[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 26362-26363]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



   TRIBUTE TO THE BLACK CANYON OF THE GUNNISON AND THOSE WHO MADE IT 
                                POSSIBLE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 20, 1999

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, it is with an overwhelming sense of pride 
that I now rise to pay tribute to a truly historic event in the proud 
and distinguished history of the great State of Colorado: the 
establishment of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
  As the House sponsor of legislation that redesignated the Black 
Canyon as a national park, it gives me great joy to describe for this 
esteemed body's record the beauty of this truly majestic place. In 
addition, I would like to offer my gratitude to a community of 
individuals instrumental in the long process that ultimately yielded 
the establishment of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
  Mr. Speaker, anyone who has visited the Black Canyon can attest to 
its awe-inspiring natural beauty. Named for the dark rock that makes up 
its sheer walls, the Black Canyon is

[[Page 26363]]

largely composed of what geologists call basement rocks, the oldest 
rocks on the earth estimated at 1.7 billion years old. With its narrow 
openings, sheer walls, and scenic gorges that plunge 2000 feet into the 
clear blue majesty of the Gunnison River, the Black Canyon is a natural 
crown jewel second to none in its magnificent splendor. Though other 
canyons may have greater depth or descend on a steeper course, few 
combine these attributes as breathtakingly as does the Black Canyon.
  If ever there was a place worthy of the prestigious status that only 
national park status can afford, Mr. Speaker, it is the Black Canyon. 
But as you know, national parks don't just happen. In this case, it 
took nearly 15 years, several Congressional Representatives and 
Senators, innumerable locally elected officials, and a virtual sea of 
committed citizens in western Colorado.
  Included in this group are the good people of Montrose, Colorado. 
During this long and at times difficult process, Montrose's civic 
leaders have given tirelessly and beyond measure in the hopes of making 
the Black Canyon a national park. Again and again these great Americans 
rose to the challenge, doing everything in their power to fulfill this 
dream. Without Montrose's leadership and perseverance, none of what we 
have accomplished would have ever been possible.
   It is with this, Mr. Speaker, that I give my thanks to the people of 
Montrose who played a leading role in making the Black Canyon of the 
Gunnison National Park a wonderful reality for Colorado, America, and 
the world to enjoy.

                    CONGRATULATING THE BOSTON DEMONS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL E. CAPUANO

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 20, 1999

  Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following article which 
appeared in the Melbourne Age on October 20, 1999 for the record and to 
offer my congratulations to the Boston Demons for their outstanding 
efforts in winning the 1999 U.S. Australian Rules National 
Championship.

                [From the Melbourne Age, Oct. 20, 1999]

               Boston Demons 1999 U.S. National Champions

       Cincinnati, Ohio (17 October 1999). The Boston Demons 
     Australian Rules Football team today won the 1999 U.S. 
     Australian Rules National Championship by narrowly defeating 
     the Santa Cruz Roos in overtime.
       The national championship was host by the Cincinnati 
     Dockers, and consisted of 22 teams from around the country, 
     representing cities such as Nashville, New York, Seattle, 
     Chicago, Denver and San Diego.
       The Boston Demons were the defending U.S. National 
     Champions. The national championship, called the Grand Final, 
     was, by some accounts, the most intense game of Australian 
     Rules football ever played in the U.S., with neither side 
     giving any quarter. Santa Cruz played with dedicated 
     intensity, while the Boston Demons yielded nothing. At the 
     end of regular time of two 20-minute halves, the game was 
     drawn at 20 points each. Two five-minute periods of extra 
     time were added, in which Boston kicked a quick goal. The 
     second extra time period saw a battle of ferocious intensity 
     where the game's outcome was held in the balance. So intense 
     was the last five-minute period that two Santa Cruz players 
     were carried off injured. Neither side backed down. The final 
     score was Boston Demons 4 goals 2 behinds, for a total of 26 
     points, to Santa Cruz 3 goals 2 behinds for a total of 20 
     points.
       The Boston Demons is composed of expatiate Australians, 
     Americans, Irish, and a Dane. Based in Boston, MA, the Boston 
     Demons have recently had a large amount of media exposure in 
     both the U.S. and Australia because the team highlights the 
     loss of Australian intellectual capital to the U.S. (see: 
     http://www.theage.com.au/daily/991002/news/specials/
     news28.html).

     

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