[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 28 (Thursday, March 10, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E408-E409]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO DAVID LEE BUCKNAM

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MARK UDALL

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 10, 2005

  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
the hard work of David Lee Bucknam, a dedicated public servant in 
Colorado who recently passed away.
  Mr. Bucknam, who was 60 when he died November 22, 2004, spent 24 
years directing the inactive-mine reclamation program of the Colorado 
Division of Mineral and Geology (Division), sealing abandoned mines and 
restoring the soil and water they contaminated.
  Earlier today, I introduced two bills designed to address the 
barriers hampering the cleanup of abandoned hardrock mines in Colorado 
and throughout the west. The introduction of these bills reminded me of 
Mr. Bucknam and others like him who worked hard to protect the public 
and promote wise environmental stewardship. Mr. Bucknam worked with me 
and my staff on this legislation I am introducing today and I would 
like to take this opportunity to express my posthumous appreciation for 
his assistance and for all the work he did for Colorado.
  Mr. Bucknam was born in Brockport, New York in 1944 and arrived in 
Lakewood, Colorado when he was 10. He became an avid and skilled 
mountaineer and skier, getting an early start in the Denver Junior 
Group of the Colorado Mountain Club in his teens. In the ``Juniors'' he 
headed climbing trips and outings, taught mountaineering skills to 
other teens and adults, and shared his love of the outdoors. He 
continued to climb throughout the western United States, in the 
Himalayas, in Canada and in Mexico.
  Mr. Bucknam taught junior high history and geography for several 
years, worked for the Colorado Land Use Commission and then for over 24 
years with the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. He retired as 
Director of the Office of Active and Inactive Mines, and when asked 
what he did, he always smiled and said he ``closed up old mines''. 
Under his leadership, Colorado's Inactive Mine Reclamation Program and 
the Colorado Mine Safety and Training program were nationally 
recognized. He was a mentor and role-model for many of the employees in 
the Department. His competence and dedication--coupled with his 
compassion for his co-workers and his leadership on national issues--
made a lasting impact not only on the Division, but the state and the 
nation as well. In 1990 he served as president of the National 
Association of Abandoned Mined Land Programs and continued to provide 
leadership to the Association by serving on several national 
committees.
  During his tenure at the Division, he helped secure access to about 
400 abandoned mines

[[Page E409]]

a year out of an estimated 20,000 in the state in order to address the 
problems they created and reclaim the surrounding land and water. He 
also helped work on the endless problem of underground coal fires, of 
which at least 29 subterranean fires still smolder in coal seams 
throughout Colorado.
  Mr. Bucknam's love of the outdoors, his service to his state and 
community, and his work on addressing the legacy of mining activity are 
all worthy of recognition. My staff and I wish to express our thoughts 
and wishes to his family and coworkers.

                          ____________________