Remembering Connie Motyka
by Ron Kelley
Conrad (known as Connie), a lifetime honorary member of the Friends of Green River Reservoir, passed away December 17, 2024 at the age of 83. A true friend and member to the end, in his obituary, he asked that all donations in his name be sent to our organization.
I first met Connie after beginning to work for the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation in 1974. He was then the Washington County Forester. I soon learned that he had something in common with me- a degree in Forest Management with graduate work in forest entomology. I came to know him better when he became a District Forester out of Morrisville where I also had my office. I could tell by his people and managerial skills that he would quickly move up the career ladder and he certainly did. Before long, he moved to headquarters to be an Assistant Director of Forests, then Director (State Forester) in 1986 and eventually was appointed Commissioner. Connie would sometimes call on me to act as the department photographer for certain events. One such event was when he hosted the national meeting of the National Association of State Foresters at the Radisson Hotel in Burlington. It was obvious to me that he was proud to host this meeting of State Foresters from every state in the country. Connie wanted everything to go smoothly and for his guests to remember Vermont as a beautiful and welcoming place. Many of us in the department were involved in the planning and execution of that conference. As a testament to his style of leadership, everyone was more than willing to make that happen.
Early on, Connie recognized the need to protect Green River Reservoir (GRR) from overuse and its potential to become a unique state park if the state could acquire it. Bill and Susan Bartlett both knew Connie and advocated for the state to buy the property. Bill was co-founder of our group and through his Water Resources position, had many contacts with Connie. The first such contact regarding GRR that Susan remembers was in the late 1980s when Madeline Kunin was Governor. Connie was on a Saturday “tour of the state” with the Governor and they stopped by the Farmer’s Market in Morrisville. Susan and Bill were there selling organic produce and the Governor had been invited to judge the frog-jumping contest. As the four of them chatted, Connie said he was pretty close to getting a deal to buy the property for the state. Madeline was always great on conservation issues and she was delighted at the prospect of protecting that special property. Of course, at that time there was no pot of money available. That didn’t happen until after Senator Patrick Leahy authored the Forest Legacy federal grant program in 1990 to help states protect or acquire important forest lands held in private ownership.
Tribute to Bill Bartlett
August 2022
Bill Bartlett was a cofounder of the Friends of Green River Reservoir, an extraordinary person who will be greatly missed and whose contributions to Vermont's environmental quality will live long after him. Below is the obituary for Bill.
Bill Bartlett, 77 years old, died peacefully at home on August 20, 2022. While he knew that his neurological disease would eventually win, he fought it full on for many years with his determined commitment and vigor. He died with the grace, integrity and peace with which he lived his life.
Bill’s commitment to keeping Vermont waters clean was much of his life’s work. He was the head of the Water Resources Board for many years during which it helped establish and implement many of the clean water regulations that safeguard swimming, fishing, boating, and biological integrity in Vermont's rivers and lakes. Upon retirement, Bill continued his clean water campaigning as “Citizen Bartlett”, the man who generously gave of his volunteer time to testify before many legislative committees to educate, inform and suggest to members ways to keep our precious resource of water, clean and pure. He was respected for his knowledge and his integrity, notably by those who didn’t agree with his positions. He was also a valued sounding board and mentor for many in the community of clean water advocates.
In the mid 1990’s, Bill was a founding member of The Friends of Green River Reservoir and for almost 50 years paddled those waters and camped on those islands with fervent reverence for the beauty of its wilderness-like qualities. During the last few years of his life, friends would take him out for a paddle and a picnic.
Bill graduated from the University of Vermont, where he met Susan, his future wife. He served 2 terms in Vietnam and then returned to Vermont, graduate school at UVM and marriage to Susan. He had a Masters in Geography and loved maps. Surprisingly, to Susan and his paddling and skiing friends, with the exception of up and down, he had no sense of direction.
Bill loved to garden and over the many years at their home, the property has become a delightful, quiet place with many bird and insect friendly plants and trees.
As is fitting, there will be a celebration of Bill’s life at Bartlett Pair Farm, 186 Pair Farm Lane, Hyde Park, VT on Saturday, October 8 from noon to 2 PM. This is a rain or shine, outdoor but under cover event. If you have mobility issues, we will be in a garage and on hard packed surfaces, so very accessible. Please dress according to the weather.
In Bill’s memory, please consider donating to any of the following organizations: Conservation Law Foundation, Vermont Natural Resource Council, Vermonters For A Clean Environment and the Friends of Green River Reservoir.