Volume 144, No. 45 covering the 2nd Session of the 105th Congress (1997 - 1998) was published by the Congressional Record.
The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“THE REAL McCOYS” mentioning the Environmental Protection Agency was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E617 on April 22, 1998.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE REAL McCOYS
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HON. BOB FILNER
of california
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, April 22, 1998
Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker and Colleagues, I rise before you today to honor Michael and Patricia McCoy, two tireless advocates for the environment who recently received the National Wetlands Award for their volunteer leadership from the Environmental Law Institute.
The National Wetlands Award, also co-sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the National Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Marine Fisheries Service, recognizes outstanding individuals who have demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to the conservation and restoration of the nation's wetlands.
The McCoys certainly qualify! In a region where the majority of wetlands have been lost to dredging, filling, and other activities, the McCoys' two-decades of activism to preserve and protect the Tijuana Estuary is a remarkable achievement. With their vision and boundless dedication to this cause, Mike and Pat have organized community support, educated the public about wetland resources, and shaped local policy to protect wetlands for future generations. The McCoys have enabled us to leave a living, vibrant legacy to all our children in the San Diego and Tijuana areas.
As was said in their nomination for the award, ``the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve owes its existence to the McCoys. Destined to become a marina in the 1970s, this 2,500-acre reserve now includes a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge for Endangered Species, Border Field State Park, an outdoor research lab, and a visitor center that highlights the estuary's wildlife.''
In 1979, the McCoys founded the Southwest Wetlands Interpretive Association, dedicated to the protection and acquisition of wetlands and to public education. The Association's volunteers today help staff the Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center. The McCoys, the Association and its subsidiary, the Friends of South Bay Wildlife, are currently working to establish about 2,400 acres of salt ponds and wetlands as a National Wildlife Refuge in San Diego Bay.
Mike and Pat's activities involving the Tijuana Estuary and south San Diego wetlands are too numerous to list, but they include Pat McCoy's supervision, as a volunteer, of the construction of a tidal restoration channel and a U.S. Navy mitigation project to remove concrete from the Estuary. Mike's strong research background is instrumental in strengthening linkages with local universities and creating a unique partnership with San Diego State University resulting in the Estuary being a field station of the university. They have served on or helped to create almost every committee or board that guides the Estuary's fate.
From 1983 to 1993, the McCoys helped build a novel wastewater treatment and recovery system in Tijuana, Mexico to treat raw sewage that would otherwise flow north into the Tijuana Estuary. This project became a model for alternative treatment demonstrating water reuse in desert climates and developing countries.
I know that Mike and Pat McCoy believe that a thriving wetland is the only reward and testament to their efforts that is needed. Their volunteer work, however, goes so far above and beyond the call of duty, that it is past time to recognize the McCoys with this impressive national award. I want to thank these dedicated visionaries on behalf of all of the people of San Diego County and beyond who will appreciate the beauty of these wetlands. These are the real McCoys!
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