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<br />3721 <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />plains to the east, south, and north are <br />deficient in sites suitable for outdoor <br />recreation. To the northeast, 125 to 150 <br />miles, is the Bonny Dam, and to the southwest, <br />another 150 or 200 miles, is the Conchas Dam <br />near Tucumcari. On the southeast and east <br />there is nothing available until we get into <br />northeastern Oklahoma and central Texas. It <br />is our information that neither Bonny Dam nor <br />Conchas Dam are ever drained dry. When we <br />talk about recreation here, we are talking <br />about recreation in which all members of the <br />family may participate. It involves the solace <br />of rest and reflection in a natural environ- <br />ment. There can be no question but that water <br />adds to these recreational values. It is a <br />visual aid to a mood and it provides a habitat <br />for fish and water-fowl. It provides space <br />for boating and water skiing. Figures released <br />by the Corps of Engineers at John Martin Dam <br />show that there were 238,000 visitations in <br />1959, when there was water impounded behind <br />the dam. The number of visitations dropped to <br />179,000 in 1962 when there was no water. <br /> <br />I <br /> <br />Recreational activities of people as well <br />as the flight patterns of water-fowl are largely <br />a matter of habit and pattern. When the reser- <br />voir above the dam is dry this pattern is <br />broken and a habit is broken. There is value <br />in continuity in availability of this signifi- <br />cant resource. The intangible values of main- <br />taining a permanent pool above John Martin Dam <br />are significant and the tangible economic bene- <br />fits are also significant. Tourism is second <br />possibly only to agriculture as an industry <br />in this state. This facility, maintained at <br />the outpost of our state, would become a <br />significant adjunct to the overall tourism <br />picture of the state, and particularly to that <br />locality. It would be of incalculable aid and <br />benefit to those businesses servicing the pub- <br />lic and the tourists who would visit this. In <br />many cases, the facility would itself be a <br />destination attraction for thousands of visitors <br />a year who are interested in boating and fishing <br />