Governor Gregoire celebrates the opening of Cama Beach State Park

June 21, 2008

*As Written*

Good afternoon. I am delighted to be here on this very special day to help officially open Cama Beach State Park.

It has been more than 10 years since Washington opened a new state park. But you know what? This jewel here on the shores of Saratoga Passage made the wait worthwhile!

Senator Haugen, thank you for that very kind introduction and thank you for all your hard work in making this grand state park a reality.

Sandra and Karen (land and financial donors to the park), thank you for your incredible generosity, your extraordinary public spirit, and the vision you had to keep your family�s fishing resort open for generations to come.

I don�t know if all of you know it, but our Washington State Parks Commissioners and staff are working toward a vision. And it�s that in 2013, Washington�s state parks will be premier destinations of uncommon quality.

I�d say they hit the mark with this park. What do you think?

Commissioners and Rex, I know it was a lot of hard work, and some anguish to make this park a reality. Thank you for your vision, hard work and perseverance.

Of course creating this wonderful state park required help from a lot of other people as well.

I like to think of it as the work of the Cama Beach Quilters � it takes a lot of little pieces of well-chosen fabric to create a beautiful final product.

You will hear about the people who worked so hard on the park during today�s ceremony, so I won�t take the time to personally acknowledge each of you, but please know I am personally grateful to each and every one of you and I know we wouldn�t be here today without your contributions.

I would like to talk about why I personally think this park is so significant and why each of you who worked on it should feel so proud today.


I know there are people from all over this state � even this country � who couldn�t wait for the park to open. They want to rekindle the wonderful memories they have of staying here with their parents many years ago.

I never came to Cama Beach as a child growing up in Auburn. But I had one thing in common with the vacationers who came to this fishing resort.
All of my vacations as a child were fishing vacations.

We were always up at oh-dark-hundred to hit the rivers or lakes. We slept in tents and cooked over the open fire.

My mom was a single parent and short-order cook, so there never was a lot of money. Vacations to places like Disneyland were out of the question.

But you know what? I wouldn�t trade those childhood vacations and memories for all the Disneylands in the world.

I have learned that the fondest, warmest, most enduring memories come from the simple things in life and the time spent together as a family.

Mom�s hotcakes cooked in a skillet over the open fire. Talking about the fish that got away � or admiring the one that didn�t. Playing cards around the picnic table in the campfire light.

It is no wonder people lit up the reservation lines when Jeff (Park ranger) and his staff started taking reservations for Cama Beach.

And I wasn�t surprised to learn every unit, for every night in the summer season, has already been booked.

So today we aren�t just opening a park. We are opening a place where memories live and memories will be made for the future...

�A place where families are drawn closer together. A place where families can escape their frenetic workaday lives, and a place where kids can learn the value of the basic things in life.

But Cama Beach is so much more.

It also is envisioned as a place of learning.

Visitors can step back in time, enjoy the feel and flavor of the old resort and study our environment, learn from our tribal friends about respecting the past, and about early tribal life on the sound.

And visitors can explore the world of wooden boats, sailing and our maritime history from programs offered by the Center for Wooden Boats.

So to all of you who helped create this remarkable park, thank you. You should feel very proud of what you accomplished.

Few people can say they had a hand in creating a place that offers peace and escape from a chaotic world;
� That helps build stronger families;
� That creates wonder and an understanding of our natural world; and,
� That provides knowledge and insights from history and our different cultures.

My friends, you have done yourselves and our state proud.

I am delighted to be a part of this grand opening, now let�s let the new Cama Beach memories begin!