[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 12385-12386]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HONORING VOLKER EISELE OF NAPA, CALIFORNIA

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. MIKE THOMPSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 14, 2007

  Mr. THOMPSON of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor my 
friend Volker Eisele who is being presented the Earl Thollander Award 
from the Napa Sierra Club. This award is given annually to acknowledge 
the work of an individual on behalf of the environment.
  Mr. Eisele was born in Muenster, Germany, and followed family 
tradition by attending high school at the Gymnasium Paulinum, founded 
over 1,200 years ago. He came to the United States to attend graduate 
school at UC Berkeley for sociology and history. It was at Berkeley 
that he met his wife Lisele, and they married in 1968.
  From the planting of his first cabernet vines in 1975, Mr. Eisele has 
maintained an entirely organic vineyard, making him the first vintner 
to do so in the Napa Valley. He has been a leader in encouraging 
sustainable and environmentally friendly farming practices, including 
the maintenance and restoration of riparian corridors and stream-side 
habitats. In 1991 he joined the growing movement to forever protect 
beautiful and vital areas of the Napa Valley by donating an open space 
easement to the Napa County Land Trust.
  Mr. Eisele has had a long and successful career as a political 
activist campaigning on behalf of greater environmental protections for 
the Napa Valley and its agricultural heritage. He was among the leaders 
who helped pass Measure A limiting growth and development in 
unincorporated areas of Napa County. He was also instrumental in 
passing Measure J which has promoted further protections for 
agricultural lands around the county.
  In addition to his political leadership, Mr. Eisele has been a leader 
in the local community through his service on numerous boards and 
committees. He served as President of the Napa County Farm Bureau, the 
Napa Valley Grape Growers, and the Greenbelt Alliance, which has 
promoted the extension of

[[Page 12386]]

environmental protections around the Bay Area. He also was honored by 
his peers when he was elected to serve as director and Vice Chair of 
the California Association of Wine Grape Growers. These positions have 
allowed Mr. Eisele to express his love of grapes and winemaking while 
working for the benefit of not just the wine industry, but the greater 
community.
  Madam Speaker, at this time I ask that my colleagues join me in 
thanking Mr. Volker Eisele for his decades of leadership and 
environmental stewardship and as a superb spokesman for the wine 
industry. He is well-deserving of the honor being bestowed on him by 
the Napa Sierra Club, and we thank him for his service.

                          ____________________