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Peak 12,240, which is currently 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 and the John Muir Trail passes close to this peak.

On Monday, May 9, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) introduced the Mt. Andrea Lawrence Designation Act of 2011, which would name Mountain Peak 12,240, “Mt. Andrea Lawrence” in honor and memory of Andrea Mead Lawrence, a conservationist, three-time Olympian and former member of the Mono County Board of Supervisors, who passed away in 2009.

“Andrea Lawrence was an Olympic champion and Alpine skiing enthusiast who turned her passion for the outdoors into a lifelong commitment to protecting the treasures of the Eastern Sierra,” Senator Boxer commented in a press release. “Her spirit and accomplishments were larger than life, which is why it is so fitting that we name this majestic peak in her beloved Mono County after her.”

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.” She was also widely known as a committed conservationist, whose projects included numerous efforts to protect and restore Mammoth Lakes, Mono Lake, Bodie State Historic Park and other important Eastern Sierra natural and cultural resources.

In addition to her conservationist background, Lawrence 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.

Boxer introduced identical legislation during the last congress in tandem with Congressional co-sponsor Representative Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Santa Clarita). Supporters of the legislation include Andrea Lawrence’s family, the Mono County Board of Supervisors, the Wilderness Society, the Sierra Club, the Mono Lake Committee, ALIMAR, the Andrea Lawrence Institute for Mountains and Rivers, the Sierra Nevada Alliance, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, Town of Mammoth Lakes and its Town Council, and area fishing entrepreneur and former Mono County
Supervisor Tim Alpers. –PR/Sheet Staff

Advocate, ski champion and friend Andrea Mead Lawrence passed away last year. (File Photo)

McKeon, Boxer introduce bill to name Mono mountain peak for Andrea Mead

In a joint press statement issued late April 29, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and U.S. Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Santa Clarita) announced they have introduced legislation to rename Peak 12,240 in Mono County “Mt. Andrea Lawrence,” in memory of the late Andrea Lawrence, a conservationist, three-time Olympian, and member of the Mono County Board of Supervisors.

Senator Boxer said, “Andrea Lawrence’s life centered on mountains, first as a talented Olympic skier and then as a dedicated conservationist who worked to protect the Eastern Sierra. Andrea’s spirit and accomplishments were both larger than life, which is why it is so fitting to name this majestic peak after her.”

McKeon was equally effusive about the bill’s intent. “By naming a peak for Andrea Lawrence, we will celebrate her accomplishments as an Olympian and honor her service as an advocate for conservation in the Eastern Sierra,” he said. “Andrea had the true Olympic spirit and worked tirelessly to protect Mono Lake and then expanded her mission to confront challenges to the entire Eastern Sierra. I am proud to introduce this legislation with Senator Boxer to honor the life of a great American and committed conservationist.”

Peak 12,223, currently only identified by its elevation, is located in Mono County near the Tuolumne County border, on the edge of the Ansel Adams Wilderness east of Yosemite National Park. The John Muir trail passes close to the peak.

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

She was well known in environmental and political circles as a committed conservationist who was a driving force behind causes such as restoring Mono Lake and reducing air pollution in the Great Basin.

Lawrence served for 16 years on the Mono County Board of Supervisors and in 2003 founded the Andrea Lawrence Institute for Mountains and Rivers (ALIMAR), which champions environmental protection and economic vitality in the region. She passed away on March 31, 2009, the day President Barack Obama signed into law the Omnibus Public Lands Act, which Lawrence also supported and worked on. -Press Release