[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 8, 2022)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E229-E230]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONGRATULATING WILLIAM C. BAKER ON HIS RETIREMENT FROM THE CHESAPEAKE 
                             BAY FOUNDATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 8, 2022

  Mr. HOYER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to ask the House to join me in 
recognizing William C. Baker for his thirty-nine years of environmental 
advocacy as President of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF). Will has 
demonstrated a sincere passion for improving the health of the Bay and 
ensuring that its environmental resources are preserved for future 
generations. Will has been a good friend, and I've been proud to work 
closely with him throughout the years to fight for a cleaner and 
healthier Chesapeake Bay.
  Since he first began his distinguished career with the CBF as an 
intern in 1976, Will worked relentlessly to protect and restore the 
Chesapeake Bay. Will became president in 1982, inheriting an immediate 
crisis: the 1982 Chesapeake Bay Study had just concluded that the Bay 
was dying. He spoke to the United States Senate, urging senators not 
only to maintain the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) presence 
on the Bay but to establish an office to coordinate and monitor 
restoration efforts among the states in its watershed. Thanks to

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his advocacy and hard work, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, the 
District of Columbia, the EPA, and the Chesapeake Bay Commission 
together signed the Chesapeake Bay Agreement and committed jointly to 
clean up the Bay.
  During Will's tenure as president, the CBF reached new heights of 
success. His work helped expand the CBF's membership to over 300,000 
and inspired so many Marylanders to share his passion for preserving 
one of our nation's greatest natural treasures. He raised the CBF's 
national profile, and the Save the Bay movement received international 
attention. Under Will's leadership, the CBF received the 1992 
Presidential Medal for Environmental Excellence--our nation's highest 
environmental honor--for its environmental education program. He was 
instrumental in the CBF's efforts to help restore the Bay's oyster 
population, which is critical not only to preserving a fragile 
ecosystem but also to sustaining and supporting one of the key 
aquaculture industries in our state. Although challenges remain, the 
CBF's efforts have greatly improved the Bay's health and continue to 
drive efforts forward today to ensure that generations of Marylanders 
and Americans will be able to treasure the Chesapeake in the future.
  Madam Speaker, I offer Will my congratulations on retiring from 
public service after a career of great contribution to the well-being 
of Maryland's beloved Chesapeake Bay. I hope all of my colleagues will 
join me in recognizing William C. Baker as he celebrates this milestone 
and in wishing him all the best in the future.

                          ____________________