Boxer Applauds President Obama for Signing the 'Mt. Andrea Lawrence Designation Act'

Legislation Will Name Eastern Sierra Peak After Andrea Lawrence, Olympic Gold Medalist and Former Mono County Supervisor

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) today praised President Obama for signing her bill, the Mt. Andrea Lawrence Designation Act, into law. This legislation will name a mountain peak in Mono County “Mt. Andrea Lawrence” in honor of the renowned conservationist, three-time Olympian and former member of the Mono County Board of Supervisors who passed away in 2009. The bill passed the Senate by unanimous consent, and passed the House on a 408 to seven vote.

“I am so pleased that President Obama signed this bill honoring the life and contributions of one of Mono County’s most distinguished residents,” Senator Boxer said. “Andrea Lawrence dedicated her life to protecting the treasures of the Eastern Sierra. Her passion and achievements were larger than life, which is why I cannot think of a more fitting tribute than to name this majestic peak in her honor.”

Andrea Mead Lawrence was a three-time Olympian who remains the only American double Olympic gold medalist in alpine skiing. She was inducted into the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1958 at the age of 25, and in 2002, sports writer and documentary filmmaker Bud Greenspan called her “the greatest Winter Olympian of all time.”

Lawrence was also a committed conservationist who worked to protect and restore Mammoth Lakes, Mono Lake, Bodie State Historic Park and other important natural and cultural resources of the Eastern Sierra. She served for 16 years on the Mono County Board of Supervisors as well as on the Great Basin Air Pollution Control District and in 2003 founded the Andrea Lawrence Institute for Mountains and Rivers to promote environmental protection and economic vitality in the region.

Peak 12,240, previously identified only by its elevation, is located in Mono County near the Tuolumne County border. It is on the border of the Ansel Adams Wilderness, just east of Yosemite National Park. The John Muir trail passes close to the peak.

Senator Boxer and Congressman Buck McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) – who sponsored identical House legislation – first introduced the legislation during the 111th Congress. Supporters of this bill include Andrea Lawrence’s family, the Mono County Board of Supervisors, the Wilderness Society, the Sierra Club, the Mono County Democratic Central Committee, the Mammoth Town Council, the Mono Lake Committee, the Andrea Lawrence Institute for Mountains and Rivers, the Sierra Nevada Alliance, the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, Town of Mammoth Lakes Council Member Wendy Sugimura and former Mono County Supervisor Tim Alpers.

To see images of Mt. Andrea Lawrence, click here.

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