[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 5205]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                CONTINENTAL DIVIDE NATIONAL SCENIC TRAIL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Beauprez) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BEAUPREZ. Mr. Speaker, I yield a portion of my time to my 
colleague from California (Mr. Cunningham).
  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
  Mr. Speaker, I would ask that there are two issues that weaken the 
Democrats' chance in the White House. One is victory in Iraq. The 
second is the economy. You will see them stand up here and demagog all 
day long. I would ask my colleagues on the other side, where were they 
during Haiti, a hell hole today? Where were they in Somalia and where 
they denied armor and they depicted Black Hawk Down? Where were they in 
Iraq four times when President Clinton went in there, or the Sudan, 
Bosnia, Kosovo and 147 other deployments?
  Mr. BEAUPREZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise to call attention of the Members of 
this House of what has been called the most significant conservation 
project of our time, the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.
  The idea of a 31,000-mile trail stretching across 5 western States 
from our northern border with Canada, southward to Mexico, came into 
being in 1978 through congressional designation. For many of the same 
reasons national parks are established, national scenic trails are 
created to conserve the nationally significant scenic, historic, 
natural and cultural qualities of critical areas.
  In 1995, a group of dedicated citizens founded the Continental Divide 
Trail Alliance to coordinate and gain support for the completion and 
protection of this king of all trails. Within 2 years, the first 
border-to-border inventory of the trail conditions was completed. 
Alliances were forged with the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land 
Management, the National Park Service and the equivalent State and 
local agencies to plan and schedule trail development projects.
  To date, through efforts of the CDTA, over 300 miles of new trail was 
built and opened to the public. Over 1,200 miles of existing trail has 
been improved or rerouted and hundreds of acres of land acquired or 
donated for the trail's route.
  Through enormous effort by the CDTA, the trail is on track for 
completion and dedication in 2008, the 20th anniversary of its 
congressional designation.
  Mr. Speaker, the vision of our predecessors in this body to create 
the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail in 1978, combined with the 
dedication and passionate commitment of the CDTA represents the very 
best of public-private partnerships.
  Through governmental enabling legislation and regulation combined 
with private sector financial support and considerable sweat equity, an 
enormously grand conservation initiative is within a stone's throw of 
completion. Strategies incorporated by the CDTA over the last 7 years 
include local constituent involvement in public lands decision-making 
process, private sector financial support for Federal government 
initiatives, volunteerism and youths corps and conservation stewardship 
all found in the USA Freedom Corps and the President's Health and 
Fitness Initiative.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask that the record of this House of Representatives 
include this acknowledgment and compliments to the members of 
Continental Divide Trail Alliance. May they achieve their 2008 
completion objective and may they have our collective gratitude for a 
job well done, knowing their efforts will preserve a national treasure 
for generations to come.

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