A bright and shining light of insight, a constant pillar of support and encouragement, and an endless stream of clear wisdom for those fighting coal mines has been called away.
For everyone who had the good fortune of knowing Jane Johnson, a great sense of loss is being felt. Jane Johnson was a historically significant and key activist in Illinois environmental efforts against coal mines.
Jane leaves as a tribute to her decades of personal determination, dedication, and incredible work, thousands of acres of prime farmland that have been saved from strip mining.
She organized other citizens, worked with great skills in dealing with elected officials and public agencies, and was instrumental in the writing and enactment of federal mining laws, known as SMCRA, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act.
Jane did extensive lobbying of Congress, testified at federal hearings, and was a key citizen volunteer in getting regulations for mines in the 1970-80's.
She was instrumental in the founding of Citizens Coal Council, a national organization helping citizens in the coal fields, and she founded and headed COP, Citizens Organizing Project, in Illinois.
Jane received many awards for her environmental leadership and activism, including the Lt. Governor's award for Environmental Hero in Illinois and the Heart of Illinois Sierra Club Conservationist award.
Jane was a long-time Sierra Club member. She helped write the Lands Unsuitable to Mine petition for Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area, which was the first and currently only LUM petition granted by the Illinois Office of Mines and Minerals.
Jane was an activist with peace and anti-war groups, anti-nuclear organizations, and testified at hearings and worked in many other ways to keep nuclear waste regional storage dumps out of Illinois.
Her local governmental work and other local and regional issues and efforts are many and varied. Jane accomplished her environmental work along with raising two sons and a daughter in rural Knox County, with her husband who worked for the railroad.
She would rise before 5 a.m. and said her short hot bath would let her deal with all the unexpected demands and pressures she knew would come up each day. She did her family chores early in the morning, so she would be ready to drive a neighbor to the hospital, go off to meetings, or take off for the courthouse or her many other events later in the day.
Our greatest thanks and loving appreciation go with Jane for her ever-present help that has touched the lives of so many in the essential work of protecting water and land from coal mining, and in the inspiration of her life of unyielding determination to work for justice and truth and protection of the environment.
Jane, you will be so greatly missed. We will not forget your gems of wisdom and ever-present voice of good cheer and hope in our hearts.
-- Joyce Blumenshine
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