[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 20]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 29618]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



    CELEBRATING THE FIFTH ANNIVERSARY OF DEATH VALLEY NATIONAL PARK

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                            HON. JERRY LEWIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 9, 1999

  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 
fifth anniversary of the creation of Death Valley National Park, which 
protects and provides public access to some of the most dramatic 
scenery in the United States in a pristine desert environment that is 
unmatched in the world.
  Death Valley became the largest national park in the lower 48 states 
when it was changed from national monument status and expanded to 3.3 
million acres in 1994. More than 1.3 million people travel to the park 
now, and the historic Furnace Creek Inn remains open year-round--even 
through 130-degree summer days.
  This spectacular park includes the lowest point in the Western 
Hemisphere--Badwater, at 282 feet below sea level--and mountain peaks 
over 11,000 feet tall. Much of the park is breathtakingly desolate 
wilderness, but visitors can also relive the time of the Gold Rush 
through ghost towns and the internationally famous Scotty's Castle.
  In the past five years, the park staff has grown to include an 
archeologist, a botanist and hydrologist to research and protect the 
unique natural resources. The staff has successfully begun a multi-year 
effort to capture and remove the more than 500 burros who were 
introduced by miners, and who compete for scarce food and water with 
native wildlife like the Desert Bighorn Sheep. Non-native vegetation is 
also being removed.
  The staff has also restored and improved historical resources like 
Scotty's Castle, and installed 60 new wayside interpretive exhibits, 
with plans for 50 more.
  The park service has made efforts to ensure compensation and 
flexibility for private owners whose property was included in the park, 
although some problems remain. We must urge the park service to make 
resolution of those inholder problems a top priority in the years to 
come.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in congratulating 
Park Superintendent Dick Martin and his staff for creating a world-
class national park in this unique natural environment. Their efforts 
have ensured that the treasures of the desert can be viewed by many 
more visitors--and protected for all those who will come in the future.

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