[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 48 (Thursday, April 27, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E635]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING AL TROUT, MANAGER OF THE BEAR RIVER MIGRATORY BIRD REFUGE, BOX 
                           ELDER COUNTY, UTAH

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ROB BISHOP

                                of utah

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 27, 2006

  Mr. BISHOP of Utah. Mr. Speaker, the Nation's premier refuge, the 
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, is located just west of my home in 
Brigham City. I rise today in tribute to Mr. Al Trout, who has served 
as the refuge manager for the last seventeen years and is now retiring 
after an illustrious career with the United States Fish and Wildlife 
Service.
  Al came to Utah and the refuge in 1989, inheriting a rented office 
with no staff and little budget. Al rallied hundreds of volunteers who 
donated nearly seventeen thousand hours of labor and raised fifty 
thousand dollars in cash to reopen the refuge which had been decimated 
by floods six years earlier. The refuge now covers over seventy four 
thousand acres of wetlands, marshes, mudflats and open water. Over one 
hundred varieties of common and exotic bird species frequent the 
refuge. Bird counts during the peek migration months are up into the 
millions, from as far away as Russia, Central America and the Pacific 
Islands. In 2001, the refuge was designated as the Western Hemisphere 
Shorebird Reserve. For his efforts, Al was named Refuge Manager of the 
Year in 2001, the Service's most prestigious award.
  Al played a key role in the revival of one of the Nation's oldest 
refuges, created by an act of Congress in 1928. Al was instrumental in 
the creation of the Friends of Bear River Refuge, which raised 1.5 
million dollars for the construction of the recently dedicated James V. 
Hansen Wildlife Education Center, which is a destination point for 
birders throughout the world and stands as a testament of Al's vision, 
determination, and efforts in restoring the Bear River Migratory Bird 
Refuge.
  Thank you, Al, for the air boat tours of the refuge and your 
excellent management of the refuge--you will be missed! Congratulations 
on your well-deserved retirement. I extend to you, your lovely wife, 
and your three children my best wishes for success in the years that 
lie ahead.

                          ____________________