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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E596-E597]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING THE RETIREMENT OF RICK JOHNSON
______
HON. MICHAEL K. SIMPSON
of idaho
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Rick Johnson
upon his retirement as Executive Director of the Idaho Conservation
League. His leadership will be greatly missed by myself and many
others.
For the past three decades, Rick has been the seminal leader in
Idaho protecting Idaho's outdoors and environment. Whenever I am asked
who in the conservation community to speak to in Idaho, the answer is
always Rick Johnson.
When I first met Rick in the 1990s, I would describe the
environmental community as having a single mission of fighting and
objecting to almost anything proposed by the resource industry.
Through the years, I am pleased to say that both Rick and I have
evolved and recognized that there are other ways to accomplish
conservation. Rick's willingness to recognize the needs and concerns of
others and his willingness to look for options where all parties can
win, have made him a leader in the nation in finding ways to reach
consensus on difficult conservation issues.
Rick and I have been through many battles together. We started with
a not so harmonious discussion of nuclear power at my first wild Idaho
and one day we ended up in the Oval Office with the President signing
the Boulder-White Clouds and Jerry Peak Wilderness bills.
You learn a lot about an individual when you work for 15 years
together on a wilderness bill and go camping in the mountains you are
both trying to protect.
They also learn a lot about you. Rick was able to recognize my
sincerity and concern for Idaho's special areas and more importantly
convey that to others.
Rick wasn't a partner in crime, he was a partner in conservation. We
were both able to maximize ``wins'' for our respective sides that they
could take to the bank. He conserved hundreds of thousands of acres of
wilderness and I was able to create security and certainty for
counties, ranchers and motorized users.
Working together we were able to find the proverbial ``win-win''
that everybody is looking for but always seems elusive. We found it,
and Idaho is better off for it.
As future generations of Idahoans gaze over the beautiful vistas of
the Cecil Andrus-White
[[Page E597]]
Clouds, the Hemingway-Boulders, the McClure-Jerry Peaks, and the
Owyhees, they should be thanking Rick Johnson for his work, his effort,
and most importantly his ability to compromise with others.
I will miss Rick greatly as a leader and as my partner in
conservation, but I know he is not leaving us forever. I will always
have my friend I can call on.
I am wishing Rick and his wonderful wife Roberta, the best of luck
in their future endeavors and retirement. I thank them for all that
both of them have done for Idaho.
____________________
