21 February 2019

John D. Dingell Jr. was the longest-serving member of Congress in our country’s history, representing his Michigan district for almost 60 years, from 1955 to 2015. He passed away on February 7th. John Dingell fought for comprehensive healthcare legislation, supported civil rights, battled public fraud, and advocated consistently for wildlife conservation. Indeed, Dingell was the architect of some of the most important conservation laws of our land.

Dingell was the main architect of the Clean Water Act; he drafted the Endangered Species Act; he wrote the National Environmental Policy Act; he authored the Refuge Administration Act of 1966; and he sponsored the Refuge Improvement Act in 1997.

Among his many legislative achievements, John Dingell crafted perhaps the most important, yet little-known, revision to the Duck Stamp Act, Public Law 85-585 in 1958, guaranteeing that proceeds from the Stamp be dedicated to fee-title and easements for migratory bird refuges and Waterfowl Production Areas. No more could the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund be “raided” for other purposes. The funds would go to habitat. Period.

He served on the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission from 1969 until his retirement, making sure that those vital funds collected through the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp were invested appropriately for wetlands and associated grassland acquisition. During that tenure, Dingell was instrumental in adding millions of acres to the National Wildlife Refuge System.

Among his refuge passions was the establishment of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge – the only international wildlife refuge in the system. It virtually became his personal project. The Refuge Gateway property is adjacent to the Refuge’s Humbug Marsh unit in Trenton, Michigan and is the location of the Refuge’s Visitor Center. This 44-acre industrial brownfield was the home of a Chrysler automotive plant until 1990. Today, all of the land surrounding the Visitor Center is owned by Wayne County and cooperatively managed with the Refuge. The site has been cleaned up and converted to wetland and upland habitats and will include a world-class boat dock and fishing pier, greenway trails, and a kayak and canoe launch. Completion of these projects is anticipated later this year. It is a fine example of creative urban restoration that other large cities could surely emulate.

In May 2014, the National Wildlife Refuge Association recognized Congressman Dingell’s vast contributions by awarding him with its first ever ​Theodore Roosevelt Lifetime Achievement Award.

He was also the Honorary Life Member of our own Friends of the Migratory Bird/Duck Stamp. Indeed, at the 9th Annual International Wildlife Refuge Alliance (IWRA) Benefit Dinner in support of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, we presented a special award to the Congressman. It was created by Joe Hautman, artist and Board member of our Friends of the Migratory Bird/Duck Stamp. The work shows Hautman’s rendition of a male Wood Duck which graced the 2012-13 Stamp, along with a copy of the Stamp itself and a special inscription from our Friends

To Congressman John Dingell on behalf of the Friends of the Migratory Bird/Duck Stamp honoring your tireless work for birds and their habitats and for your leadership on the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission.

Joe Hautman, May 2014

Highly regarded for his acumen and profound legislative abilities, the 92-year-old Dingell also retained a keen sense of humor. Upon his retirement from Congress he became very active on Twitter and amassed a huge following of almost 260,000 followers for his biting critiques of politics and commentary on popular culture.

His wife and successor in Congress, Debbie Dingell, informed the media that he remained feisty to the very end. “He is John Dingell. He is in charge. Ordering everyone around. Doing it his way,” she said on the day before he passed, noting that he even continued to dictate missives for his unexpectedly funny Twitter feed. John Dingell’s profoundly meaningful last words to his fellow Americans were also dictated and widely published. An excerpt:

… these challenges were addressed by Congress. Maybe not as fast as we wanted, or as perfectly as hoped. The work is certainly not finished. But we’ve made progress — and in every case, from the passage of Medicare through the passage of civil rights, we did it with the support of Democrats and Republicans who considered themselves first and foremost to be Americans.

John Dingell was one of the finest conservation champions that our country has ever known. The National Wildlife Refuge System would not be what it is today without his vigilance and dedication. We already miss his wisdom, experience, humor, passion, and dedication to our country and its wildlife heritage.