Butch Kronlund, a longtime force in Big Sur, dies at 70.

There are lots of people who look at their community and think of things that could be done to make it better. Only a few people take the next step and do those things. Butch Kronlund was one of those people, relentless in his commitment to serve the Big Sur community. 

He died on Feb. 1 at age 70 from complications from treatment for melanoma.

Kronlund first came to Big Sur in 1989 when he won a bid to do concrete work to build Post Ranch Inn. He and his wife, Patte Kronlund, moved to Big Sur in 1994 and have been there ever since. Butch quickly became a leadership force in the community. 

Starting in 2008, he served for a decade as president of the Coast Property Owners Association of Big Sur, and became a liaison to elected leaders, the press and the public at large concerning persistent challenges to the rural Big Sur community such as over-tourism, disaster preparedness, Highway 1 traffic and maintenance and parking issues, fire prevention and more. 

In 2018, Kronlund became the first full-time executive director of CPOA. The group later morphed into a new nonprofit organization called Community Association of Big Sur (CABS), with a focus on developing a destination stewardship plan for the region.

"We’re trying to balance the environmental, social and business interests that are impacted by visitation in a way that’s beneficial for all," Kronlund told the Weekly in 2018. "There’s a way to do that, and that’s our mission."

For years, CABS has been encouraging members of the public to sign "the Big Sur Pledge," an agreement acknowledging that the visitor-serving infrastructure is challenged. The Pledge includes bullet points for signatories to agree to like "Share our coastal roads in a safe manner" and "Leave no trace" and "Be vigilant and fire safe."

Kronlund became an increasingly prominent force advocating for a middle ground of accepting (or at least tolerating) tourism while protecting Big Sur as a finite resource. "I’m trying to hold this center spot," he said in a 2019 interview. "There’s extremes on both sides. We’re trying to hold the space in the middle that will get us to the point where we can actually do something—because not doing something is not an option."

That mindset—doing something—guided Kronlund and CABS in a variety of endeavors. 

During last year's extended period of limited Highway 1 access to Big Sur (and a corresponding decline in hospitality work), for example, CABS distributed cash payments of $500 directly to residents who were limited in their ability to earn a living. 

Kronlund was also a CERT leader (Community Emergency Response Team) trained to respond during disasters, starting in 2008.

Patte Kronlund wrote in a brief letter to the CABS community, "I have so much in my heart to say about Butch and the incredible person he was…but words seem so small at this moment." (Patte currently serves as CABS executive director, Butch's successor. She took up the leadership role as he was forced to step back during his illness. She emphasizes that he continued to live a good life in the three years after he was diagnosed with cancer.) 

Friends and family said they would later announce a celebration of life event to be scheduled in May. For now, they invite those who want to honor Kronlund's memory to observe a moment of silence on Monday, Feb. 10 at sunset. 

Editor's note: This post has been updated to reflect a correction about Kronlund's illness.