[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 18 (Friday, February 25, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 25, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                         TRIBUTE TO ED STEGNER

  Mr. DANFORTH. Mr. President, in Missouri, Ed Stegner's name is 
virtually synonymous with conservation and responsible stewardship of 
our natural resources. His countless contributions to the cause of 
conservation will be recognized on March 11. For those who wish to 
leave the world better than we found it, Ed's career offers many 
lessons.
  Ed Stegner was born on September 24, 1925, on a family farm near 
Bunceton, MO, in Cooper County. He now owns the farm where he was born 
and has added to the acreage. Wildlife management is his highest 
priority, particularly turkey and quail. He actively farms the land, 
demonstrating that wise use of the land is compatible with good habitat 
for wildlife.
  He acquired many of his values as a child who learned to hunt, fish, 
and trap with his father and brother. He saw quickly that abundant 
wildlife requires good habitat.
  He served as a gunner in the Army Air Corps in World War II, resuming 
his studies at Missouri University after the war, earning a bachelors 
degree in agriculture. After college, he taught vocational agriculture 
to veterans, contributing to the improvement of farming practices in 
our State.
  In 1953, he joined the Conservation Federation of Missouri as its 
executive secretary, a title later changed to executive director. Since 
that time, he has been the principal representative of Missouri 
conservationists before the State legislature and Congress, and before 
State and Federal natural resource agencies. For most of his 40-year 
career, he was our only full-time advocate for wildlife conservation.
  His many accomplishments include his chairmanship of the Governor's 
Wild Rivers Advisory Committee, as organizer of the Prairie Foundation, 
and as secretary of the Citizens Committee for Conservation, which 
secured passage of an ambitious new conservation program funded by a 
dedicated sales tax. Most of Missouri's environmental legislation bears 
the imprint of his active involvement.
  He is a member of many professional and citizen conservation groups, 
and has been honored by many more. Of the numerous awards and 
recognitions that have come his way, none means more than his selection 
by the Missouri Conservation Commission as a master conservationist, an 
honor that is given sparingly.
  Ed Stegner intends to use his retirement for his hobbies--hunting 
turkey and quail, and being an amateur dog trainer. I certainly wish 
him success in creating time for these pursuits, but he should know 
that a great many people expect him to remain active in the 
conservation movement. When opportunities present themselves to help 
preserve Missouri's natural heritage, I feel certain that Ed Stegner 
will do what he has done his entire adult life: he will lend an able 
and expert hand to a very good cause.

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