[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 119 (Monday, August 1, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1471]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    IN RECOGNITION OF THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CAPE COD NATIONAL 
                                SEASHORE

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM R. KEATING

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, August 1, 2011

  Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the fiftieth 
anniversary of one of our nation's most pristine national parks and a 
favorite attraction in Massachusetts--the Cape Cod National Seashore.
  On August 7, 1961, one of the most famous residents of Cape Cod, 
President John F. Kennedy, signed into law the bill designating the 
Atlantic shorelines of Chatham, Eastham, Wellfleet, Truro, and 
Provincetown a protected national treasure. The Cape Cod National 
Seashore was the second coastline to be adopted into the National Park 
Service, and remains one of only ten coastal areas to receive the same 
honor.
  Since then, the Seashore has attracted millions of visitors from all 
corners of the world--boosting our local economy and helping to define 
Massachusetts as a top destination for both domestic and foreign 
tourism. In today's volatile job climate, the Cape Cod National 
Seashore serves as a stable employer to 100 year-round employees and 
nearly 200 additional seasonal employees.
  Under the protection of the National Park Service and the care of the 
towns lining the outer Cape, the images most recognizable of the Cape 
Cod National Seashore have remained intact--lighthouses atop rocky 
jetties, rolling dunes of white sand and shells, the vivid scent of 
wild cranberry bogs. Today, as it was in 1961, local residents and 
visitors still find leisure and exploration in the forty miles of 
peaceful seaside trails and beaches.
  As President Kennedy eloquently said some fifty years ago, ``. . . 
this Act makes it possible for the people of the United States through 
their government to acquire and preserve the natural and historic 
values of a portion of Cape Cod for the inspiration and enjoyment of 
people all over the United States.'' A foreshadowing of years to come, 
President Kennedy's message of the critical importance of environmental 
conservation has never been more pertinent than today.
  And so, it is with pride that I recognize the Cape Cod National 
Seashore for fifty years of ecological and historic preservation, and 
with sincerity that I look forward to another fifty.

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