CONFERENCE ON DELMARVA DEVELOPMENT 231

One of the most promising new projects in Maryland is the Mari-
time Industrial Park proposed for the waterfront at Crisfield. Urban
renewal funds, Economic Development Administration money, and

assistance from the State through the Maryland Port Authority will

be combined both to renew and create over 100 acres of industrial land
which will be served by a new 25 foot deepwater channel. Governor
Tawes, I am sure that you, as a resident of Crisfield, are very proud
of this exciting new project which should mean much to the region's
economy.

While diversification of the Shore's economy is being sought, the
future importance of those two former mainstays — agriculture and
seafood — are not being overlooked. The Maryland Department of
Economic Development is now cooperating with the Economic De-
velopment Administration, the Department of Food Technology of
the University of Maryland, the Somerset County Redevelopment Cor-
poration and a private corporation in Montgomery County in ex-
ploring the possibility of obtaining Federal assistance for experiments
in the irradiation of seafood and poultry. The objective is to increase
the shelf life of these products and thereby increase their marketability.
Soft shell clams would be studied initially, with further experiments
in other seafoods and poultry if the clam experiment is successful.

An increasingly bright spot in the overall economy of Maryland is
the tourist and travel business — and the Eastern Shore represents
one of our major attractions from the oceanfront to the Chesapeake
Bay.

It has long been recognized that the entire Delmarva Peninsula is
a "delightsome land" for outdoor recreation and travel, but in my
opinion its tourist potential has barely been tapped. The Peninsula
has great appeal for the sightseer, the sport fisherman, the hunter,
the camper, the boating enthusiast, the antiques collector, in fact
just about everyone.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge and the Bridge-Tunnel, as well as our
improved highway system, have served to stimulate travel to this area.
But roads and bridges alone do not bring visitors here. In fact, modern
highways tend to speed the traveler through our states to other desti-
nations. It is imperative therefore that in order to overcome this we,
first, make Delmarva a destination for more people, and second, en-
courage the traveler passing through to linger awhile.

Working together through such organizations as the newly-organized
Delmarva Hospitality Incorporated and the travel councils of the