[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 81 (Tuesday, June 2, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1271]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BAY TRAIL PROJECT

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. FORTNEY PETE STARK

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 2, 2009

  Mr. STARK. Madam Speaker, the Bay Trail Project will celebrate its 
20th Anniversary on July 6, 2009 at the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive 
Center in Hayward, California. A commemorative event will highlight the 
adoption of the Bay Trail Plan by the Association of Bay Area 
Governments (ABAG) Executive Board since July 1989 and will point to 
the accomplishments and importance of the Bay Trail over the past 20 
years. California State Senator Bill Lockyer will be honored for his 
contributions of creating and preserving the Bay Trail.
  In 1987, then-California State Senator Bill Lockyer conceived the 
idea of a hiking and bicycling trail that would encircle San Francisco 
and San Pablo Bays. His plan was often called ``Ring Around the Bay.'' 
Lockyer authored Senate Bill 100 authorizing ABAG to, ``develop and 
adopt a plan for a continuous recreational corridor which will extend 
around the perimeter of San Francisco and San Pablo Bays.'' SB 100 
required that the plan include: a specific trail route, connections to 
parks and other recreational facilities, links to existing and proposed 
public transportation facilities, an implementation and funding program 
for the trail, and provisions for implementing the trail without 
adversely affecting the natural environment of the Bay. SB 100 was 
passed into law with widespread support.
  A broad-ranging advisory committee to ABAG developed the Bay Trail 
Plan over a 2-year period and its policies continue today to guide the 
development of the Bay Trail.
  For oversight of the Hayward section of the Bay Trail, the Hayward 
Area Shoreline Planning Agency (HASPA) was formed in 1971. HASPA 
continues to preserve and advocate for the Hayward shoreline as part of 
the Bay Trail. To date, slightly more than half of the Bay Trail's 
ultimate alignment, approximately 293 miles out of the envisioned 500-
mile trail, has been completed.
  I join the Bay Area community in honoring State Treasurer Bill 
Lockyer for his vision in authoring SB 100, ABAG for developing the 
plan for the recreational corridor, HASPA for its oversight and 
stewardship of the Hayward section of the Bay Trail and all the 
individuals who continue to contribute to the success of the Bay Trail. 
The Bay Trail is a treasured gift for all to enjoy.

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