[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 189 (Tuesday, December 11, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2535-E2536]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO JIM SAXTON

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. DON YOUNG

                               of alaska

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 11, 2007

  Mr. YOUNG of Alaska. Madam Speaker, it was with a deep sense of loss 
that I learned that my dear friend and committee colleague Jim Saxton 
will retire at the end of the 110th Congress. Jim has served the Third 
Congressional District of New Jersey with the highest distinction for 
the past 23 years.
  Jim and I have not always been on the same side on a number of 
environmental issues; however, there is no question that he always 
articulates his views with passion and conviction. When I became 
chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee on January 3, 1995, I 
was honored to appoint Jim Saxton as the first chairman of the 
Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans. He served 
as chairman of that subcommittee during the 104th, 105th, and 106th 
Congresses.
  He was a superb subcommittee chairman and sponsored a number of 
important conservation measures that became law during the Clinton 
administration. This included the Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 
1997. This landmark law, which has been extended several time, created 
the Asian Elephant Conservation Fund to assist this highly endangered 
species whose population had been decimated to less than 40,000 
elephants living in the wild. As a result of his law, in the past 
decade the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved 183 grant proposals 
to assist Asian elephants. There is no question that these projects 
halted this species' slide toward extinction.
  A second bill was the National Wildlife Refuge System Volunteer and 
Community Partnership Enhancement Act of 1998. This measure, Public Law 
105-242, statutorily created the framework for volunteer activities 
within the National Wildlife Refuge System. In the past 10 years, this 
Act allowed the number of volunteers to dramatically increase to nearly 
40,000 Americans who contributed more than 1.5 million hours of service 
last year. The value of the volunteer work has been estimated in excess 
of $26 million and it represents 20 percent of all staff work done in 
the National Wildlife Refuge System. At a time when the Fish and 
Wildlife Service is suffering an operations funding crisis within the 
refuge system, it is difficult to imagine how this system would 
function without the valuable contributions of volunteers.

  A third measure was the Rhino and Tiger Product Labeling Act of 1998. 
The fundamental goal of P.L. 105-312 was to eliminate the U.S. market 
for illegally obtained rhino and tiger products, and therefore, the 
incentives to kill these magnificent animals. Under this law, if a 
label on a product says that it contains rhinoceros and tiger parts, 
then we accept the manufacturer's claim and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service is responsible for stopping its sale, confiscating any 
products, and persecuting the illegal importers.
  A fourth measure sponsored by Chairman Jim Saxton was the Arctic 
Tundra Habitat Conservation Act of 1999. This legislation allowed the 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to undertake various conservation and 
management steps to reduce the exploding population of mid-continent 
light geese. These geese were systematically destroying the fragile 
arctic tundra in the Hudson Bay Region which is essential to the 
survival of millions of migratory birds. By all accounts, the 
implementation of this measure has been responsible for saving 
thousands of acres of vital wetland habitat.
  A fifth proposal which was signed into law was the Marine Mammal 
Rescue Assistance Act of 2000. This legislation, P.L. 106-555, 
established a small grant program to fund the rescue and rehabilitation 
of marine mammals, it encouraged scientific work associated with live 
and dead marine mammals and it provided a small amount of financial 
assistance to marine mammal rescue centers. Federal agencies frequently 
ask marine mammal rescue centers to provide around-the-clock monitoring 
and veterinarian care to injured animals without giving them any 
financial assistance. This measure established a humanitarian 
partnership between Federal and non-federal entities.

[[Page E2536]]

  A sixth proposal was Jim Saxton's sponsorship of the Coral Reef 
Conservation and Partnership Act of 2000. Coral reefs are among the 
world's most productive ecosystems and they are often referred to as 
the ``rainforests'' of the oceans. These reefs are critical to the 
survival of thousands of fish species. Sadly, about 40 percent of all 
coral reefs are either degraded beyond recovery or in critical 
condition. This legislation was designed as a lifeline for our coral 
reef ecosystems by providing a limited amount of Federal funding to 
finance coral reef grants to assist in their protection and recovery.
  Finally, I am proud that Jim Saxton joined with me as an original co-
sponsor of the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997. 
On October 9, 2007, we celebrated the 10th anniversary of this act 
which is Public Law 105-57. This landmark law established for the first 
time an ``organic'' statute for our 96 million acre national wildlife 
refuge system. It defined the term ``wildlife-dependent recreation'' to 
include hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, and environmental 
education. It also established a ``conservation mission'' for the 
system and required the completion of a Comprehensive Conservation Plan 
for each refuge unit. The act gave wildlife dependent recreation 
priority consideration in refuge planning, management and funding. 
Finally, it required the Fish and Wildlife Service to evaluate the 
likelihood of ongoing historic uses on private lands prior to their 
inclusion within the system. Jim Saxton authored this important 
provision.
  This is far from an exhaustive list of Jim Saxton's legislative 
accomplishments in the resources arena. It is representative only of 
the 6-year period that he served as chairman of the Subcommittee on 
Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans. Nevertheless, it clearly 
demonstrates his dedication and commitment to wildlife conservation 
which he exemplified throughout his congressional career. His 
constituents living in Cherry Hill, Mount Holly, and Toms River, New 
Jersey, will miss Jim Saxton and his lifelong advocacy of Theodore 
Roosevelt's vision and principles. I look forward to working with Jim 
through the 110th Congress. I wish him calm sailing seas in the days 
beyond Congress. ``May the wind always be on your back and the sun 
shine upon your face!''

                          ____________________