[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18312]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



  GOLDEN GATE NATIONAL RECREATION AREA BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT ACT OF 2000

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 12, 2000

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 
3632, the Golden Gate National Recreation Area Boundary Adjustment Act. 
I appreciate my colleague Mr. Lantos' hard work to bring this bill to 
the floor today and am proud to have worked on it with him and our 
other Bay Area colleague, Ms. Pelosi.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill will authorize open space parcels, located 
between existing Golden Gate National Recreation Area (GGNRA) lands and 
the lower-income community of Marin City, to be included within the 
GGNRA. This pending acquisition would create the first direct access to 
the GGNRA for the residents of Marin City. It will also fulfill a GGNRA 
``parks to people'' legislative mandate to establish park access to as 
wide a socioeconomic constituency as possible.
  In addition, H.R. 3632 allows for these parcels to be preserved in an 
undeveloped state that protects habitat, ridge top trails and scenic 
views of San Francisco Bay for the public's continued enjoyment. 
Including these parcels within the GGNRA boundaries is strongly 
supported by the Marin County Board of Supervisors, the Marin County 
Open Space District and local conservation organizations.
  Open space preservation is a key priority for my constituents. But 
H.R. 3632 will also set aside lands in other parts of the Bay Area for 
the public's continued enjoyment. Only 20 miles south of the parcels in 
my district, new space in San Francisco--the urban heart of the Bay 
Area--will also be included in the GGNRA. Even further south, in a part 
of the Bay Area that is also experiencing pressure on its open space, 
Mr. Lantos has worked hard to include parcels in Pacifica within GGNRA 
boundaries.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3632 today. It is 
crucial that open space in the Bay Area can be preserved and enjoyed by 
generations of children to come.

                          ____________________