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<br />-11- <br /> <br />1 <br /> <br />Summary of Address by Governor Dan Thornton at the San Luis <br />Valley Irrigation Centennial Celebration <br /> <br />il <br /> <br /> <br />Ladies and Gentlemen: <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />For me, it is a singular honor' to be <br />able to speak heI'e at Colorado I s centennial <br />,recognition of'irrigation. We usually think <br />of water problems as those of the future,"'" <br />but here in retrospect we pause long enough <br />to look back upon the foresight arid judgment <br />of our"prsvious generations and see what we <br />have re{>ped frOJll the,ir ideas.', ;I:t is fitting <br />and important that we recognbe and compli- <br />,ment our forefathers for'starting irrigation <br />here in ,the San ,Luis VaJ.ley and other sections <br />of the Centennial State., \-later is our most <br />JIm Thornton iml'Ortant 'natural resource, and we should feel <br />grateful to our pioneer ancestors for their vision in recognizing this <br />fact. It is sincerely hoped that our work and our planning of today 'is as <br />beneficial to our coming generations as this early p:J.anning has been to us. <br /> <br />When I learned of the possibility of having this recognition ceremony, <br />I was happy and pleased to appoint the Governor's committee to make neces- <br />sary plans for an 'adequate and eventful celebration. F)ll"thermore, I was <br />especially pleased to include Dr, Lory of Fort ,Collins because he has had <br />a long and unprecedented career in ourstate. ,lie and all members of the <br />Committee have worked long and diligently, and I ,am certain that this <br />celebration will go down in the record books as one of the most historic, <br />colorful, and' interesting" celebrations in Colorado. ' <br /> <br />I have a deep and abiding faith for people who work with the.soil <br />and colorado's greatest resource -- water. Irrigation has given the San <br />Luis Valley and other areaa of Colorado its prosperity, and we must learn <br />to make use of every drop of water and develop that use for the economic' <br />development of the State. We must team how' to better bewe custodians <br />of our resources and that proper care will assure plenty and provide for <br />future generations. A good measure of our citizenship is how we stack up <br />as custodians of our natural resources, of which water is one. <br /> <br />;; <br /> <br />One of the greatest challenges and responsibility ahead of us, not <br />only in Colorado but the nation, is to think in terms of production and <br />not in terms of destruction. We can look forward to a greater America and <br />better world when all 'people becmne affirmative in such thoughts. <br /> <br />. <br /> <br />We have made use of this great natural resource of water through <br />democratic processes and we need not change our system of government to <br />further develop this resource--we do not need Bocia1 reforms or any other <br />"iBIII" for the peopJe to continue to work our problems to make our way of <br />life better in the future. <br /> <br />We do need to develop our knowledge and technics together, particular- <br />ly' in our schools of higher learning, such as Colorado A 8< /1 College, where <br />principles of irrigation practice, irrigation laws and similar subjects are <br />taught to our oncoming generations. This is vitally needed because water <br />resources play the greatest role in Colorado prosperity. <br /> <br />. <br />