[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9258]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       TRIBUTE TO STEPHEN SCHLEY

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, for centuries, families and communities 
throughout Maine were sustained by healthy working forests. During his 
32 years with Pingree Associates, including 28 as president, Stephen 
Schley has exemplified the stewardship that defines Maine's forest 
products industry. His retirement provides an opportunity to celebrate 
his many contributions to the economy, environment, and the communities 
that make up the great State of Maine.
  It can truly be said that Steve's commitment to Maine and our forests 
is in his DNA. In 1820, the year Maine became a State, Massachusetts 
shipping businessman David Pingree began investing in Maine 
forestlands. Nearly two centuries later, as a descendant of that 
visionary leader, Steve has helped to make Pingree Associates a model 
of sustainable forestry, environmental responsibility, economic 
development, and public access.
  Today Pingree Associates' lands in Maine approach 1 million acres. 
Steve has always recognized that with those great holdings comes great 
responsibility, and he has always measured every initiative by its 
benefit to the communities and people of Maine. He has devoted time and 
effort to engaging with organizations statewide that seek to provide 
support for these communities and their development, both inside and 
outside his role in forest management.
  Just a few examples from a long career demonstrate his commitment. In 
the 1990s, under Steve's leadership, the Pingree lands in Maine became 
the largest forest in North America to earn certification for 
sustainable forestry practices. In 2001, he guided the agreement that 
established a 750,000-acre conservation easement, also the largest on 
our continent, to ensure continued public recreational access to 
undeveloped woodlands. In recent years, as the industry has sought to 
address the challenges of a changing economy, Steve has been a leader 
in supporting research into forest bioproducts and developing new 
economic opportunities for the entire forest products industry. He has 
always recognized the value in engaging with all stakeholders and has 
worked in cooperation with the University of Maine to foster the next 
generation of foresters. Indeed, he worked to establish the endowment 
of the University's Forestry School, recognizing the unique perspective 
and unparalleled training that comes with working in the forests of 
Maine.
  The people of Maine have always been faithful stewards of our forests 
because we appreciate their tremendous value to our way of life. As 
president of Pingree Associates, Steve Schley has honored our heritage 
and helped to shape the economic, environmental, and recreational 
future of our entire State. I commend him for his dedication to Maine's 
natural treasures and our way of life and thank him for his years of 
stewardship.
  Mr. KING. Mr. President, today I wish to recognize Steve Schley who 
is stepping down as president of Pingree Associates after nearly three 
decades of leadership later this month. Eight generations after his 
descendant initiated this effort, Steve Schley has, in his 32 years of 
service both to Pingree Associates, of which he was president for 28 
years, and to the State of Maine, continued a tradition of leadership 
in the development and fiscal health of Maine's forest products 
industry as well as the sustainability of Maine's forests. Steve's 
retirement provides an opportunity to honor his wide array of 
accomplishments and contributions to the State of Maine--all achieved 
in the spirit and essence of his lineage.
  In the year 1820, Maine, as included in the the Missouri Compromise, 
was ushered into the Union as a new State. That same year, a prominent 
Massachusetts shipping merchant named David Pingree initiated what 
would become a historic and indispensable string of investments in 
Maine forestlands. Over the next nearly 200 years, sudden growth and 
advancement of Maine's forest product industry, and thus statewide 
economic development, blossomed from the easement agreements signed and 
purchases made of Maine forest land by the Pingree family.
  Today Pingree Associates is in possession of close to 1 million acres 
of Maine forest land, bringing a great burden of responsibility upon 
the president of the association. In every respect, Steve has thrived 
under this burden. During his tenure as president, he has undertaken 
initiatives to revitalize Maine's struggling wood-products industry by 
collaborating with the University of Maine's Forest Bio-products 
Research Institute to help nurture the next generation of innovators 
and leaders in the bioproducts industry, setting the stage for the 
development and integration of sustainable, forward-thinking forest 
products. By ``paying it forward'' through the youth of Maine, he is 
ensuring that his integrity and hard work will continue to live on 
through these kids for generations to come. Steve's sustainability and 
conservation efforts were not limited to just ensuring a bright future. 
Back in 2001, when I was Governor, I announced Steve's success in 
closing the largest forestland conservation easement in the history of 
the United States between Pingree Associates and the New England 
Forestry Foundation, which independently protected 762,192 acres from 
development and opened up the land to recreation for Mainers and all 
U.S. citizens for time immemorial.
  Because of Steve's hard work and leadership as president of Pingree 
Associates, Mainers of all ages will continue to benefit from his 
successes in Maine's forest industry, as well as in conserving land for 
their recreation. Steve has honored our collective heritage as well as 
his own, and I thank him for his friendship and his many contributions 
towards bettering our State.

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