Bill Text: NY J01063 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Congratulating Frances F. Dunwell upon the occasion of her retirement after 30 years of dedicated service to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2023-05-23 - ADOPTED [J01063 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-J01063-Introduced.html

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Senate Resolution No. 1063

BY: Senator HARCKHAM

        CONGRATULATING   Frances   F.   Dunwell  upon  the
        occasion  of  her  retirement  after  30  years   of
        dedicated  service  to the New York State Department
        of Environmental Conservation

  WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize those
individuals who have dedicated their lives to public  service,  striving
diligently  to  enhance  the quality of life in their communities and to
bring about positive change in the environment; and

  WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern  and  in  full  accord  with  its
long-standing  traditions,  this  Legislative  Body  is  justly proud to
congratulate Frances F. Dunwell upon  the  occasion  of  her  retirement
after  30 years of dedicated service to the New York State Department of
Environmental Conservation; and

  WHEREAS, Frances F. Dunwell has served the people of  the  State  of
New  York  with  distinction  during  her 30-year tenure as Hudson River
Estuary Coordinator at the New York State  Department  of  Environmental
Conservation  (DEC),  overseeing  the implementation of the Hudson River
Estuary Action Agenda, an ambitious program to  conserve  the  fish  and
wildlife,  landscape,  and water resources of the Hudson River Watershed
from Troy to the New York harbor; and

  WHEREAS, Frances F. Dunwell has played a key role  in  strengthening
DEC's  management  of  tidal  habitats and coastal fisheries, protecting
shoreline properties, establishing and fostering  a  groundbreaking  new
DEC  program  to  identify  and  conserve  at-risk  plants, animals, and
habitats, and developing  ambitious  long-range  goals  for  the  Hudson
River; and

  WHEREAS,  Throughout her tenure, Frances F. Dunwell has demonstrated
an unyielding commitment to protecting and preserving the natural beauty
and resources of the Hudson River and its  surrounding  areas,  and  her
exceptional work has been recognized with numerous awards and accolades;
and

  WHEREAS,  Frances  F.  Dunwell's  leadership  and  expertise will be
deeply missed by her colleagues at the  New  York  State  Department  of
Environmental Conservation and throughout the environmental community in
New York State; and

  WHEREAS, Frances F. Dunwell dedicated her career to the conservation
of  the  Hudson  River  Watershed  from  Troy  to  the  New York Harbor,
implementing the Hudson River Estuary Action Agenda to conserve the fish
and wildlife, landscape, and water resources of the  region,  which  won
the EPA's highest award in 2012; and

  WHEREAS,   Frances   F.   Dunwell's   experience   in  environmental
conservation began with her work in the  Dutchess  County  Environmental
Management  Council  in  1975, before becoming the Executive Director of
the Center for the Hudson River Valley; over the course of  her  career,
she   strengthened  DEC's  management  of  tidal  habitats  and  coastal

fisheries, supported  the  development  of  the  Hudson  River  National
Estuarine  Research  Reserve,  and  helped map and conserve sites on the
river side of the railroad tracks that have  become  new  public  access
areas; and

  WHEREAS  Frances F. Dunwell created the Hudson River Improvement Fund,
a grant program of the Hudson  River  Foundation  which  supports  river
projects,  and developed ambitious long-range goals for the Hudson River
and supervised the implementation of priority actions to  make  progress
towards these goals; and

  WHEREAS,  Frances  F.  Dunwell administered the Hudson River Estuary
Program from  its  inception  to  its  current  status  as  a  model  of
ecosystem-based  management  with  an  annual  budget  of  $7.5 million,
including a grant program, carried out by an interdisciplinary  team  of
professionals,   and   guided   by   an  active  advisory  committee  of
stakeholders; she also represented DEC on Hudson  Valley  Greenway,  the
Hudson    River    Valley    National    Heritage    Area,    and    the
Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Commission; and

  WHEREAS, Prior to working for DEC, Frances F. Dunwell was a  Richard
King  Mellon  Fellow  at Yale University, where she did research for her
award-winning book, The Hudson River Highlands, published in  1991;  she
completed  a  Master's degree and served as Associate Director of Scenic
Hudson, where she supervised a project to list  historic  sites  in  the
Hudson  Highlands  on  the  National  Register  of  Historic Places, and
established statewide bi-partisan coalitions to support passage  of  NYS
Waterfront Revitalization Law and Conservation Easement Law; and

  WHEREAS,  It is incumbent upon all citizens to recognize and applaud
the  efforts  of  individuals  such  as  Frances  F.  Dunwell  who  work
tirelessly  on  behalf  of  protecting  our natural surroundings for the
benefit  of  present  and  future  generations  of  New  Yorkers;   now,
therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
congratulate Frances F. Dunwell upon  the  occasion  of  her  retirement
after  more  than  30 years of dedicated service to the conservation and
restoration of the Hudson River  Estuary,  and  to  wish  her  continued
success in all her future endeavors; and be it further

  RESOLVED,  That  a  copy  of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Frances F. Dunwell.