[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 56 (Tuesday, May 3, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E843]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      A TRIBUTE TO VERMONT JOHNSON

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DAVID R. OBEY

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                          Tuesday, May 3, 2005

  Mr. OBEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mr. Vermont 
Johnson of Bayfield Wisconsin, who recently retired after nearly twenty 
years as an Advisor to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Mr. Johnson 
represented the sport fishing interests on that Committee and worked 
tirelessly to support measures that protect and improve the Great Lakes 
fishery.
  The Commission's Committee of Advisors was established under the 1955 
Great Lakes Fisheries Act. The Committee is charged with advising the 
Commission about all fishery matters relating to fish stocks shared by 
Canada and the United States and is also an avenue for citizens to be 
heard on issues that concern them. Representatives on the Committee 
speak for the sport fishery, the commercial fishery, the public-at-
large, and State agencies.
  Mr. Johnson has a lifetime of experience with the Great Lakes and has 
a deep knowledge of the matters relating to the resource. As a motel 
owner, he certainly appreciated how the Great Lakes and their fisheries 
lured tourists. During his tenure on the Committee of Advisors, Mr. 
Johnson took on a number of issues of vast importance to the Great 
Lakes, and although he technically represented the sportfishing 
concerns of the Lake Superior waters of Wisconsin, his contributions to 
the Committee had a basinwide impact. He was, by all accounts, an 
integral member of the Committee, providing leadership on issues 
ranging from the rehabilitation of native species to the effect of 
underwater log salvage on fish habitat. He regularly attended and led 
meetings--often at great distance from home and at his own expense--and 
interacted with interests throughout the Great Lakes region.
  Mr. Johnson grew up in Bayfield, Wisconsin, on the shores of Lake 
Superior. After , attending the University of Wisconsin, he enlisted in 
the U.S. Coast Guard and served as Chief Boatswain's Mate aboard the 
Coast Guard buoy tender Balsam in the Pacific--which I am told is the 
only vessel of its type to sink a Japanese submarine during World War 
II. After his service, he returned to Wisconsin, earned a degree in 
school administration, and served as a school superintendent for 35 
years in several districts, as well as continuing on in the Coast Guard 
Auxiliary.
  Mr. Johnson and his wife Harriett, who have been married for more 
than 60 years, continue to reside in Bayfield. He is an active leader 
in his community, helping to enlarge his church and leading the 
building committee of the Bayfield Heritage Association. In fact, he 
remains involved in almost every civic activity in Bayfield.
  For twenty years, Mr. Johnson--and usually Harriett--were stalwart 
participants in the meetings of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and 
the Committee of Advisors. I am happy to honor Mr. Vermont Johnson as 
he retires from the Great Lakes Fishery Commission's Committee of 
Advisors--it is a pleasure to take note of his service.

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