[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 19693]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       HONORING JONATHON SOLOMON

 Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, I would like to take a moment to 
recognize the life and legacy of a great Native American leader, 
mentor, and friend. This summer, Alaska and the Nation lost Jonathon 
Solomon, a Gwich'in Athabascan elder and lifelong environmental 
advocate, at the age of 74 in Anchorage. Jonathon's life was dedicated 
to the defense of Native rights, and he was best known throughout the 
country for his indefatigable advocacy of Gwich'in lands, most 
especially the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
  Born in Fort Yukon, Solomon began his advocacy for the Refuge in the 
1970s through his fight for subsistence rights and the protection of 
the Porcupine caribou herd. This work brought him all over the country, 
including numerous trips to Washington DC. I had the special 
opportunity to meet Jonathon during one of these trips, and I quickly 
learned that he was an eloquent speaker, strong debater, and a 
masterful advocate. He spoke strongly about the importance of the 
Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge, the birthplace of caribou upon 
which the Gwich'in have relied for their existence for generations.
  Jonathon's work will live on through the Gwich'in Steering Committee, 
a nonprofit group which he helped to found during the first united 
meeting of the Gwich'in people in 1988. I am proud to have a part in 
carrying on Jonathon's legacy through my continued and unwavering 
support for the protection of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. 
Please join me and many others across this Nation in honoring a fallen 
environmental hero.

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