[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 129 (Wednesday, September 29, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S11654]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             NORMA SULLIVAN

 Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I rise in honor of Norma Sullivan, 
a great Californian who died on September 22 in San Diego.
  Norma Sullivan was a woman of many talents: a champion skier, an 
accomplished poet, a prolific essayist, a loving mother, and an 
inspirational teacher. But she was best known to her many friends and 
admirers as a tireless fighter for the environment. As a writer, 
activist, and spokesperson for the San Diego Audubon Society, Norma was 
one of Southern California's most dedicated and effective defenders of 
the natural world.
  San Diego County contains some of the nation's most beautiful 
landscapes and diverse habitat. The County is home to more endangered 
species per square mile than any other region in the continental United 
States. Thanks largely to Norma's prodigious efforts, many of these 
lands and their inhabitants have been preserved for future generations.
  She was instrumental in generating support for parks, establishing 
habitat conservation programs, and blocking projects that would harm 
the environment--including the proposal to build Pamo Dam near Ramona, 
which was withdrawn after Norma alerted the community to its dangers.
  One of Norma's greatest achievements was her role in creating a major 
wildlife refuge in southern San Diego Bay. For ten years she worked 
tirelessly to build support for the refuge among conservationists, 
landowners, local governments, community members, and federal wildlife 
agencies. She never shied away from confrontation, but she was always 
ready to cooperate. Finally, this spring, her long efforts bore fruit 
when the South San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge was established 
and dedicated.
  This magnificent refuge--and many other pristine tracts of San Diego 
County--live on as part of Norma Sullivan's legacy. She has also left 
us a model of what it means to be an engaged citizen: a person who 
works for the public good with intelligence, humor, and love.

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