[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 93 (Friday, June 29, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1279-E1280]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       TRIBUTE TO McNEIL FAMILY FOR 2001 NATIONAL WETLANDS AWARD

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. SCOTT McINNIS

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 28, 2001

  Mr. McINNIS. Mr. Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to 
offer my congratulations to a couple that has taken extensive efforts 
to promote land stewardship, wetlands conservation, research and 
education in the Monte Vista area of Colorado. Mike and Cathy McNeil 
have truly exemplified the ideals honored with the 2001 National 
Wetlands Award of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. 
Environmental Protections Agency and the Environmental Law Institute 
and I would like to add my thank you and appreciation to their labors.
  Nestled on the edge of Rock Creek just south of Monte Vista and 
neighbored by the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge, the McNeil 
ranch persists as a fourth-generation operation. Understanding the 
importance of responsible development and the intersection with 
environmental preservation, the McNeils launched the Rock Creek 
Heritage Project--an effort which protected nearly 15,000 acres of farm 
and ranch land in the Rock Creek Watershed. This collaborative effort, 
involving 27 landowners, accentuates 5 aspects including land 
protection, watershed enhancement, training in holistic management, 
community building and support for value-added marketing of 
agricultural products. Extending beyond land matters, the McNeils have 
adopted innovative calving patterns to provide their 800 mother cows 
warmer birthing periods during June and July rather than throughout the 
cooler winter months utilized by most ranchers in the area. In all of 
these endeavors the McNeils have exhibited innovation, excellence and 
outstanding effort.
  Mr. Speaker, Mike and Cathy have been united in matrimony for 20 
years and have the blessing of their daughter Kelly who is 14 years of 
age. The teachings of her parents are allowing Cathy to value and 
preserve the heritage from which she comes. Through the extraordinary 
contributions of the McNeils, wetland protection and land stewardship 
has been heralded and an example has been established for others to 
follow in order obtain ecological health while not compromising 
agricultural profitability. The National Wetlands Award will be one of 
many awards that the McNeils have garnered from their hard work--
alongside the distinct recognition of being the Colorado Association of 
Soil Conservation District's Conservationists of the Year in 1999

[[Page E1280]]

and the 2001 Steward of the Land Award issued by the American Farmland 
Trust.
  The McNeils deserve to be applauded on a job well done and I, along 
with my colleagues, thank them for their sustained efforts in this 
critically important realm and foundation to life.

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