy the Chesapeake's stories and 
significance, explore its natural and cultural resources, and become 
involved in helping conserve and restore the Bay and its watershed, 
Through these projects and other Gateways Network efforts more and more 
people recognize the Chesapeake as a true national treasure.
  In 2003, the National Park Service is awarding $1,387,309 in grant 
funding, matched by over $2 million in partner contributions. Thirty-
two grants are being made to Gateways throughout the Bay watershed in 
Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The Potomac Trail 
Council is receiving a grant of $40,500 and $45,300 in partner 
contributions.
  The project proposed by the Potomac Trail Council will make 
significant improvements to access and interpretation along a one mile 
section of trail in Piscataway Park. The route, which parallels 
Piscataway Creek (a tributary of the Potomac River) will be improved 
through several measures to control erosion and puddling, including the 
addition of permeable surface materials, french drains, and culverts. 
Six interpretive waysides and other signs will also be developed to 
provide trail users with key information and interpret features along 
the route. The Potomac Trail Council will coordinate work on the 
project in collaboration with park staff.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with the assistance and vision of organizations 
such as the Potomac Trail Council that the Chesapeake Bay and the 
entire region has become the treasure that we know it to be today. Mr. 
Speaker, please join me in congratulating the Potomac Trail Council on 
receiving this grant and wishing them the best of luck in completing 
their project.

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