[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 14727]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize the 50th 
anniversary of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
  In the early 1900s, the populations of Nevada, southern California, 
and Arizona were beginning to grow. New communities were in need of 
water for irrigation, electrical power, and a way to control the 
seasonal flooding of the mighty Colorado River. On December 21, 1928, 
President Calvin Coolidge signed the Boulder Canyon Project Act, which 
authorized funds for three dam projects along the Lower Colorado River, 
the largest of which became the Hoover Dam, and this monumental dam 
created our Nation's largest reservoir, Lake Mead.
  On October 8, 1964, 18 years after the completion of the Hoover Dam, 
the Lake Mead national recreation area was established, making it the 
first National Recreation Area in the country. Since its founding, Lake 
Mead has become essential to Southern Nevada. The reservoir supplies 
local communities with drinking water, provides low-cost electricity 
throughout the Southwest, and is a beacon for outdoor recreation, which 
attracts millions of dollars annually to local and regional economies. 
In 2013, the Lake Mead National Recreation Area visitors contributed 
$260 million to communities surrounding the lake, and this helped 
support approximately 3,000 jobs in the area.
  Today, Lake Mead is one of the most popular destinations in America, 
with more than 6 million visitors every year. Lake Mead boasts more 
than 900 plant and 500 animal species, 24 of which are threatened or 
endangered. Within the national recreation area, there are 9 wilderness 
areas that help support the rehabilitation of these important species 
and over 1,300 recorded archeological sites that tell the story of the 
region's rich cultural heritage. In addition to the area's many hiking 
trails, Lake Mead also has several boat marinas and the Black Canyon 
Water Trail, which was recently dedicated as Nevada's first National 
Water Trail by the Secretary of the Interior.
  I recognize Guy Edwards, Robert Rose, Ben Thompson, George Baggley, 
Charles Richey, Roger Allin, Glen Bean, William Briggle, Gary Bunney, 
Alan O'Neill, and William Dickinson, the past and current 
superintendents of the Lake Mead Nation Recreation Area. These 
superintendents have provided strong leadership for the management of 
the reservoir since it was filled in 1936 and improved the park and 
recreational opportunities for visitors over the decades.
  I commend the National Park Service on the 50th anniversary of the 
establishment of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and I wish 
them the best in their future endeavors.

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