[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 20998]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       RICHARD D. ``DICK'' LLOYD

 Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, there is a standing joke among 
longtime Alaskans that visitors who come to Anchorage to view our 
glittering skyline, set off against the grandeur of the Chugach 
Mountains and the placid beauty of the Cook Inlet, haven't seen the 
``real Alaska.''
  Whether one agrees with this observation or not, all will agree that 
one does not have to travel far from Anchorage to experience our unique 
natural beauty and abundant wildlife. About 45 minutes from downtown 
Anchorage, easily accessible on paved roads, there is an oasis in 
Chugach State Park called the ``Eagle River Nature Center.''
  The Eagle River Nature Center nestled in the Chugach Mountains is 
home to interpretive programs all year around. It is the starting point 
for miles of well-groomed hiking trails from which one can view moose 
and occasionally encounter bear. It has been described in terms like 
``glorious, enchanting and captivating.'' A place to view snow covered 
mountains in hues of pink and orange illuminated by the alpenglow 
sunset. It is a place where John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt would feel 
right at home.
  Born as the Chugach State Park Visitor Center, the facility was in 
danger of being lost to budget cuts. By 1996, the budget had dwindled 
to a mere $14,000 from $185,000 in 1981. The center needed a savior.
  Then along came a remarkable individual, Richard D. ``Dick'' Lloyd. 
Dick recognized that volunteers can accomplish things that government 
agencies cannot and organized the existing volunteers into a non-profit 
organization to operate the facility. Dick and his wife Carole and Asta 
Spurgis formed the Friends of the Nature Center which took over and 
revitalized the visitor center and turned it into the world-class 
nature center it is today.
  I have the sad duty of informing the Senate that Dick Lloyd passed 
away on August 22, 2004 from pancreatic cancer at the age of 60. Dick's 
death was not sudden. He learned of his condition just before Christmas 
of 2002 when doctors predicted that he would have a few months to live.
  But Dick didn't view this diagnosis as an excuse to slow down. Much 
to the contrary, he devoted his remaining days to the nature center he 
loved, sledding down the hills adjacent to the center in the winter, 
giving encouragement to young people maintaining the trails in the 
summer perched on a lawn chair because he was too weak to offer 
physical help. Some twenty days before his death he was promoting the 
nature center's hike-a-thon event called the ``Coyote Crawl''. In the 
words of his beloved wife Carole, ``That was Dick. He was taking care 
of his baby to the end.''
  As Chief Executive Officer, Executive Director and co-founder of the 
Friends of Eagle River Nature Center, Dick's hard work, vision and 
stamina led the way in transforming the center into a model for public-
private partnership in managing public parklands. Today, through his 
dedication and leadership, it is a centerpiece of Chugach State Park, 
providing unparalleled educational, economic and outdoor opportunities 
on a year-round basis.
  For local students, it provides hands-on learning experiences with 
classes on natural sciences and the environment. For the Eagle River 
community, it generates significant economic activity by attracting 
tens of thousands of visitors each year from around the area and around 
the world. And for those who simply share Dick's love of Alaska's wild 
outdoors, it offers countless camping, hiking and other recreational 
opportunities.
  Through the legacy of the Eagle River Nature Center, generations to 
come will share in the legacy of Richard D. Lloyd, a man with the 
vision to have a dream, the courage to pursue it and the strength to 
make it a reality.

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