Seamons was soft-spoken, quite the opposite of the foaming-at-the-mouth types who also contacted me at the time they learned SITLA was offering the land to the highest bidder.

He was direct and went right to the matter, and I knew immediately that he was serious about fighting the good battle. Many of the rabid would-be do-gooders faded away, but Seamons was committed to saving the land.

Some say Seamons should get the most credit for protecting the land. I'm reluctant to argue that point.

"Every day he was on the phone with somebody involved in the issue," said Steve Schmidt, a longtime friend of Seamons and one of the hard-core group of folks involved in the Little Hole effort. "The day the Division of Wildlife Resources won the bid, Rich called everybody else and told them congratulations and that their hard work had paid off. None of it would have happened without him, but he never once sought any kind of credit."

Seamons never would have allowed me to write any of this while he was still alive, and it is with much regret that I report he passed away last week in his Salt Lake home.

He had been dealing with life-threatening health issues for a while, and twice underwent heart bypass surgery. Perhaps it was his intimate view of our own fragile nature that pushed him so hard in the effort despite his daily discomfort.

His last fishing trip was, appropriately, to Green River in early April. Seamons, 64, had learned in his professional life as an accountant and a mediator that even calm waters can carve deep canyons. He used that philosophy in his maneuvering with key parties in the Little Hole saga.

"His calm demeanor and his experience made it so we could walk into anybody's office throughout the whole process. He set a tone of 'Hey, we are not here to beat anybody up,' . . . that we were really just trying to understand the issues so we could have a positive outcome," Schmidt said. "He kept many doors open that I doubt would have remained open if we didn't have him with us."

We can all learn from Seamons' example of maintaining a calm demeanor through emotionally trying times. The next time, or the first time, you gaze on that land across from Little Hole, give a little thought to the man who did a lot to keep it wild. It is more tribute than he would ask, but do it anyway.

brettp@sltrib.com