[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 170 (Friday, November 21, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2366]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN RECOGNITION OF LEROY CARLSON

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 20, 2003

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor LeRoy 
Carlson for his three decades of exemplary work with the United States 
Fish and Wildlife Service. Leroy Carlson is one of Colorado's 
outstanding field biologists, preserving and protecting the Rocky 
Mountain region's wildlife.
  Lee received his bachelor's degree from Colorado State University in 
Wildlife Biology and his master's degree in 1974 with an emphasis on 
the wildlife impacts from oil shale development. He began his career in 
Galveston, Texas as a field staff biologist for the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service where he did permitting work for the Army Corps of 
Engineers on housing developments, levies and wetlands.
  After 2 years in Texas, Lee moved to the Lakewood, Colorado offices 
of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service where he worked for the next 27 
years until his retirement in 2003. His innovative approaches to a wide 
range of issues enabled him to provide oversight and protection to the 
region's threatened and endangered species and to guide many of the 
region's largest projects to successful completion.
  Lee's ability to coordinate the protection of wildlife was most 
evident on large Federal projects, such as the Animas-LaPlata water 
project in Southwest Colorado. He earned the respect of all involved 
during his 3-year oversight of negotiations between the Bureau of 
Reclamation, the regional Native American tribes, local water users and 
regional environmental groups. From these contentious discussions, the 
San Juan Recovery Program was created, which provided significant 
mitigation for fish and wildlife resources and included an additional 7 
years of research on listed fish.
  His experience and problem solving attitude in managing complex water 
projects led to the successful re-issuance of agency water permits on 
projects throughout the Roosevelt and Arapahoe National Forests. Lee 
also provided skilled leadership on the Platte River Program for 
endangered species conservation, involving multiple States and Federal 
agencies. The Platte River Program included a unique approach to 
conserving listed wildlife species through the conversion of water use 
to financial contributions paid by project developers.
  When the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) needed a new 
way to address U.S. Fish and Wildlife endangered species requirements, 
Lee developed an innovative solution that included staffing within CDOT 
to help that agency evaluate the impacts on wildlife so that the needs 
of CDOT could be met in a timely manner. His plan became a model for 
future projects and allowed CDOT to determine project impacts for the 
next 20 years and develop mitigation plans. The Short Grass Prairie 
Project received two national awards for the creative approaches Lee 
used with State and Federal agencies. This became the Colorado model 
for the Prebles Project in the East Plum Creek area, protecting the 
Prebles Meadow Jumping Mouse, a rare species that was placed on the 
Endangered Species list in 1998.
  Lee's service and achievements show how a skilled public servant can 
make important contributions to the quality of our natural environment, 
as well as our communities. I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking 
LeRoy Carlson for his far-reaching accomplishments and his commitment 
to the protection of our wildlife resources. I wish him good health and 
happiness in the future.

                          ____________________