Deborah Holle and I attended the Austin City Council meeting on July 29, where the BCCP Coordinating Chair, Mayor Lee Leffingwell and member, Commissioner Karen Huber presented the ordinance to rename the Balcones Preserve property known as Bull Creek Site to the Sam Hamilton Memorial Reserve, honoring Mr. Sam Hamilton, former Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to his family and friends in attendance. The ordinance was approved at the same meeting. Travis County is expected to approve a similar resolution for an adjourning tract in the watershed.
This excerpt from the Travis County Commisioners Court July 27 expresses our mutual appreciation of Sam Hamilton's legacy....
"...(With the) passing of Samuel "Sam" Davis Hamilton on February the 20th,
2010, the citizens of Travis county lost a true friends who contributed
greatly to preserving the environmental legacy of central Texas through
his efforts to establish the Balcones Canyonland Conservation Plan.
Sam Hamilton's efforts to protect our natural resources,
undertaken as Texas state administrator of the u.s. Fish and wildlife
service from 1991 to 1995, often placed him at the center of
controversial issues and in highly contentious circumstances. And
whereas through his tenure in central Texas, Sam Hamilton also exhibited
-- a willingness to listen fairly and an ability to deal evenhandedly
in his professional undertakings. Supporting a vision of environmental
quality and wildlife protection in balance with the community needs and during his 30 year career, as a senior biologist and manager for
the u.s. Fish and wildlife service, Sam Hamilton consistently proved
his commitment to the highest standards of public service and
demonstrated an ability to effectively address important and complex
issues."
We will miss him.......