[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 18]
[Senate]
[Page 24011]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 LEWIS AND CLARK NATIONAL HISTORIC PARK

 Mr. SMITH. Mr. President, today, on behalf of the residents of 
Clatsop County, OR, I pay tribute to public servants who are usually 
referred to here in the U.S. Senate as nameless and faceless 
bureaucrats. I express my gratitude to the dedicated staff of the 
National Park Service staff at the newly designated Lewis and Clark 
National Historic Park--in particular, the superintendent, Chip 
Jenkins.
  Fort Clatsop and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, which 
sits in the northwest corner of Oregon, serves as the exclamation mark 
to the Lewis and Clark expedition across this vast continent. 
Established in 1958, this unit of the national park system has grown to 
be one of the most popular tourist attractions along the northern 
Oregon Coast. For 46 years, this park has endeavored to tell the story 
of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and its impact on the settlement of 
the Pacific Northwest.
  In preparation for the upcoming Lewis and Clark Bicentennial 
festivities, Chip Jenkins and his staff at the Fort have served as a 
driving force in planning, facilitating and coordinating region-wide 
efforts to help tell the tale of Lewis and Clark in the great Pacific 
Northwest. Along with many key members of the community, Chip's vision 
and leadership abilities have culminated in the recent passage of the 
Lewis and Clark National Historical Park Designation Act, which brings 
several State parks from both Oregon and Washington in partnership with 
the National Park Service to tell a comprehensive story of the Lewis 
and Clark experience at the mouth of the magnificent Columbia River. 
This Act was recently signed into law by President Bush on October 30, 
2004.
  Chip has made such an impact on the State of Oregon that the Oregon 
Business magazine recently named him one of Oregon's top 50 Great 
Leaders. Well known in his community for his role at Fort Clatsop, Chip 
still finds time for involvement in other local organizations and 
efforts such as the Astoria Children's Museum.
  Mr. President, I offer my words of appreciation for Chip Jenkins and 
his staff at the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park for their 
dedication to the public good. With the peak of Lewis and Clark 
Bicentennial celebrations coming in the summer of 2005, there is still 
much work to do. But I am confident that they will succeed and leave a 
legacy lasting well beyond this season of celebration. While the public 
servants of our many Federal agencies are often faceless and nameless 
to us in Congress, they are considered friends and partners in the 
communities they serve.

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