2019 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 21
BY SENATOR PEACOCK
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To commend Ricky Kilpatrick for thirty-three years of exemplary public service and to
congratulate him upon his retirement from the LSU AgCenter on October 31, 2018.
WHEREAS, the Legislature of Louisiana commends Ricky Kilpatrick for the
exceptional public service he has provided to the state of Louisiana in the discipline of
forestry management and environmental conservation; and
WHEREAS, Ricky Kilpatrick is a timber specialist of the highest order and a true
steward of the forested lands placed under his care as area agent for the LSU AgCenter
Forestry Division in its Northwestern Region which includes the parishes of Bienville,
Bossier, Caddo, Claiborne, DeSoto, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine, and Webster; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Kilpatrick is a vital member of the Southern Regional Extension
Forestry Office whose purpose is to implement both educational and technical services to
increase the efficiency of forestry programs and land use in the southern United States; and
WHEREAS, as a Southern Regional Extension Forester, Ricky Kilpatrick acts as a
liaison to coordinate efforts between the entities of the LSU AgCenter, the Louisiana State
Department of Agriculture and Forestry, and the United States Department of Agriculture,
and to improve cooperation between departmental extension programs and private enterprise
ventures; and
WHEREAS, through years of study and exceptional forestry management practices,
Ricky Kilpatrick possesses an innate ability to evaluate the biodiversity of a stand of trees,
to identify its economic assets and liabilities, to approximate its market value, to appreciate
its aesthetic beauty, and to surmise its environmental health and sustainability; and
WHEREAS, reared in Ouachita Parish, Ricky graduated from West Monroe High
School and matriculated to Louisiana State University to earn a bachelor's degree in Forestry
and later master's degree from the University of Georgia; and
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WHEREAS, in his youth, Ricky was involved in 4-H shows, animal husbandry,
forestry environments, and wildlife studies, and he continues today as a 4-H educator; and
WHEREAS, both Ricky and his wife, Cindy, teach conservation, agricultural
awareness, and 4-H education through youth-targeted field days and career fairs; and
WHEREAS, the Kilpatricks have made it their mission to educate adults and youth
about the environment and how Urban reforestation can improve air and water quality within
the community; and
WHEREAS, he has received numerous honors that include the 2015 National
Extension Forester of the Year awarded by the National Forest Landowners Association; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Kilpatrick was also honored with receipt of the 2007 Project
Learning Tree Gold Star Award for his promotion of educational activities in natural
resources conservation and environmental literacy with hands-on student participation on
local forested lands; and
WHEREAS, throughout his career, Ricky Kilpatrick has upheld the best principles
of renewable resources management that involve economic development, bioenergy
opportunities, wildlife protection, water management, forestry certification, property rights,
and conservation; and
WHEREAS, his collaboration with private and public entities has contributed to
effective timber harvesting and the production of a myriad of wood-related end products;
and
WHEREAS, over the past three decades Ricky Kilpatrick has witnessed
extraordinary new technologies and remedies that have increased the efficiency of timber
production in north Louisiana; however, little can compare to the nearness to God he
experiences while in the woods; a calm spirituality that brings him ever closer to his Lord
and to all of his creations.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
commend Ricky Kilpatrick for thirty-three years of exemplary public service and does
hereby congratulate him upon his retirement from the LSU AgCenter.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby express
best wishes to Ricky Kilpatrick on all his future endeavors.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Ricky Kilpatrick.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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