[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 144 (Tuesday, September 10, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1117]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING DAVE KOEHLER

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JARED HUFFMAN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 10, 2019

  Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today with Representative Mike 
Thompson, in recognition of Dave Koehler on the occasion of his 
retirement after nearly 30 years of leading two of California's most 
successful land trusts.
  Dave is a native of California who has been drawn to nature his 
entire life. During high school and college, Dave nurtured this passion 
by working in the summers for both the U.S. Forest Service and the 
California Division of Forestry. He later graduated from California 
State University, Fresno, in 1979, with a Bachelor of Arts in 
Environmental Biology.
  In 1990, Dave became the executive director of the San Joaquin River 
Parkway and Conservation Trust. Under his leadership the organization 
developed and established phases of the San Joaquin River Parkway 
restoration. He was appointed coordinator of the San Joaquin River 
Partnership in 2009. This collaborative of fifteen organizations 
supported the goals authorized by Congress to restore salmon to a 130-
mile portion of the river. In 2012, Dave was recognized by the 
Department of the Interior for his work on this historic river 
restoration project. Dave's leadership also led to the conservation of 
nearly 5,000 acres during this period of time.
  Dave became the executive director for the Sonoma County Land Trust 
in 2015. Building on the organization's record of success, Dave oversaw 
the acquisition of several key properties while adding new areas of 
focus to the organization's overall mission. This included programming 
for Russian River watershed protection, expanding community 
conservation programs, and opening the organization's first public 
preserve. Under his leadership, Sonoma County Land Trust has protected 
over 2,500 acres of open space and an additional 10,000 acres through 
the organization's active protection project pipeline. Dave also 
created a community programs department for the Land Trust that focuses 
on diversifying the organization's reach through programming targeted 
at people of color, young people, and families.
  Madam Speaker, Dave Koehler has dedicated the majority of his 
professional life to the conservation and protection of our country's 
natural wealth. It is therefore appropriate that we recognize his 
accomplishments and service to the public today, on the occasion of his 
retirement from Sonoma Land Trust. Please join me in wishing him the 
best of luck on his future endeavors.

                          ____________________