[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 21]
[Senate]
[Page 31063]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                    THE 1999 STATE PARKS GOLD MEDAL

  Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, today, I rise with my colleague Senator 
Mack to take a moment to recognize our Florida state park system, which 
recently received the prestigious 1999 National State Parks Gold Medal 
from the National Sports Foundation, Inc., a part of the 25,000-member 
National Sporting Goods Association. The State Parks Gold Medal is 
awarded every other year to the state park system considered America's 
best. We are proud and honored that Florida's state park system, which 
includes 151 diverse state parks throughout the state covering more 
than one-half million acres, received this recognition in October at 
the National Recreation and Park Association Annual Congress in 
Nashville, Tennessee.
  Congratulations to Governor Jeb Bush, Florida Department of 
Environmental Protection, Secretary David Struhs, and the Department's 
Division of Recreation and Parks Director, Fran Mainella, on this 
achievement.
  This nation's state parks play a key role in our society--they 
provide much needed recreational opportunities to Americans while 
protecting key resources. These parks create the link between our 
national parks, dedicated specifically to protection of the resources 
for which the park was created, and our local parks, dedicated 
specifically to recreation. Without a strong state park system, the 
resources in our national parks will become stressed as people seek to 
fill unmet recreational needs. We are proud that the state of Florida 
recognizes this connection, and works to maintain a strong state park 
system.
  In honor of ``Florida's State Parks--Voted America's Best,'' Governor 
Bush and the Florida Cabinet have designated Saturday, November 20 as a 
``free day'' when admission charges to Florida state parks will be 
waived for all visitors. We invite all of our colleagues to a free day 
in one or more of America's best state parks that day.
  Thank you, Mr. President, for the opportunity to recognize these 
outstanding natural areas, preserved forever for the enjoyment of this 
and future generations.

                          ____________________