[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12585]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO KATHY HEINDL

  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. President, as I mentioned earlier, I come to the 
floor every week to talk about my great State and to talk about the 
people of my great State--the people who make it a better place for all 
of us. We call these people the Alaskan of the Week. It is one of the 
most fulfilling parts of my job to come here and talk about people who 
make a difference, people who don't get a lot of press, people who 
don't get a lot of attention, but people who are doing the right thing 
for their country and for their community.
  Right now in Alaska, we have tourists, people coming from all over, 
and one of the things happening in Alaska is salmon season. The biggest 
runs in the world--the bounty of our great State--are happening right 
now, and the fish are running. If you or anyone listening has ever had 
the opportunity to catch or eat wild Alaskan salmon, of course, it is 
the memory of a lifetime. There is nothing better; there is no better 
fish in the world.
  There is great salmon fishing all across Alaska, but one of the most 
heavily fished areas in Alaska and the world is on Alaska's Kenai 
Peninsula, about 45 minutes from Anchorage. Millions of salmon run up 
the rivers of the Kenai, drawing tens of thousands of Alaska sports, 
personal use, and commercial fishermen, as well as visitors from all 
over the country, all over the world to fish the amazing Kenai River.
  The area can continue to support a lot of traffic, but when you have 
that many people on the Kenai, sometimes it does cause congestion. So 
let me talk about someone who works on these issues for Alaska--Kathy 
Heindl.
  Kathy is an engineer with Homer Electric Association on the Kenai. 
Ten years ago, she visited Alaska as a tourist. She saw the Northern 
Lights dancing in the winter, the snow-covered mountains, and she knew 
she was home. She loves the Kenai. There is a sense of freedom there 
and all across Alaska. It is a place where there is room to pave your 
own path but support others and the community around you, and, of 
course, there are the salmon.
  Since Kathy moved to Alaska, she has been working to give back to the 
community that she loves so much. She is an active member and past 
president of her local Rotary Club. She is a member of the Kenai 
Peninsula Borough Community Emergency Response Team. She is also a 
member of a group that operates ham radios in order to help if there is 
a disaster and shuts down cell service or other communication devices.
  During the summer, right now, she spends much of her free time as a 
Kenai Peninsula Stream Watch volunteer with the Kenai Watershed Forum, 
helping to make sure that she will have a sustainable fishery--that we 
will have a sustainable fishery in the Kenai and throughout the State 
for generations to come. A few times a week, for as many as 6 hours at 
a time, she roams the fishing spots, picking up trash, helping others, 
speaking with anglers. She talks to them about how to protect 
themselves. She carries around safety goggles--you never want a hook in 
the eye. She talks about what happens when you run into a bear, which 
happens a lot in our great State, and the best way to avoid them, and 
importantly, she educates anglers on how to protect the vegetated banks 
on this great river to maintain the health of the river and the amazing 
salmon in it.
  The vast majority of the people in Alaska and from out of State who 
fish the Kenai are responsible and want to help in any way they can, 
and they love Kathy's help, but, still, all the activity in the area 
has created erosion problems, which has the potential to hurt the fish.
  The Kachemak Heritage Land Trust, a land stewardship and conservation 
trust based in Homer, recently recognized Kathy's efforts and presented 
her with the King Maker Award. ``It is your selfless actions that help 
protect the vital habitat needed for salmon to live and thrive,'' the 
land trust wrote to her. ``Great role models such as yourself can 
inspire others in our communities to take action by following your 
lead'' and your example.
  Mr. President, I want to congratulate Kathy for all the work she is 
doing, especially in this busy summer in Alaska, and for being our 
Alaskan of the Week.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Perdue). The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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