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Congressional Daily Record
This section is a tribute, commemoration, or district-facing statement. It mentions members such as Michael Thompson. Extensions of Remarks are statements submitted for the official record, even if they were not spoken live on the floor.
Issued
April 28, 2026
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Extensions of Remarks
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Download official Extensions PDFReturn to issue contextHON. MIKE THOMPSON
of california
in the house of representatives
Mr. THOMPSON of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Richard Dale, whom I have named California's 4th Congressional District's 2026 Climate Crisis Champion of the Year for Sonoma County, in recognition of his leadership in strengthening our community's commitment to a sustainable future.
Born in San Francisco, California, Mr. Dale graduated from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he earned his bachelor's degree in environmental studies. After graduation, he worked in Washington, D.C. on the Alaska Lands Bill, which protected over 157 million acres of land in Alaska. Following the bill's successful passage, Mr. Dale moved to Sonoma County where he went on to co-found
a locally driven, regionally respected agency working through extensive partnerships to conduct technical research, education, and restoration to enhance ecological health at the watershed scale. He has worked for years with partners to preserve thousands of acres of ecologically significant open space and to establish the regionally significant Sonoma Valley Wildlife Corridor. In 2012, he led a unique partnership of local nonprofits to reopen and manage Sugarloaf Ridge State Park in Kenwood, California. He helped found the North Bay Climate Adaptation Initiative and the Sonoma Environmental Education Collaborative (SEEC). After the 2017 fires, he helped establish Sonoma Valley Collaborative, a partnership of economic, social service, and environmental interests to build a cross-sector framework for resolving complex, interrelated issues. He has served as Vice President on the Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce, cofounded the Sonoma Valley Executive Directors Round Table, and currently serves on the steering committee for Sonoma Valley Collaborative.
Mr. Dale is a staple of Sonoma Valley's ecological community, helping associations across the county thrive under his leadership. In 2017, he was the recipient of Sonoma County's Jefferson Award for Public Service and the Sonoma County Economic Development Board's Spirit of Sonoma Award. In 1997, he received the John Muir Conservation Award. Mr. Dale is also a frequent contributor to the Sonoma Index Tribune and other publications.
Mr. Speaker, Mr. Richard Dale has helped transform Sonoma County and preserve the natural beauty that it is known for. Through his leadership and vision, our community has become a better place to live. For these reasons and more, it is fitting and proper that we recognize him today as Sonoma County's 2026 Climate Crisis Champion of the Year.