[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 135 (Friday, September 23, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: September 23, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                         TRIBUTE TO JON ANDREW

                                 ______


                           HON. PETER DEUTSCH

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 23, 1994

  Mr. DEUTSCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend Mr. Jon Andrew, an 
honorable man and a great public servant. Jon Andrew has been promoted 
to coordinator and reviewer of environmental impact statements for the 
Department of Interior's Southeast Regional Fish and Wildlife Office in 
Atlanta, GA.
  Mr. Andrew's longstanding commitment to the Nation's natural 
environment is well-documented. After graduation with an environmental 
science degree from Unity College in 1978, Mr. Andrew went on to attain 
a master's degree in wildlife management from Frostburg State College. 
From his service as refuge manager at the Lower Rio Grande Valley 
National Wildlife Refuge in Alamo, TX, to his 5-year tenure as wildlife 
biologist at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Jon Andrew has 
dedicated his life to the preservation of the United States natural 
resources.
  Throughout his career Mr. Andrew's immanently reasonable nature and 
conservation ethic have provided him with the tools to disarm the often 
heated controversies inherent in U.S. environmental policies. Most 
recently, Jon Andrew accepted one of the most precarious positions in 
resource management, Refuge manager of the Florida Keys National 
Wildlife Refuges. As refuge manager, Jon Andrew was embroiled in some 
of the most contentious battles over resource protection in the Nation, 
with developers and environmentalists clashing over differing 
development expectations of the area under his jurisdiction.
  The Florida Keys, an archipelago extending over 100 miles into the 
Caribbean, represents a unique and diverse tropical ecology that has 
evolved over thousands of years to include such national treasures as 
the endangered Florida Key deer and the only living coral reef in the 
continental United States. Federal initiatives have recognized the 
national significance of the Keys' natural resources and the U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service has sought to balance the detrimental impacts of 
growth rates which exceeded 90 percent over the last decade with the 
needs of federally listed endangered species.
  Although the Keys' community was bitterly divided over these issues, 
Mr. Andrew's intelligence, grace, and wit were effective in easing 
tensions and building coalitions between the development and 
conservation communities. He enlisted the cooperation of former 
adversaries in crafting creative solutions to complex management 
challenges.
  In particular, he implemented the Florida Keys' ``Bad Country'' 
Management Plan, which seeks to resolve conflicts of incompatible uses 
among jet skis, air boats, and inappropriate use of offshore islands 
and shallow water flats within the Great White Heron and Florida Keys 
national heritages.
  Effective implementation of sound resource management practices and 
an improved level of cooperation within the community are the result of 
Jon Andrew's laborious efforts to protect the natural heritage of the 
Florida Keys. His will-considered approach to resource management and 
his humanitarian concern for the environment and habitat will enrich 
the natural resources under the management of the Southeast Regional 
Fish and Wildlife Office.
  Jon Andrew's contribution to the State of Florida and the Nation 
demonstrate his commitment to serve in public good. He is to be 
congratulated and commended.

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