Richard D. "Dick" Lloyd

CONGRESSIONAL RECORD
SENATE
Oct. 6, 2004

RICHARD D. "DICK" LLOYD

Ms. MURKOWSKI. Mr. President, there is a standing joke among longtime Alaskans that visitors who come to Anchorage to view our glittering skyline, set off against the grandeur of the Chugach Mountains and the placid beauty of the Cook Inlet, haven't seen the "real Alaska."

Whether one agrees with this observation or not, all will agree that one does not have to travel far from Anchorage to experience our unique natural beauty and abundant wildlife. About 45 minutes from downtown Anchorage, easily accessible on paved roads, there is an oasis in Chugach State Park called the "Eagle River Nature Center."

The Eagle River Nature Center nestled in the Chugach Mountains is home to interpretive programs all year around. It is the starting point for miles of well-groomed hiking trails from which one can view moose and occasionally encounter bear. It has been described in terms like "glorious, enchanting and captivating." A place to view snow covered mountains in hues of pink and orange illuminated by the alpenglow sunset. It is a place where John Muir and Theodore Roosevelt would feel right at home.

Born as the Chugach State Park Visitor Center, the facility was in danger of being lost to budget cuts. By 1996, the budget had dwindled to a mere $14,000 from $185,000 in 1981. The center needed a savior.

Then along came a remarkable individual, Richard D. "Dick" Lloyd. Dick recognized that volunteers can accomplish things that government agencies cannot and organized the existing volunteers into a non-profit organization to operate the facility. Dick and his wife Carole and Asta Spurgis formed the Friends of the Nature Center which took over and revitalized the visitor center and turned it into the world-class nature center it is today.

I have the sad duty of informing the Senate that Dick Lloyd passed away on August 22, 2004 from pancreatic cancer at the age of 60. Dick's death was not sudden. He learned of his condition just before Christmas of 2002 when doctors predicted that he would have a few months to live.

But Dick didn't view this diagnosis as an excuse to slow down. Much to the contrary, he devoted his remaining days to the nature center he loved, sledding down the hills adjacent to the center in the winter, giving encouragement to young people maintaining the trails in the summer perched on a lawn chair because he was too weak to offer physical help. Some twenty days before his death he was promoting the nature center's hike-a-thon event called the "Coyote Crawl". In the words of his beloved wife Carole, "That was Dick. He was taking care of his baby to the end."

As Chief Executive Officer, Executive Director and co-founder of the Friends of Eagle River Nature Center, Dick's hard work, vision and stamina led the way in transforming the center into a model for public-private partnership in managing public parklands. Today, through his dedication and leadership, it is a centerpiece of Chugach State Park, providing unparalleled educational, economic and outdoor opportunities on a year-round basis.

For local students, it provides hands-on learning experiences with classes on natural sciences and the environment. For the Eagle River community, it generates significant economic activity by attracting tens of thousands of visitors each year from around the area and around the world. And for those who simply share Dick's love of Alaska's wild outdoors, it offers countless camping, hiking and other recreational opportunities.

Through the legacy of the Eagle River Nature Center, generations to come will share in the legacy of Richard D. Lloyd, a man with the vision to have a dream, the courage to pursue it and the strength to make it a reality.