President’s Circle Member Profile: Wayne Martinson
Written by Kimberly Dexter, Philanthropy Officer | Published: March 9, 2026
When Wayne Martinson first started thinking seriously about population growth, he was standing at the edge of the Great Salt Lake, watching the wetlands shrink. It was the early 1990s, and he was working with the National Audubon Society.
“We were focused on birds, on habitat, on water,” he says. “But the deeper we looked, the more we saw that the pressures we were facing — development, sprawl, water shortages — were all linked to population growth.”
It wasn’t abstract. It was visible. Tangible. And it was happening fast.
That realization sparked the beginning of something new. Alongside a group of like-minded colleagues, Wayne helped found the Utah Population & Environment Council (UPEC) in 1997. Though it wasn’t an official ZPG chapter, the group was rooted in shared values and closely followed Population Connection’s national work. “From the start, we used Population Connection’s materials at our outreach tables,” he remembers. “We’d go to Utah Education Association conventions and hand out resources to teachers. We knew education was where the change had to start.”
At the time, Utah had the highest fertility rate in the country, at 2.6 births per woman. “And it wasn’t from immigration,” Wayne points out. “It was internal, within the state’s predominantly white population. We were trying to start a conversation about sustainability in a place where the default assumption was that growth was good.”
Three decades later, that conversation is still evolving. Utah’s fertility rate has dropped below replacement level, to 1.8 births per woman, which Wayne sees as progress. But population pressures haven’t disappeared, they’ve just shifted.
“Now, Utah’s growth is largely driven by people moving to the state. Nearly 50,000 new residents a year, more than half of them through migration. So, we keep asking: Why must growth be constant? Why can’t we plan for stability, or even decline, if we care about sustainability?”
Wayne is still engaged with UPEC, as Vice Chair of the Board, and is still deeply connected to the future of Utah, even though he now lives in Montana, nestled near the Bitterroot and Sapphire Mountains. “My daughter lives next door,” he says, smiling. “She keeps chickens, which is lovely. There’s something grounding about being close to family, sharing land, sharing time. It reminds me why this work matters.”
Wayne often returns to a familiar framework in his thinking: the I=PAT equation (impact equals population times affluence times technology), developed by Paul Ehrlich. “It’s been a guiding principle for me for decades,” he says. “And I think it still holds. Population Connection plays such a critical role in addressing that first piece — P for population — if we ignore that, we’re only tackling part of the problem.” He adds, “It’s not about blame. It’s about understanding. If we want a livable future, we have to look at the full picture.”
When asked what he hopes to see from Population Connection moving forward, Wayne doesn’t hesitate. First, he wants the organization to continue its global education efforts, always with humility. “We need to support communities, not impose on them. The goal is empowerment, not control.” Second, he hopes Population Connection continues pushing back against the rising tide of pronatalist messaging. “There’s a narrative out there that more babies equals more success, more prosperity. We know that’s not sustainable. We need to offer another vision.”
Wayne’s voice is calm but clear, reflective but urgent. He’s not chasing headlines. He’s focused on the long view, the kind of legacy built not in sweeping moments, but in steady work, rooted in care.
We’re honored to count Wayne as part of our President’s Circle. His years of advocacy, his thoughtful leadership, and his deep commitment to future generations remind us that meaningful change often comes from the quiet determination to stay with the work. To find out how you can join the President’s Circle, or to share your story with us, please email giving@popconnect.org.