[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 125 (Wednesday, July 27, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3740-S3741]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   TRIBUTE TO PAT AND SHARON O'TOOLE

  Mr. BARRASSO. Mr. President, at the 110th Wyoming State Fair, Senator 
Lummis and I will have the pleasure of introducing Pat and Sharon 
O'Toole as 2022 inductees to the Wyoming Agriculture Hall of Fame.
  Pat and Sharon O'Toole are ranchers who, along with their family, own 
and operate the Ladder Ranch. It is a large-scale cattle and sheep 
operation, established in 1881 by A.W. and Anna Louise Salisbury. This 
was 9 years before Wyoming became a State. The Ladder Ranch has been in 
Sharon's family for six generations. Located outside of Savery, WY, 
along the Little Snake River, the ranch straddles the State line with 
Colorado.
  Pat met Sharon Salisbury while they both attended Colorado State 
University. Following marriage, they returned to Sharon's family ranch 
in 1977 where they went to work managing the ranch and raising a 
family. Since then, Pat and Sharon have been shining examples of 
resource conservation, land stewardship, and partnership development.
  The conservation legacy of the Ladder Ranch will affect agriculture, 
wildlife, and water for generations to come. Their ranch is host to one 
of North America's largest elk herds. It provides habitat for mule 
deer, sage grouse, and fish. They participate in the Sage Grouse 
Initiative, the Conservation Stewardship Program, and the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife's Partners for Fish and Wildlife program. They also have a 
stretch of land along Battle Creek recognized as an Audubon Bird Area.
  In addition to managing a successful cattle and sheep operation for 
45 years, Pat served in the Wyoming Legislature for three terms from 
1986-1992. He is the current president of the Family Farm Alliance, 
representing irrigators in 17 Western States. The alliance ensures the 
availability of reliable, affordable irrigation supplies to Western 
farmers and ranchers.
  Pat is a strong advocate for efficient irrigation and effective 
management tools for agriculture. He has testified many times before 
committees in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. As 
the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources, I invited him to testify in June 2022. Pat spoke on 
solutions to extreme drought in the Western United States.
  Pat gives his time to numerous organizations including AGree, which 
addresses international food and agriculture policies. He also serves 
on the boards of the Intermountain Joint Venture, Partners for 
Conservation, Farm Foundation, and Solutions from the Land. President 
Clinton appointed him to the Western Water Policy Review Advisory 
Commission in 1997.
  In addition to full-time ranching, Sharon is a published author and 
writer. Her work has been featured in the Washington Post. She has a 
monthly

[[Page S3741]]

column in the Shepherd magazine. She currently blogs on western issues 
and life for the Western Folklife Center. She is an avid poet, having 
performed at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. She was chosen to 
write the poem featured at the Wyoming Stock Growers 150th anniversary 
celebration. Her writing includes two children's books, highlighting 
the connections between family and the land.
  Among many prestigious awards, the O'Toole family and the Ladder 
Ranch were awarded the Wyoming Leopold Environmental Stewardship Award 
in 2014. Two years later, the ranch received the Wyoming Stock Growers 
Land Trust Kurt Bucholz Conservation Award.
  The Ladder Ranch is truly a family endeavor. Pat and Sharon's three 
children all contribute to the success of the operation. Their daughter 
Meghan O'Toole Lally works full-time on the ranch with help from her 
husband Brian and their four children. The O'Toole's son, Eamon 
O'Toole, his wife Megan and their two sons, also reside on the ranch, 
working alongside the family. Their daughter, Bridget O'Toole and her 
husband Chris Abel help with the ranch from their home in Arizona.
  Pat and Sharon O'Toole's unmatched passion for family, Wyoming 
agriculture, wildlife and animal conservation, and cultivating 
partnerships, makes them an outstanding choice for the Wyoming 
Agriculture Hall of Fame. It is a great honor to participate in their 
induction. They continue to represent Wyoming and Western interests 
with dedication and distinction. My wife, Bobbi, joins me in 
congratulating Pat and Sharon O'Toole as 2022 inductees into the 
Wyoming Agriculture Hall of Fame.

                          ____________________