The first few years of Mick Butler’s tenure as Fort Meade’s environmental division chief were trial by fire.
The installation was in the news for the contamination of ground water. In addition, a World War II-era landfill and high levels of methane gas were discovered near Manor View Elementary School.
To top it off, a portion of the Directorate of Public Works privatized and the majority of federal government employees were let go.
Eventually, after much study and investigation, a ground water treatment system was created and the clean-up of the landfill was completed.
That was nearly 14 years ago. Butler is now preparing to retire on Friday, his 62nd birthday.
Reflecting on his years of service at Fort Meade, Butler said the environmental division’s response to those early crisis are among his most important achievements, and he is proud of what his team has accomplished.
“It has been a tremendous challenge, but I learned a lot,” he said. “The team pulled together and we got the right experts.”
A Strong Legacy
Deputy Garrison Commander John Moeller, who has known Butler for more than a decade, calls him “a quiet professional” listed his long list of accomplishments.
“Whether it was excavating a former World War II dump site next to Manor View, repairing the cap on top of another dump site, monitoring underground contamination of local wells, removing underground storage tanks, keeping the deer herd in check … or celebrating Earth Day, Mick and his staff have been instrumental in making Fort Meade a safe, healthy and environmentally friendly place to live and work,” Moeller said. “He will be sorely missed.”
Jeffrey Dozier, chief of Administrative Law at Fort Meade, has known Butler since he took over the environmental division.
“Mick has been a superb leader and technical guru,” Dozier said. “He always took the lead on difficult projects. He ensured his folks were well trained, knew the command’s goals, and then sent them to do good things for Fort Meade.
“His legacy is a strong and resilient [environmental division].”
A native of Wilmington, Del., Butler has led the environmental division to tackle problems such as feral cats, botulism, West Nile and Zika viruses, and mold in the barracks.
Butler’s interest in the environment began in childhood.
“I was a Jacques Cousteau baby,” he said of the renowned French filmmaker and scientist who studied the sea. “I thought I would go and dive the world’s oceans. … I love the outdoors.”
During his summer vacations, Butler visited his grandmother who lived near Tolchester Beach on the Eastern Shore. She taught him how to fish, swim, crab and row, and allowed Butler to water ski with the teenagers in the neighborhood.
Butler said he would often comb the beach to find what he then thought were “treasures” — bottles covered with Chinese letters and other artifacts. Eventually, he learned the treasures were actually litter tossed overboard by seamen traveling on international ships heading up the Chesapeake Bay.
A Good Steward
After high school, Butler attended the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., and majored in marine science. Upon graduation in May 1978, Butler was commissioned an ensign. In 1984, he attended the Naval Diving and Salvage Training Center in Panama City, Fla.
During his seven years of service as a Coast Guardsman, Butler sailed through Europe and crossed the Antarctic Circle.
“I saw the beauty of the world, the beauty of the oceans and the majesty of the environment,” he said. “I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t want to be a steward and keep it that way.”
Initially, Butler said, he thought he would be working with the Coast Guard Strike Team, responding to emergencies and participating in search rescues. But after his service in the Coast Guard, Butler took a break and trained for the Ironman triathlon and lived in Hawaii for two years.
When he returned to Delaware, he worked in emergency response clean-up for the private sector. From 1990 to 1999, Butler served in a regulatory position at the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, and at the Maryland Department of the Environment.
His first day at Fort Meade was April 4, 2004. Butler said the most rewarding part of his job has been the relationships he has formed in DPW. He said that despite the privatization of the directorate, his colleagues managed to withstand the uncertainty of change and “still be resilient and show kindness to each other,” he said. “That was something I depended on.”
As retirement looms closer — life will include family and reconnecting with the “Florida beach lifestyle” — Butler looks back fondly on his years at Fort Meade.
“It’s been great,” he said.
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Compiled by staff of the Fort George G. Meade Public Affairs office. For more information about what is happening on Fort Meade, visit www.ftmeade.army.mil and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ftmeade.
