[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 15 (Monday, January 22, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E90]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN CELEBRATION OF JOHN HARTIG'S DISTINGUISHED LEADERSHIP AT THE DETROIT 
                  RIVER INTERNATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. DEBBIE DINGELL-

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 22, 2018

  Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize John Hartig on 
the day of his retirement from the Detroit River International Wildlife 
Refuge, the only International Wildlife Refuge in North America. His 
distinguished leadership has helped shape a new future for the Detroit 
River and surrounding wildlife.
  A longtime Michigan resident, Mr. Hartig fondly recalls childhood 
vacations up north and weekends spent fishing on Belle Isle. His 
exposure to Michigan's wildlife and understanding of intense lake and 
river pollution inspired him to receive his Doctorate in Limnology, the 
study of inland waters, from the University of Windsor and begin what 
would become a lifetime of work restoring and transforming the Great 
Lakes states through cleanup and public education. Mr. Hartig has held 
various positions over the years including serving as an environmental 
scientist at the International Joint Commission, as an adjunct 
professor at Wayne State University, and as River Navigator for the 
Greater Detroit American Heritage River Initiative before being named 
Refuge Manager at the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, a 
position he has held since 2004. In these positions, Mr. Hartig has 
overseen the transformation of the Detroit River, which was one of the 
most polluted waterways in the country in the 1960s, the revival of 
various animal populations including the bald eagle and lake sturgeon, 
as well as increasing public access to Michigan's beautiful natural 
lands.
  Mr. Hartig is a leading voice nationwide due to his conservation 
work, and Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge was singled out 
at the 2006 White House Conference on Cooperative Conservation as a 
national model in public-private partnerships for conservation and 
sustainability. In addition to being a long time board member of the 
Detroit RiverFront Conservancy, Mr. Hartig is a prolific writer on the 
Great Lakes and has received many awards including the John Muir 
Association's 2015 Conservationist of the Year and the 2013 
Conservation Advocate Award from the Michigan League of Conservation 
Voters. He was recently selected as a Fulbright scholar and will spend 
the next three years in that capacity traveling the Great Lakes region 
and continuing his lifetime's work of addressing pollution and reviving 
public lands. Mr. Hartig has been an invaluable leader, and we look 
forward to his continued work protecting our precious natural 
resources. He will be greatly missed at the Wildlife Refuge, but his 
legacy will provide a solid foundation for its future.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in honoring John Hartig 
for his lifetime of conservation work and invaluable contributions to 
our state. He has forever changed the Great Lakes ecosystem through his 
passion, hard work and ingenuity.

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