[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 52 (Tuesday, March 21, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E645]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


        HONORING MOLLY BROWN, 1995 REFUGE VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

                                 ______


                          HON. OWEN B. PICKETT

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 21, 1995
  Mr. PICKETT. Mr. Speaker, I take this opportunity to extend my 
sincerest congratulations to Ms. Molly P. Brown, a constituent of mine 
from Virginia Beach, VA, on being awarded the 1995 National Wildlife 
Refuge Volunteer of the Year Award.
  The National Wildlife Refuge Association and the National Audubon 
Society have jointly established this annual award. Its purpose is to 
recognize the volunteer who best achieves the goals and objectives of 
the National Wildlife Refuge System [NWRS], which are superior 
organizational skills, innovation in handling refuge assignments, 
effectiveness in dealing with the public, and dependability. Ms. 
Brown's extensive service and long-standing commitment to the Back Bay 
National Wildlife Refuge located in Virginia Beach, VA, clearly are 
above and beyond the criteria that merit national recognition.
  As an advocate of environmental consciousness, Ms. Brown has appeared 
regularly before the Virginia Beach City Council and the zoning board 
to testify on city and State proposals affecting the Refuge. As a 
member of the Mayor's Growth Management Advisory Committee, Ms. Brown 
has frequently provided valuable citizen comments and observations on 
the city's land use, transportation, and infrastructure plans and 
programs.
  Realizing the need to promote an awareness not only of the Refuge's 
mission but of other conservation activities within the region as well, 
Ms. Brown worked to establish both the Southeastern Association for 
Virginia's Environment [SAVE], and the Friends of Back Bay/Save Our 
Sandbridge organization of which she currently serves as president. 
Offering her time and talent at local events such as Earth Day and the 
Environmental Awareness Fair for Students, Molly Brown serves as a true 
emissary of the conservation movement.
  During the 103rd Congress, Molly Brown traveled to Washington, DC, to 
testify before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior 
concerning the need for additional funding for Back Bay. Ms. Brown 
provided the Subcommittee with extensive information regarding the 
Refuge's plans to expand its boundaries and improve its natural 
habitat. The Back Bay land acquisition was one of only 33 projects 
funded nationwide in the Department of Interior Appropriations Act of 
1994, attesting to the value of Ms. Brown's knowledgeable and 
articulate testimony.
  It is with pleasure and honor that I join the other citizens of the 
Second Congressional District of Virginia in thanking and commending 
Molly Brown for her successful efforts in promoting awareness and 
appreciation of our area's natural resources, for her continuing 
efforts to obtain essential funding and Congressional support for Back 
Bay National Wildlife Refuge, and for her boundless enthusiasm for the 
Refuge system as a whole. She is a most deserving recipient of the 1995 
National Wildlife Refuge Volunteer of the Year Award.


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