[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 114 (Thursday, August 5, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1764-E1765]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     DR. EDGAR WAYBURN, TRAILBLAZER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, August 5, 1999

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, on Wednesday, August 11, President Clinton 
will present Dr. Edgar Wayburn, longtime environmental activist in the 
San Francisco Bay Area, with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The 
White House ceremony marks yet another milestone along the trail of a 
lifelong pursuit of environmental wisdom. In spotlighting Edgar 
Wayburn's achievements, the President is also underscoring the critical 
importance of environmental conservation in an era of scarce water, 
warming climates, sprawling populations, overcrowded parks, 
disintegrating habitats, and declining species.
  Indeed, Dr. Wayburn, the honorary president-for-life of the Sierra 
Club, has devoted most of his 92 years to the goals of preserving the 
world's wild areas and enhancing the natural environment for the 
benefit of future generations. In following this trail, he has always 
marched in the company of this own extraordinary wit and humor--and in 
the company of his extraordinarily supportive wife, Peggy, a force of 
nature in her own right.
  Even in the context of his long commitment to the environment, 
however, Alaska came to occupy a special place in Dr. Wayburn's world 
view. More than 30 years ago, he and Peggy visited the northernmost 
state for the first time. Alaska has literally never been the same 
since that visit. Dr. Wayburn and Peggy were so captivated by the 
glories of the Alaskan landscape that he has devoted a generous share 
of his life to preserving its majestic vistas, lofty mountains, and 
free-flowing rivers.
  The national campaign that flowed from that first visit, and the 
hundreds of visits that followed, culminated successfully in the 
enactment of the Alaska Lands Act, which President Carter signed into 
law in 1980. It remains the largest public lands legislation in the 
history of the U.S. Congress. Everyone associated with that epochal 
event will readily grant Dr. Wayburn the lion's share of the credit for 
playing such a critical and essential role in protecting the vast and 
varied landscapes of Alaska. Today, some 104 million acres remain wild 
largely because of the epiphany that occurred during Dr. Wayburn's 
first trip to ``the last frontier.''
  Not content with his heavy lifting on behalf of the Alaskan 
wilderness, Dr. Wayburn was simultaneously engaged in the struggle to 
create and expand Redwood National Park in Northern California. He 
worked closely with our former colleague, the late Philip Burton, who 
led the long struggle that eventually brought forth the eternal 
preservation of a pristine example of ancient forest.
  Few of us living in Northern California at the time will soon forget 
the fractious debate that ricocheted through the streets of our 
communities and the halls of Congress. The noise grew most thunderous 
when the advocates of local jobs and forest preservation stood toe-to-
toe in verbal slugfests. At all times during this difficult journey, 
Dr. Wayburn was steadfast in his recognition of the lasting importance 
of the inspiring redwoods. Today, these giants have a permanent home in 
a coastal habitat of 75,000 fog-shrouded acres. Redwood National Park 
is also listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Preserve 
and is visited by thousands of people every year from the United States 
and abroad.
  In San Francisco, Dr. Wayburn demonstrated a similarly high standard 
of leadership in orchestrating the creation of Golden Gate National 
Recreation Area (GGNRA). As a result of Dr. Wayburn's visionary 
insights, an almost continuous greenbelt now stretches down the Pacific 
Coast from Pt. Reyes Seashore to Sweeney Ridge. In the 1960s the very 
notion of an urban national park was an alien concept to Congress and 
the National Park Service (NPS); but thanks to the tireless labors of 
Phil Burton and Dr. Wayburn along with the support of the local 
community and local environmentalists, GGNRA finally emerged in 1972 as 
a protected niche for a new kind of NPS administrative unit.
  Today, GGNRA, with more than 22 million visitors annually, is the 
most visited site in the NPS system. Within its boundaries are redwood 
forests, beaches, dramatic headlands, marshes, abundant wildlife, 
historic forts, islands in the Bay, and a world-famous prison--and all 
of this incredible diversity lies within

[[Page E1765]]

easy reach of one of the largest metropolitan populations in the United 
States. It exists today as a living testament to those who never give 
up on their dreams--and to the tenacity of Dr. Edgar Wayburn in 
particular.
  Most recently, in February, Dr. Wayburn joined us in supporting the 
introduction of legislation to permanently fund the Land and Water 
Conservation Fund and to expand efforts to conserve open space, provide 
urban recreation and park opportunities, and protect marine wildlife. 
The bill, the Permanent Protection of America's Resources 2000 Act, 
would be the single largest annual commitment of funds to environmental 
protection in our history. It is a bi-partisan, albeit challenging, 
effort and Dr. Wayburn's support for the legislation is invaluable.
  And now, at last, shortly before his 93rd birthday, Dr. Wayburn will 
be standing in the White House to receive one of the highest honors 
that our country can bestow. It is a tribute that is long overdue but 
richly deserved.
  Dr. Wayburn, we thank you and salute you on this momentous occasion.

                          ____________________