[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 1 (Wednesday, January 23, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S25]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     TRIBUTE TO NICHOLAS E. FINZER

 Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, today I pay tribute to Mr. 
Nicholas Finzer, an Arkansas native who this month will end a long 
career in public service as an employee of the U.S. Forest Service.
  A 1963 graduate of the University of Arkansas, Nick joined the Forest 
Service in Montana before leaving to serve his country in Vietnam. Nick 
later returned to the Forest Service, working in forest and timber 
management and as a forest ranger in Idaho, Montana, Arkansas, North 
Carolina, and Texas, before returning to Arkansas for good in 1984.
  That is when Nick began his tenure as Lands and Minerals Staff 
Officer on the Ouachita National Forest. One of his top priorities in 
this position was acquiring new lands in order to accomodate the 
public's interest to expand the forest. In nearly two decades service 
in the Ouachita National Forest, Nick always took a pro-active approach 
to acquiring new lands for the Forest Service, either through exchanges 
or purchases.
  In 1996, Nick oversaw the exchange of over 180,000 acres from 
Weyerhauser Company for nearly 48,000 acres of government property. 
This transaction took in land over two States, Arkansas and Oklahoma, 
and required Congressional legislation to complete. At the time, it was 
the largest land exchange in the history of the Forest Service. Nick's 
colleagues attribute the success of this massive exchange to his 
wisdom, expertise, and perseverance.
  Nick also spearheaded efforts to develop new programs in the Forest 
Service. He recognized the potential of the Ouachita Mountains as a 
part of the Forest Service's geological program. Some people may not 
realize it, but the Ouachita Mountains are home to a series of world-
class quartz crystal deposits, many of which are located in the 
Ouachita National Forest. These deposits have attracted both commercial 
activity, mineral collectors, and tourists, and Nick should be saluted 
for recognizing the possibilities of these minerals. Years ago, he sat 
down with my predecessor, Senator Dale Bumpers, and convinced him of 
the significance of mineral resources in our Nation's forests, 
particularly the importance of managing these resources. With Nick's 
help, Senator Bumpers focused on a number of important land and mineral 
issues that were important to the Ouachita National Forest, to the 
benefit of all Arkansans.
  Nick Finzer's farsighted approach to forest management has brought 
great benefits to Arkansas and to the United States. His efforts have 
helped to preserve and improve the Ouachita National Forest for us and 
our children. For that and many other accomplishments, we owe Nick a 
tremendous debt of gratitude, and I am honored to pay tribute to 
him.

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