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.
“MARJORIE S. ARUNDEL” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was published in the Senate section on pages S6146 on May 4, 1995.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
MARJORIE S. ARUNDEL
Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to recognize a most distinguished Virginian, Mrs. Marjorie S. Arundel, of The Plains, VA, who has devoted her life to the conservation of our natural resources.
As a member of the Garden Club of America, Marjorie Arundel has been recognized for her conservation efforts in the Commonwealth of Virginia and across our Nation. Her tireless work has throughout more than 30 years contributed much to preserve and enhance the natural beauty.
I have had the pleasure of knowing both Mrs. Arundel and her late husband, Russell M. Arundel, for a number of years in Fauquier County. The contributions which they have made to that community are immeasurable.
In the 1960's, the Arundel family donated over 600 acres of their own land to the Nature Conservancy, which created the first Nature Conservancy preserve in Virginia. It is now known as Wildcat Mountain Natural Area. Due to her endeavors in conservation, Mrs. Arundel was awarded the Governor's Certificate of Recognition from former Gov. Charles Robb, my junior colleague in the Senate.
There are several projects that are trademark Marjorie Arundel with her typical ingenuity and spirit. I recall fondly meeting with Mrs. Arundel in the 1980's regarding a highway widening north of Warrenton. Mrs. Arundel promptly brought to my attention a 200-year-old oak tree which stood directly in the proposed roadway. In an effort to spare the tree, Mrs. Arundel then met with officials from the Virginia Department of Transportation, who agreed to bypass the removal of the tree. Today, that ``Loretta Oak'' stands proudly and continues to live and be enjoyed by all.
As a gardener with a special interest in wild plants, Mrs. Arundel became aware that several species were being dug out of the wild and sold to commercial interests. These actions created serious wildflower depletions in the Virginia mountainside and our neighboring States. Her crusade to protect the wild populations from both trade domestic and abroad was truly a labor of love. Using her trademark ingenuity, Mrs. Arundel drafted the support of World Wildlife Fund, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Garden Club of America.
And with similar success, Mrs. Arundel has taken on other tough environmentally conscious issues, like pesticide and pollution abuses in the environment.
Mrs. Arundel's achievements include the Award of Honor presented by the World Wildlife Fund; an American Achievement Medal from the Garden Club of America; a Stewardship of the Land Award from the Virginia Chapter of the America Society of Landscape Architects; Communicator of the Year Award from the American Horticultural Society; and the Delacy Gray Memorial Medal for Conservation as ``a conservation leader who demonstrates a love for the nature environment and a responsibility for its preservation.''
There are many accolades bestowed upon this great lady, but ``The Land Ethic'' well speaks to Marjorie Arundel's testimony to natural integrity as, ``Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land.''
____________________
