[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 141 (Friday, August 7, 2020)]
[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.

                          ____________________