[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 47 (Thursday, March 19, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E366]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATING NATHAN ECKERT ON RECEIVING THE U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE 
                 SERVICE RACHEL CARSON INDIVIDUAL AWARD

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                             HON. RON KIND

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 19, 2015

  Mr. KIND. Mr. Speaker, I rise before you today to honor Nathan 
Eckert, the recipient of the 2014 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Rachel 
Carson Individual Award. This award is bestowed upon employees of the 
Service whose outstanding contributions improve the Service's knowledge 
and management of fish and wildlife resources. Nathan is a mussel 
biologist at the Genoa National Fish Hatchery in Genoa, Wisconsin, and 
this recognition--considered one of the highest honorary awards in the 
Service--is well deserved for his extraordinary work in freshwater 
mussel conservation.
   At the Genoa Fish Hatchery, Nathan has been researching and 
implementing new techniques and rearing systems for imperiled 
freshwater mussels. As an expert in mussel identification, Nathan has 
helped the Genoa facility produce nearly 15 million mussels of 17 
species, and his endeavors have directly resulted in the release of 
more than 50,000 threatened or endangered mussels into waterways in the 
Upper Mississippi River Basin. Nathan's work also includes assisting 
various mitigation efforts involving projects that impact freshwater 
mussel populations, providing rare mussel species to partners such as 
the U.S. Geological Survey and many toxicology labs to study the 
effects of pesticides and contaminants on mussel survival.
   Nathan's dedication and leadership has proved critical to protecting 
and sustaining the rich biodiversity of the Mississippi River. It is 
with great pride today that I rise to congratulate Nathan for receiving 
the Rachel Carson Individual Award and to sincerely thank him and the 
Genoa Fish Hatchery for building a legacy of conservation for 
generations to come.

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