Very nice story about an apparently well-qualified person (in a one person agency) with a great public mandate to “reverse a century of neglect to restore and enhance the 52-mile-long San Diego River corridor.”
An excerpt.
San Diego River guided by one-man state agency
By Terry Rodgers UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
November 5, 2006
His $290,000 annual budget would barely buy one transit bus.
His staff roster – just himself – is the most stunted for a state agency.
Yet, his mission is monumental: reverse a century of neglect to restore and enhance the 52-mile-long San Diego River corridor.
Michael J. Nelson, the new executive officer for the San Diego River Conservancy, said he is eager to become the waterway's champion.
“Jobs like this are truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Nelson, 53, a Point Loma resident.
The San Diego River, the so-called birthplace of California, is today a polluted body of water with only a few portions used heavily by the public. One of the agency's goals is to create a linear greenbelt from the mountains to the sea that would host a network of parks and trails.
Nelson said “all the ingredients are in place for success” for that project and others.
The conservancy, one of nine similar agencies statewide dedicated to protecting environmental features in California, has a diverse and dynamic board of directors. Also, the revitalization project has strong support from community volunteers and nonprofit groups devoted to the river.
The agency's board members chose Nelson from four finalists for the $84,000-a-year job. They expect him to harness his longtime experience as a conservationist and administrator to elevate the agency's profile, raise more funds and negotiate with various parties to acquire key riverfront parcels.
This year, the board adopted a plan that calls for $164 million in projects – including the creation of trails, parks and more wildlife habitat – in the next five years. It will be up to Nelson to spearhead the completion of those initiatives.
