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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E740]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING HUEY D. JOHNSON
______
HON. JARED HUFFMAN
of california
in the house of representatives
Friday, August 7, 2020
Mr. HUFFMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in memory of Huey D.
Johnson, who passed away on July 12, 2020, at the age of 87 after an
extraordinary lifetime of public service to his community and the
environment.
Born in 1933 and raised in rural Michigan, Mr. Johnson graduated from
Western Michigan University in 1957 with a degree in biology. Upon
graduation, Mr. Johnson began working for Union Carbide where he
traveled to many places including the San Francisco Bay Area. After
leaving Union Carbide, he worked in Alaska and then obtained a master's
degree from Utah State University. During this period, Mr. Johnson's
passion for natural resources and public land was enhanced.
Mr. Johnson became the first western regional director for the Nature
Conservancy, a position he held from 1968 to 1972. Through this role he
became a champion for sustainability and conservation and a leader in
protecting land from development. In 1972 the Nature Conservancy was
able to acquire 2,100 acres of land in the Marin Headlands to protect
it from a large scale development that was to be called Marincello. The
land was transferred to the National Park Service initiating the
creation of what is now the Golden Gate National Recreation Area with
82,000 acres of protected public land. This achievement is renowned in
the region and around the county and recorded in the 2012 documentary,
``Rebel with a Cause.''
In 1971 , Mr. Johnson helped co-found The Trust for Public Land to
bring the legal and financial strategies of modern business to the
cause of conservation. Today the Trust for Public Land is one of the
largest environmental organizations of its kind in the country, with
conservation projects spanning the country from urban communities to
rural areas.
In 1978, Mr. Johnson was selected by then-California Governor Jerry
Brown to join his cabinet as Secretary of Resources, a position he held
until Governor Brown left office. As Secretary of Resources, Mr.
Johnson was the driving force behind California's 100-year
sustainability plan, and he earned a reputation for living by example,
riding his bike to work and limiting his impacts on the environment. In
1982, he established the Resource Renewal Institute, a non-profit
organization based in Mill Valley that focuses on innovation related to
sustainability. His work with the Resource Renewal Institute led to
many accomplishments including his co-founding of the Grand Canyon
Trust in 1985. In 1995, Mr. Johnson published a book titled ``Green
Plans: Blueprint for a Sustainable Earth.'' Among his notable honors,
the United Nations recognized him in 2001 for his many environmental
achievements with the Sasakawa Environment Prize--one of the
organization's highest honors.
Throughout his life and until his passing, Mr. Johnson delivered on
his mission to protect, preserve, and restore natural landscapes,
mentored many generations of environmentalists, and completed his
memoir of his lifetime of environmental activism. Mr. Johnson is
survived by his wife of 58 years, Sue; his daughter Megan; son Tyler
and his wife, Jill; grandsons Miles and Bay; and nephew, Zack.
Madam Speaker, Huey Johnson felt like the last environmental Titan of
his era, a living bridge to the bigger-than-life conservationists ofthe
past century and beyond. I will always value my personal relationship
with Mr. Johnson. I can attest to his intellectual firepower, his
gravitas, and the passion he always brought to his work, as well as the
fact that his environmentalism was not just some esoteric pursuit. His
connection to nature was authentic and included hunting and fishing and
appreciating the role of both wild places and working landscapes in our
collective stewardship responsibilities. I am grateful for his legacy,
and for the advice and friendship he provided over many years no matter
our occasional differences. While he will be greatly missed by so many,
Mr. Johnson's legacy will live on through the indelible positive impact
he had on his community and beyond. Please join me in honoring a life
well spent and in extending our respectful condolences to Mr. Johnson's
many colleagues, family, and friends.
Mr. Johnson has been an inspiration and mentor to me personally and
to many environmentalists over the years. Madam Speaker, on behalf of
those individuals and many more to come, I urge my colleagues to join
us in expressing deep appreciation for Mr. Johnson's many achievements
and enduring commitment to protecting the environments of Marin and
Sonoma Counties.
____________________
