[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 34 (Wednesday, March 10, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E345]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             RECOGNIZING THE RETIREMENT OF LARRY WARGOWSKY

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON KIND

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 10, 2010

  Mr. KIND. Madam Speaker, I rise today in recognition of Larry 
Wargowsky, who has retired from his position as Refuge Manager for the 
Necedah National Wildlife Refuge after thirty three years of service 
with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, fourteen which were spent 
managing the Necedah Refuge.
  He was born and raised across from the Refuge in Juneau County, and 
enjoyed a career that took him many places, but was fortunate to retire 
at the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. Larry Wargowsky started his 
career of public service after college where he worked for the 
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources at Horicon, Black River Falls 
and Mead Wildlife Area. He then joined the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service working at various National Wildlife Refuges in Illinois, Iowa, 
Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. His work has benefited not merely one 
refuge, or even just one state, but Larry Wargowsky has been a public 
servant whose career has benefited an entire nation.
  Throughout his tenure at the refuge, Larry has seen the resurgence of 
many wildlife critters from the first bald eagle reproduction in 25 
years in 1996 to an increase in populations of the timber wolf and was 
instrumental in the reintroduction of the Whooping crane to this area. 
For this he received the Recovery Champion Award from the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service in 2002. The Whooping crane project at the Necedah 
Refuge has been a boon to Necedah and Juneau County and has made the 
area a major ecotourism destination. The Whooping cranes brought 
international attention to the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge. To 
accommodate visitors, Larry led an effort to build a new visitor 
center. Additionally, the Friends of the Necedah National Wildlife 
Refuge was created under his leadership and this today represents a 
robust and active group. He is as much a friend to our country as he is 
to our environment.
  I am proud to stand before this chamber and applaud the dedication of 
Larry Wargowsky to a life of public service and conservation. As an 
avid sportsman, I am personally grateful to Larry for all of his hard 
work in preserving our wildlife refuges, but this recognition goes 
beyond the gratitude of one individual. We as Americans should be 
grateful to a man who has dedicated his life to public service, and we 
as inhabitants of this planet should be grateful to that same man who 
has dedicated his life to defending our wildlife refuges.

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