[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 121 (Tuesday, September 11, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1473-E1474]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING THE IZAAK WALTON LEAGUE OF AMERICA'S 90TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 11, 2012

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Izaak Walton 
League as it celebrates 90 years of defending Minnesota's great 
outdoors.

[[Page E1474]]

  In January 1922, a Minnesotan angler named Will Dilg and a group of 
fisherman created the Izaak Walton League of America in response to the 
environmental damage they witnessed during the rapid industrialization 
following World War One. They began a grassroots campaign to educate 
the public about the environment and worked to influence Congress to 
adopt pro-conservation legislation.
  Just a year after its creation, the Izaak Walton League successfully 
blocked legislation that threatened wilderness land that is now the 
Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA). For many years the League was the 
only organization working to defend this treasured landscape, which has 
become central to our state's identity. The Izaak Walton League of 
America would go on to help establish the Upper Mississippi River 
National Wildlife and Fish Refuge and prove instrumental in passing the 
federal Clean Water Act in 1972. The Izaak Walton League has always 
remained true to its founding as a grassroots organization. Their 
members share my belief that in order to protect our nation's wildlife 
and natural lands we must focus on bringing communities together around 
a shared appreciation of nature. They do this through school visits, 
educational seminars, and hands on volunteer work. In 2005, the League 
established the National Conservation Scholarship Program to develop 
future leaders who will carry on the League's mission. Mr. Speaker, it 
gives me great pride to recognize the Izaak Walton League and all its 
members on this anniversary and wish them continued success on the next 
90 years.

                          ____________________