[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 113 (Wednesday, July 13, 2016)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5070-S5071]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRIBUTE TO JAMES EHLERS
Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, Vermont environmental advocate James Ehlers
has won the prestigious 2016 Zetterstrom Environmental Award, an honor
presented annually by Green Mountain Power Company. I know James well
from having worked for most of the last two decades to protect and
restore Lake Champlain. I have often found myself as the focus of his
unrelenting vision to achieve a ``swimmable, fishable, drinkable'' Lake
Champlain, and I agree with that vision.
Since his earliest days with Lake Champlain International, LCI, James
has made it his mission to restore Lake Champlain fisheries. In recent
years, James has broadened his work and the mission of LCI to also
address many known and suspected lake pollutants, to prevent the spread
of invasive species, and to tackle many other issues affecting the our
beloved Lake, which is also known as the jewel of New England.
Named for the famed osprey advocate, Meeri Zetterstrom, the GMP-
Zetterstrom Environmental Award is presented annually to one person,
business, group, or nonprofit to honor a significant contribution to
Vermont's environment. It is accompanied by a $2,500 donation to the
winner's environmental cause. For James, of course, that is the Lake
Champlain ecosystem.
The hard work that makes this award so well-earned by Mr. Ehlers is
detailed in an article published this month in The St. Albans
Messenger.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that this article be printed
in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
[From the St. Albans Messenger, July 1, 2016]
LCI's Ehlers Recognized by GMP
A man once called Lake Champlain's loudest advocate is
being honored for his tireless devotion to Vermont's most
important body of water. James Ehlers, executive director of
Lake Champlain International, was presented with the GMP-
Zetterstrom Environmental Award for his unwavering efforts to
protect and improve Lake Champlain. The award, named for
famed osprey advocate Meeri Zetterstrom, comes with $2,500 to
support LCI's work.
``As with Meeri Zetterstrom, grit, a big voice, and a thick
skin are key elements of James' environmental advocacy,''
said Steve Costello, a Green Mountain Power vice president
who worked with Zetterstrom on osprey restoration, and
presented the award. ``Both made bettering the environment
their life's work, and neither was put off by tough
challenges. They got energized by tackling what others might
think was impossible.''
Zetterstrom, an elderly widow when she set out to restore
endangered ospreys to Vermont in the late '80s, was a feisty
visionary who took her fight to politicians, fishermen,
utility executives and community leaders to build support for
her effort. She exposed the danger of venturing too close to
osprey nests by shooting video and sending it to local TV
stations, educated schoolchildren, and ultimately inspired an
effort that resulted in ospreys' removal from Vermont's
endangered species list.
Like Zetterstrom, Ehlers has been an environmental advocate
for decades, and has led LCI since 1999. He took LCI--little
more than a Father's Day fishing derby--and turned it into a
broad lake-focused environmental group with tens of thousands
of supporters. The annual LCI derby has become one of the
leading fishing derbies in the nation, while LCI's focus has
grown to include lake-advocacy, education, cleanup and
restoration.
LCI operates Lake Champlain's first and only pollution-
prevention boat, removing waste from recreational boats to
reduce illegal dumping. Ehlers ensured continuation of the
state's lake trout and salmon restoration program by working
with the Vermont Governor's Office, the Great Lakes Fisheries
Commission, commissioner of the Department of Fish &
Wildlife, and Senator Patrick Leahy's office. Similarly, he
brought together landowners, lawmakers, scientists, and
public stakeholders to effect stronger Clean Water Act rules
for the benefit of Lake Champlain.
Ehlers has built a reputation as a tough, focused and
effective leader. In 2010, Sen. Leahy lauded Ehlers' efforts
following a federal appropriation to help the lake. He said,
``Your work at Lake Champlain International has been
instrumental in securing the future of Lake Champlain. All of
us who enjoy its waters every year are very grateful for your
dedication. Many thanks for the work that you do.''
For his part, Ehlers said he is proud of his focus on lake
improvement and environmental advocacy, and honored to
receive the Zetterstrom Award, but more proud of all those
behind the scenes who don't get the credit they deserve for
making his work possible--the volunteers, members, staff, and
benefactors.
``It's an honor to receive this award from Green Mountain
Power. And frankly, unexpected. I am just one member of a
team--a team deeply committed to truly sustainable
communities. We'll use the funds received to support our
important education programs at LCI and recruit more people
to the team necessary to effect real change, the transition
to an economy that protects water rather than the current one
predicated on its pollution. We have made gains in recent
years, but it's not enough. Lake Champlain is more than a
place to recreate. The lake sustains our cities with drinking
water and supports habitat essential to our state's unique
environment,'' Ehlers said. ``Meeri had a vision and saw it
to completion, and Vermont is better for it. Like Meeri and
so many others out there, we must continue the hard work
ahead to reverse the effects of centuries of pollution in
Lake Champlain. This will take time, but there are important
steps we can take now so that future generations will have
the benefit of this critical natural resource. As Cousteau
said many years ago, and it is as valid now as it was then,
there is
[[Page S5071]]
no disconnecting the life cycle from the water cycle. If I
can continue to remind people of this and motivate people to
act on it, both our natural resources and our most precious
resource, our children, will be better off. We are all at
least 60 percent water, after all.''
LCI is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit
organization actively involved in shaping the future of Lake
Champlain's water and fisheries health for the well-being of
the people who depend on it today and tomorrow. To protect,
restore, and revitalize Lake Champlain and its communities,
LCI educates, advocates, and motivates to ensure that Lake
Champlain is swimmable, drinkable, and fishable,
understanding that healthy water resources are essential for
a healthy economy and a healthy community.
The GMP-Zetterstrom Environmental Award, first presented in
2010 shortly after Zetterstrom's death, was created to honor
her legacy and recognize others who follow her example. Past
award recipients include Sally Laughlin, a leading wildlife
advocate and scientist whose work was instrumental in
restoring three species of endangered birds in Vermont;
Michael Smith, the founder of Rutland's Pine Hill Park;
Margaret Fowle, who leads Vermont's peregrine falcon
restoration program; the Lake Champlain Committee, which for
five decades has used science-based advocacy, education and
collaboration to protect and improve Lake Champlain; and
Kelly Stettner, who founded the Black River Action Team,
which protects the Black River in southeastern Vermont; and
Roy Pilcher, co-founder of Rutland County Audubon.
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