[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 156 (Tuesday, September 27, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S5050]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO ALEX IRBY

 Mr. CRAPO. Mr. President, I honor Alex Irby, of Orofino, ID, 
for his many years of natural resources and collaborative work in the 
Clearwater Basin of Idaho.
  More than 14 years ago, Alex Irby and Dale Harris asked for my help 
with setting up and supporting the Clearwater Basin Collaborative, CBC. 
They love this wonderful part of Idaho and put their hard work into 
pulling together a collaborative effort to resolve natural resources 
challenges in the area. Alex even dedicated 10 years to serving as 
cochair of the CBC. The focus of the collaborative was to support the 
Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests to get work done on the ground 
and save the local sawmills in the area. We launched the CBC in May of 
2008, and the CBC has had an important role in furthering discussions 
about the management of the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests and 
achieved much-needed restoration of landscapes, including water quality 
improvements, which are also providing a supply of raw materials to our 
local mills.
  The accomplishments of the CBC and the fact it is still going strong 
today is due in large part to the forethought and commitment of Alex 
Irby, the Nez Perce Tribe, and the other partners in the collaborative 
effort. Alex brought his decades of natural resources experience to the 
collaborative table. In 1959, at the age of 16, Alex started fighting 
fires for the Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protection Association, C-
PTPA, with roots in Idaho stretching back more than 100 years. Alex 
worked for C-PTPA for 26 years. He also worked for Konkolville Lumber 
Company from 1984 to 2000, and he served as an Idaho Fish and Game 
Commissioner for 8 years, starting in 1999. After his service to the 
Idaho Fish and Game Commission ended in 2007, Alex served as the Idaho 
Fish and Game Representative to the Idaho Outfitters and Guides 
Licensing Board, with his position ending in 2014. His other 
contributions to the natural resources sector include his service with 
his local soil and water conservation district and rural fire district. 
Alex is also a founder of PLAY, Public Lands Access Year-Round, started 
in 1999 to work with public land managers, to help ensure more roads 
and trails remain open for continued motorized access for off highway 
vehicles.
  To this day, Alex is out cutting trail and hunting in the Clearwater 
Basin. He has a wealth of knowledge and history of the area and backs 
the responsibility of taking care of our public lands with hard work 
and know-how. He is willing to work with anyone who is a team player. 
Thank you, Alex Irby, for your remarkable contributions of your time 
and talents to improving and sustaining an amazing part of our great 
State and country.

                          ____________________