[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.

                          ____________________