[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 11 (Thursday, January 22, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E104]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING BILL KORTUM

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JARED HUFFMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 22, 2015

  Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, we rise today in honor of William (Bill) 
Kortum, who passed away on December 20, 2014, following a battle with 
cancer. As a pioneering conservationist, Mr. Kortum championed many 
successful campaigns and brought lasting environmental protections to 
Sonoma County and the State of California, and his passing leaves a 
void that won't soon be filled. Considered by many to be the father of 
the environmental movement in Sonoma County, Mr. Kortum was known for 
his strength of conviction and tenacity for protecting the environment. 
Always kind, always polite, Mr. Kortum knew how to motivate others 
towards positive change, and he is singularly responsible for 
instituting many lasting environmental protections, though he would 
never claim responsibility for them.
   As a native of Petaluma, California, Bill Kortum grew up on his 
father's poultry ranch at a time when Sonoma County's open spaces were 
unmarred by urban development. Mr. Kortum went on to graduate from the 
University of California at Davis Veterinary School, serve his country 
in the U.S. Army Veterinary Corps, and establish the successful Cotati 
Veterinary Hospital.
   By the early 1960's, Bill Kortum saw how a rapidly growing 
population would increasingly threaten the natural landscape of Sonoma 
County. He and his wife, Lucy, opposed unregulated development and 
fought to pioneer an alternative path. One of the first of many 
significant environmental victories that Bill Kortum and his allies 
achieved in Sonoma County was to prevent the planned development of 
PG&E's nuclear power plant at Bodega Head.
   In 1972, Mr. Kortum fought to pass Proposition 20, a measure that 
established the California Coastal Commission, which continues to 
guarantee public access to the California coastline. As a visionary 
leader, he went on to establish Sonoma County Conservation Action, an 
organization that mobilized voters to secure urban growth limits around 
all nine cities in the county. He helped to create the Sonoma County 
Open Space District and championed other key institutions and causes, 
such as the Sonoma Land Trust, the SMART train, and public access to 
Lafferty Ranch.
   Mr. Speaker, Bill Kortum's many accomplishments and dedication to 
preserving our nation's natural resources for future generations 
illustrates the substantial impact that one individual can have on 
making the world a better place. Mr. Kortum will not soon be forgotten, 
and his legacy in Sonoma County and along California's rugged coast 
will continue for years to come. It is therefore appropriate that we 
pay tribute to him today and express our deepest condolences to his 
wife, Lucy; children, Frank, Julie Groves, and Sam; grandchildren, Mark 
Kortum, Holden and Dylan Groves, Will and Grace Kortum; and many nieces 
and nephews.

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