[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 77 (Tuesday, May 19, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1205]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING ANDREA MACKENZIE

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 19, 2009

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I, along with my colleague 
Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, rise today to honor a dedicated and beloved 
advocate for preserving agriculture and the environment in Sonoma 
County, California. Andrea Mackenzie is leaving the Sonoma County 
Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District, and we celebrate her 
12 productive years, especially the last eight years as General 
Manager.
  Andrea was born in upstate New York and grew up in Los Angeles. She 
earned a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Studies from the University 
of California at Santa Barbara and a Master's Degree in Urban Planning 
and Natural Resources from the University of California at Los Angeles.
  With her love of both the coast and the rugged mountains of the High 
Sierra, it is no surprise that Andrea worked for over 25 years in land 
use and conservation-related positions, including the East Bay and San 
Francisco where she began to develop a focus on collaborative public/
private projects and regional approaches. She also loves walkable 
communities, old barns, hiking and kayaking, country rock, and nature 
writers.
  Andrea first served the Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and 
Open Space District as project manager for the strategic conservation 
plan update, creating documents that have become models for other 
public land conservation agencies. In 2000, she was appointed General 
Manager by the Board of Supervisors.
  The mission of the District is to ``permanently protect the diverse 
agricultural, natural resource and scenic open space lands of Sonoma 
County for future generations.'' Funded by a quarter-cent sales tax, it 
is the only such district in the state of California and is 
overwhelmingly supported by Sonoma County's residents.
  Andrea helped direct the 2006 campaign to renew the sales tax, which 
passed overwhelmingly. Voters value the organization's mission and its 
programs including: matching grants to partner with local cities and 
agencies for land acquisition, preservation and enhancement; 
stewardship in managing these lands and various easements to protect 
them, as well as to allow for public access; land leases to local 
growers; and public and educational outings, including a focus on 
underserved populations. Andrea has played a key role in developing 
these programs as well as increasing the amount of open space from 
25,000 acres to 75,000 acres (including 33,000 acres of farmland).
  In 2007, in testament to Andrea's management, the District was 
selected for the National Leadership in Conservation Award from the 
National Association of Counties (NACo) and the Trust for Public Land 
in Washington, D.C. She was also one of 36 Fellows selected to 
participate in the National Conservation Leadership Institute program, 
is a member of the Executive Committee and future President of the Bay 
Area Open Space Council and served on both the Urban Rural Roundtable 
(formed by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom to create a Bay Area 
Regional Food System) and on the Statewide Watershed Advisory 
Committee.
  Madam Speaker, Andrea Mackenzie's combination of visionary and 
practical leadership has made the Sonoma County Agricultural 
Preservation and Open Space District a vital player in our community. 
Sonoma County could have gone the way of other growing counties in 
California with sprawl from end to end. Instead, it remains blessed 
with green open space, productive agriculture, and many unique and 
intact ecosystems. We thank her for her great contributions to our 
children's natural inheritance and wish her luck in her new position 
where she will be continuing her good work closer to her family.

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