[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 149 (Thursday, September 14, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4520-S4521]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO ASTA SPURGIS

 Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, in Alaska, we have no shortage 
of scenic wilderness to explore. From the unrivaled beauty of a 
bluebird day in the Prince William Sound, to the peaks of the Denali 
National Park and Preserve, to the winding tributaries of the glacier-
fed Tanana river, my bias may be showing, but Alaska is the Nation's 
undisputed leader in outdoor recreational opportunities, both in sum 
and splendor.
  But one of Alaska's most treasured locales is not just an exemplary 
jewel case of our outdoors, but a labor of love from the outstanding 
volunteers and employees who have put their heart and soul into making 
it a world-class nature center. The Eagle River Nature Center is the 
crowning centerpiece of the Chugach State Park, located in Southcentral 
Alaska within the municipality of Anchorage. And the driving force 
behind the Eagle River Nature Center has been its cofounder and 
executive director, Asta Spurgis. Sadly, for the many Alaskans and out-
of-state visitors who frequent the Eagle River Nature Center, Asta is 
leaving her post.
  From 1993 through 1995, the park's budget was dropping off, and the 
center could no longer afford to operate year-round, forcing them to 
have limited hours only in the summer. In stepped the Friends of Eagle 
River Nature Center, Inc., a nonprofit formed in 1996 that revived the 
park by forging new trails, offering maintenance for public use 
facilities, and stepping up in the day-to-day operations of the park 
that helped it become a destination for guests across the world. At the 
head of that effort was Asta Spurgis, whose passion and dedication for 
ensuring

[[Page S4521]]

that the park was accessible and pristine meant finding new and 
innovative ways to fund the operations.
  From its inception as a bold experiment to where it stands now, as a 
shining model of what public-private partnership can look like, Asta 
Spurgis has been at the helm. Alaskans will miss her commitment and 
leadership, but her legacy can be seen in the students who visit and 
get firsthand classes on natural sciences and the tens of thousands of 
Alaskans and tourists who get to explore the Chugach State Park. I 
commend Asta for her lifetime of work in making Alaska's wilderness a 
more beautiful and more accessible space to explore.

                          ____________________