[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 120 (Thursday, September 4, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1679-E1680]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   IN HONOR OF THE FRIENDS OF JEFFERSON PATTERSON PARK AND MUSEUM'S 
        RECEIPT OF A 2003 CHESAPEAKE BAY GATEWAYS NETWORK GRANT

                                 ______
                                 

                          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 Friends of 
Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum. This organization received a 2003 
Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network Grant for a project designed to enhance 
opportunities for visitors to explore the lands and stories of 
Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum.
  The Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network, which includes more than 120 
museums, state parks, wildlife refugees and other sites in five states 
and the District of Columbia, was created to enhance the experience of 
visitors to

[[Page E1680]]

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 Friends of Jefferson 
Patterson Park and Museum is receiving a grant of $41,400 and $62,563 
in partner contributions.
  The project proposed by the Friends of Jefferson Patterson Park and 
Museum will extend the Shoreline Loop Trail to 3.75 miles, adding to 50 
percent to its length, and resulting in the longest publicly accessible 
shoreline in Calvert County, Maryland. Greater public access to the 
Patuxent River will help people enjoy this scenic Chesapeake Bay 
tributary. A trail map and guide will be prepared and a series of 
wayside exhibit panels will also be added along the trail to interpret 
the environment and the diverse cultures that have influenced this site 
over time. The park will also develop an overall interpretive plan for 
the park to guide both this project and all future interpretive 
efforts.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with the assistance and vision of organizations 
such as the Friends of Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum 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 
Friends of Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum on receiving this grant 
and wishing them the best of luck in completing their project.

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