[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 38 (Wednesday, April 10, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E483]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       IN HONOR OF PEGGY WAYBURN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 10, 2002

  Ms. PELOSI. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay a final tribute to one of the 
true heroes of the environmental movement. Peggy Wayburn passed away 
recently in San Francisco after a lifetime of environmental activism 
that saved ecosystems, changed maps, and enriched our lives. A kind, 
vibrant woman whom I was proud to know, Peggy's work will benefit our 
country forever, but she will be sorely missed.
  Having graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Barnard College in 1942, Peggy 
Cornelia Elliot moved to San Francisco where she met and married Dr. 
Edgar Wayburn. Peggy and Edgar created a bond that changed the course 
of land conservation forever. In Peggy's eighty-five years, she and her 
husband successfully helped preserve millions of acres. We are so 
thankful for the efforts that brought us the Redwood National Park, the 
Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the greenbelt from the Point 
Reyes Seashore to Sweeney Ridge along the Pacific Coast, and the 
expansion of Mount Tamalpais State Park.
  Peggy had a national impact as well. When Peggy and Edgar visited 
Alaska nearly 30 years ago, they were captivated by the beauty of the 
landscape and dedicated themselves to preserving its majestic vistas, 
lofty mountains, and free rivers. The national campaign that resulted 
from that visit, and the hundreds of visits that followed, led to the 
passage of the Alaska Lands Act, the largest public lands bill in the 
history of Congress. One of Peggy's five books, Alaska: the Great Land, 
is credited with eliciting national support for the bill.
  Peggy Wayburn published four other books through the Sierra Club, all 
of which built awareness of the beauty of and need for preserving land. 
The Edge of Life offers a comprehensive view of the Bolinas Lagoon; the 
Lagoon later became a National Natural Landmark. Adventuring in the San 
Francisco Bay Area is a wonderful guide for residents and visitors for 
enjoying the land we are blessed with.
  Peggy served as a trustee of the Sierra Club Foundation, a board 
member of Audubon Canyon Ranch, director of the Point Reyes Seashore 
Foundation, and helped found People for Open Space.
  I am proud to join my constituents in thanking and praising Peggy 
Wayburn for her dedication to the forests of California and the 
wilderness of this nation. Peggy and Edgar Wayburn brought great 
leadership and commitment to our nation's conservation policy. They are 
stars in the constellation of environmental pioneers who have inspired 
us and given future generations a lasting natural heritage.
  To Dr. Wayburn and the Wayburn family, Diana, Laurie, Cynthia and 
William, we share your loss, and we are grateful for every day Peggy 
had with us.

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