[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 106 (Friday, July 29, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1669]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN RECOGNITION OF THE PLANTING FIELDS ARBORETUM STATE HISTORIC PARK IN 
                          OYSTER BAY, NEW YORK

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GARY L. ACKERMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 28, 2005

  Mr. ACKERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 
Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park, located in Oyster Bay, 
New York. The park's 409 acres on the beautiful North Shore of Long 
Island provide a unique opportunity to educate, enrich, and entertain 
the visiting public.
  The ``Gold Coast'' of Long Island is known around the world from F. 
Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel, The Great Gatsby. The Planting Fields 
Arboretum is a remarkable public garden that provides the public with 
the chance to experience the beauty and tranquility of this legendary 
part of America's geography.
  The Planting Fields Arboretum is entering the final stage of 
construction of a new facility, the Hoffman Visitor Center. This 
enriching addition, due to open in the summer of 2006, will function as 
an educational center and will serve as a permanent home for the 
historical records of all Long Island parks.
  Visitors to the Hoffman Visitor Center will be able to participate in 
interactive exhibits, which will acquaint them with the history and 
culture of the Planting Fields Arboretum. A 3-dimensional topographical 
map, featuring fiber optic light-up paths surrounded by educational 
panels, will introduce the visitors to the many attractions and 
specialty walks that the Planting Fields Arboretum has to offer.
  Individuals interested in learning about Long Island's storied 
history will be able to peruse the archives, which will contain more 
than 85,000 images, schematics, blueprints, and plans from Robert 
Moses' Long Island National Park System.
  The Planting Fields Arboretum will also showcase a new rooftop 
garden, complete with a pergola filled with hanging baskets of seasonal 
flowers to attract butterflies and birds. This relaxing area will be 
the perfect spot to sit and picnic with family and friends.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask all my colleagues in the House of Representatives 
to please join me in commending the Planting Fields Arboretum of Oyster 
Bay, New York for the construction of the Hoffman Visitor Center, a 
facility that will only add luster to one of Nassau County and New 
York's brightest cultural gems.

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