[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 50 (Thursday, March 22, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E363]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HONORING THE PUBLIC SERVICE CAREER OF HARRY W. CAMP, JR.

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 22, 2018

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Harry W. Camp, 
Jr., a remarkable individual who served a long and distinguished career 
with the U.S. Forest Service. Now retired at 107 years old, Mr. Camp 
exemplifies the tremendous expertise, talent and dedication of the 
federal employees who serve our nation, and the warmth and wit that 
we'd all welcome in a friend or neighbor.
  Serving in a career spanning from 1933 to 1974, Mr. Camp helped to 
oversee our national forests at a time of great change for our nation 
and our public lands. Recreational visits to national forests exploded 
from roughly 10 million in 1933 to 175 million in 1974 as more families 
could afford automobiles and the interstate highway system made 
traveling across the country easier. He also oversaw a period of 
dramatic advances in technology, including satellites and aerial 
photography to assist forestry management.
  Mr. Camp's passion for the outdoors and tireless work ethic were 
demonstrated at a young age. As a teenager, his summers were spent in 
the mountains of Washington on the Yakima Indian Reservation performing 
grueling and dangerous work on fire crews. After graduating from the 
University of California, Berkeley with a degree in forestry, he 
officially went to work for the U.S. Forest Service. Over the years, he 
worked his way up the ranks in a variety of positions across the 
country from ranger to research and management.
  In the 1950s, the U.S. Forest Service needed greater insight about 
how to best manage, maintain and improve the public lands that were 
undergoing strain from increasing usage for recreation. In 1959, Mr. 
Camp undertook a major role in this effort when he was named the first 
Branch Chief of Recreation Research in Washington, D.C.
  After 42 years with the U.S. Forest Service, Harry Camp retired in 
1974 as regional director of the Pacific Southwest Forest and Range 
Experiment Station in Berkeley, California, where he oversaw the work 
of more than 100 scientists. Researchers there are dedicated to 
improving firefighting techniques, battling forest insects and 
diseases, increasing timber production and water yield in California, 
and meeting the needs of the millions of recreational visitors to our 
national forests.
  Outside of his work in the U.S. Forest Service, Mr. Camp also 
dedicated considerable time and effort to volunteer service, including 
the Society of American Foresters. He received the prestigious John A. 
Beale Memorial Award for outstanding efforts in promoting forestry.
  Additionally, he served as program officer at the Fifth World 
Forestry Congress in 1960. Later, he worked as a member of the landmark 
Earth Resources Presidential Committee. I am happy to report that Mr. 
Camp and his wife, Myrna, now call the great state of Minnesota home. 
It is fitting that they have chosen to retire in a state where we are 
so proud of our public lands and committed to protecting our beautiful 
forests, lakes and rivers.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in recognizing the extraordinary life of 
Harry W. Camp, Jr. and his exemplary service on behalf of the U.S. 
Forest Service to ensure the sustainability of our national forests and 
public lands for today and future generations.

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