MARTIN LEWIS JOHNSON

MARTIN LEWIS JOHNSON - MARSHFIELD - Martin Lewis Johnson died on May 21, 2012, at age 84, at his Star Pudding Farm home in Marshfield. Martin was born Nov. 4, 1927, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the son of Marjorie Martin Johnson and Allen Jerome Johnson, formerly of Cambridge, Mass. He grew up at "Allenwood," a part of Greatwood Farms, later to become Goddard College in Plainfield. He was a native Vermonter in the best sense of the word, growing up in the Depression years. He attended Plainfield schools through the eighth grade, where his education was often augmented by him escaping out the window to ride his pony off on great adventures in the woods and fields. Following eighth grade, he took a year off from schooling to work in the woods for a Canadian lumber company, before applying and working his way through Edgewood School in Greenwich, Conn., graduating in 1945. At age 18 he enlisted, serving in the Pacific as a first lieutenant in the US Army Corps of Engineers, as part of the occupation force in Japan. Upon his return, he embraced education and enrolled in Cornell University and eventually matriculated from the University of Colorado. In Colorado he became the leader of one of the first National Ski Patrols at Arapahoe Basin ski area. He pursued further education in civil engineering and earned his master's degree from MIT and his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University. He started working for the US Department of Agriculture researching water resources in the Sleepers River Watershed in Danville, in the field then known as Energy Balance, now called Climate Change. He went on to work under three Vermont governors, first as Commissioner of Water Resources and then as Secretary of Environmental Conservation for the state of Vermont. Under his leadership he is known for bringing about environmental policies, laws and regulations that brought cleaner air and water to Vermont. Such forward concepts as Act 250, implementation of the bottle bill, elimination of billboards, reduced roadside litter, cleaning up the rivers, streams and lakes of the state of Vermont by enforcing the Federal Clean Water Act were accomplished. He also prided himself on increasing, protecting and preserving vast tracts of wilderness areas in the state. He founded the engineering and environmental consulting firm, The Johnson Company, where he oversaw environmental projects throughout the US. At times he worked for the US Agency for International Development (USAID). With USAID he traveled the world, to locations such as Nepal, the Philippines, South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Argentina and China, tackling environmental challenges and teaching local engineers how to manage the water resources of their countries. He sold The Johnson Company when he was in his late 70s, but continued to consult for businesses involved in litigation with the US EPA. He was a member of the Space Applications Board from 1973 to 1979, advising NASA on new projects such as the space shuttle. He was later appointed to the National Academy of Sciences, serving on the committee dealing with the use of water resources. His greatest joy was managing his lands in Marshfield, building and maintaining a number of ponds, stone structures, the house where he lived, and miles of trails over which he walked daily sometimes accompanied by family and friends, always with the companionship of his English Setter, Arthur. Martin is survived by his wife of 40 years, Laura Matlock Johnson; children, Karl Johnson (wife, Harriet, and sons, Alexander and Nathaniel), Gregory Johnson (daughter, Lilly, and son, Henry), Kyle Johnson (wife, Susan, and son, Zackary, and daughter, Cadence), and Deborah Johnson Nunnink (husband, Mark); sister, Fifene Hallam of Alaska; and many, many nieces and nephews. In addition, he is fondly remembered as "Grandpa" by Zora and Dashiel Vermilya-Tredeau (mothers, Meredith and Shelly), and Johan and Anders Holtenman (parents, Hilary and Jesper Holtenman). Family and friends will gather together for a celebration of remembrance to be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice, 600 Granger Road, Barre, VT 05641, or The Health Center, 157 Towne Ave., Plainfield, VT 05667.