In Memory of Past Board Member
❦
Charlie Bartsch
On January 17, 2018, our friend and fellow board member for 8 years, Charlie Bartsch (66) passed away in his longtime hometown of Washington DC due to heart complications.
Charlie was a professor, author, and mentor to many students of life from around the world. With passion and proficiency, he built a career with numerous organizations and the Environmental Protection Agency creating and consulting sustainable policies domestic and abroad. He is best known for his groundbreaking work to help towns, counties, and cities clean up hazardous waste sites and make them into resizable and green uses known as Brownfields. There are now Brownfields all over the U.S. and world. Charlie did not stop there, he felt more was needed as the logging and coal industries declined sharply. He believed that new initiatives needed to be taken to create new cleaner industries. Working both with EPA and the Commerce Department and under the auspices of the Obama White House, Charlie became Senior Strategist for Communities in Transition at the White House and created the Rural Manufacturing Initiative. The new clean industries put rural populations back to work including in Washington and Oregon. (Unfortunately, that program is now defunct under the new administration.)
Charlie was View the Future’s Washington connection. No matter how busy he was, he teleconferenced in for Board meetings. He worked on most of our projects and his sound reasoning and research were indispensable He was also part of the fabric of Yachats for 30 years visiting as often as he could. He helped build the original Amanda Trail and planted many trees around that trail. He would occasionally work with the Yachats Trails crew when he was visiting. He and we all dreamed of his retirement here.
Charlie worked and played hard, loving it all. Known as an avid international explorer, there were few corners of the world he had yet to discover. From now-defunct Soviet Blocs and ancient Khmer ruins to back-alley South American markets, Charlie made it a point to climb the highest peaks and touch people’s hearts his entire way. His intelligence, want for adventure and generosity knew no bounds, not to mention that he bowled several 300 games. For all the attributes Charlie had, his biggest was his heart. He was generous professionally and personally. It is ironic that someone with as big of a heart as Charlie, had his heart stop. Charlie left a huge void and will be forever missed by the VtF Board and many members of the Yachats Community.
In memory of Charlie, View the Future will be dedicating a grove of conifers that Charlie helped plant in one area of the Amanda Trail.
