PITTSTON- James Ruff Hynson passed away May 19, 2024. He was born to Guy Jefferson Hynson and Mary Louise (Ruff) Hynson on December 10, 1950 in Takoma Park, Maryland. He is survived by stepchildren and spouses Susanne Chandler and George Crumley as well as Peter Chandler and Kirk Webber; grandchildren including Margaret Annie Dumke of California, Amy Landry of Auburn, Maine, and cousins Mary Frances Butler and Herbert Hynson Jr. of Foneswood, VA. He was predeceased by his parents, his wife Susan (Gerrish) Hynson, his grandparents Sula Desolee (Yeatman) and Wilbur Frank Hynson, as well as Kate (Jackson) Ruff and Edward G. Ruff, and cousin Edward C. Ruff. He grew up in and around Wheaton, Maryland and watched as wonderful woods and fields became strip malls, houses, roads, parking lots, and apartments. By the time he graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in June 1968, he was more than anxious to break the bonds of suburbia. He went to the University of Maine at Orono where he studied wildlife science and graduated in the Class of 1972. After one year in a dormitory, he moved to Springer Cabins, a ramshackle, but at the same time elegant collection of student-built housing on the banks of the Stillwater River. While at Orono, he accompanied the Maine Christian Association choir with his guitar and arranged for the programs at the University related Coffee House, later called the Ram's Horn. He worked summers in various wildlife or park related jobs. He volunteered to go to less fortunate schools in the area to help evening programs and was involved in the Maine Outing Club. The University's "Senior Skull Society," an honor fraternity based on service to the University, selected him as a member. He moved on to receive a Master of Natural Resources from the University of Michigan in 1974 and then spent the next three years working sporadically doing field research connected with the US Fish and Wildlife Service's Urban Wildlife Program. During that time, he became involved with the Council of Adult Stutterers in Washington, DC, a self-help group that expanded into outreach and education while he was involved. He returned to Maine in 1977 after accepting a job with the Center for Natural Areas (offices, in Washington D.C., South Gardiner, ME, and Ojai, CA). He spent his time there on a multitude of government contracts that ranged from policy studies and policy analysis to field resource characterization of both aquatic and terrestrial environments. That is where he met his wife Susan, with whom he shared a warm and peaceful life. In 1984, he went to work for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) under a 6-month temporary appointment and retired 28 years later. The first, temporary appointment was to develop a plan for siting a low-level radioactive waste site. Years later, this plan was used inappropriately to include in final consideration a piece of land directly across the road from the passive solar saltbox Jim and Susan just had built. For most of his career with DEP, he concentrated on various aspects of underground oil and gasoline storage, and how to mitigate or regulate the adverse effects of underground oil spills. The work entailed researching an initial report to characterize the problem of leaking underground tanks and preparing a suggested regulatory framework. It moved to developing a tank registration form, assisting on the development of a computer database to manage the data, and initially processing the some 10 – 20,000 forms that DEP received on specific sites. And later, he assisted the residents of South Penobscot, Maine, in developing a replacement water system for 19 homes with individual drinking water wells that had been contaminated with gasoline from a local country store. For the remainder of his time at DEP, some 19 years, he provided staff support to the lay Board of Underground Storage Tank Installers, the first program in the nation to elevate tank installation to a bona fide trade. In that capacity, he designed examinations to test the knowledge of applicants, monitored their efforts to obtain field experience, and processed complaints of their performance. His retirement was announced at a semi-annual workshop provided to installers to help them keep up to date, whereupon he received a standing ovation from the people he regulated. When he first moved back to Maine, he became a charter member of the newly formed Merrymeeting Bay Chapter of Trout unlimited. He subsequently became its program director and Board member, later vice president, and still later President during times of significant controversy including the "Big A" project and the Edwards Dam removal. After a long hiatus, he returned as an at large Board member. He was a member of several Boards of Directors of conservation and environmental groups, including the Maine State Council of Trout Unlimited, the Maine Chapter of The Wildlife Society, and the Natural Resources Council of Maine. He also participated in several sporting groups including the North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA), the Ruffed Grouse Society, and Ducks Unlimited. His passions included upland bird hunting over dogs (especially Brittanies), waterfowl hunting (also with Brittanies), and fly fishing for trout. He grew up worshiping at the North Chevy Chase Christian Church in Maryland, where he was a third-generation member. In college he was a member of the Maine Christian Association. He joined All Souls Unitarian Church (now A2C2) where he served on the Staff/Parish Relations Committee. He then moved to the Highland Avenue United Methodist Church, where he also served briefly on the Staff/Parish Relations Committee and later as the Treasurer of the Board of Trustees. A funeral service will be held at the Highland Avenue United Methodist Church in Gardiner Maine at 10am on Saturday, June 1, 2024, with light refreshments and fellowship following.