To the Editor:

It is with great sadness that we at the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters learned that Julie Belaga, one of our founders and original board chair, passed away peacefully at her home in Westport, CT, on Friday at the age of 91.

Julie was a tireless advocate for the environment and served as an exemplary role model for all of us who care about a healthy planet. She was highly intelligent, articulate and always gracious. She was respected and admired by everyone who knew her.

Before founding CTLCV, she was the first woman to be nominated by the Connecticut Republican party to run for governor. Subsequently, she was appointed by President George H.W. Bush to be the EPA’s Regional Administrator for New England and thereafter appointed by President Bill Clinton to serve on the Board of the Export-Import Bank as an environmental advocate.

With Julie’s passing, CTLCV has lost one of our greatest friends. She will be missed by all of us who learned from her and worked with her to promote and protect the world’s most important assets — clean water, air, and open space.

We will miss Julie tremendously.

Lori Brown — Executive Director CTLCV

Hartford