CRN Executive Committee
Officers:
Mike Kelly, President
mkelly1@san.rr.com
Friends of Los Penasquitos Canyon Preserve
Cindy Stankowski, Vice-President
cstankowski@sandiegoarchaeology.org
San Diego Archaeological Center
Robin Rierdan, Secretary
r2rierdan@cox.net
Lakeside's River Park Conservancy
Rick Landavazo, Treasurer
landavaz@owl.csusm.edu
Friends of Hellhole Canyon Preserve
Project Manager:
Doug Wescott, sdcrn@sdcrn.org or (858) 357-1708
Additional Members of the Executive Committee:
Craig Adams
craig@sdrvc.org
The San DIeguito River Valley Conservancy
Michael Beck
beckehl@earthlink.net
The Endangered Habitats League
Open
OPEN@escondidocreek.org
Open
Opportunities for the future
In creating a new organization, it's
easy to focus on the technical aspects of getting it up and running
and not think as much about where it's going. We asked a few of the
founders of CRN to talk about the future...
Question: What is the legacy that CRN can provide for future generations?
Answer: CRN members will demonstrate that through
collaboration and cooperation it is possible to save our wild areas
so that future generations can appreciate their beauty as we have. Members
will demonstrate that working together, it is possible to reverse negative
trends, restore landscapes, and recover rare and endangered species.
Members will achieve partnerships with government agencies and private
land owners, demonstrating that working cooperatively is the best formula
for success. CRN will show that successful conservation strategies are
based in the fundamental principle that everything is connected, and
that to protect the future, we must invest today in cooperative strategies.
And, is there anything more spectacular than the desert in bloom in
a good rain year? That is our living legacy to future generations of
San Diegans.
- Mike Kelly, Founding CRN Manager
Question: Five years from now, what will you hope CRN has accomplished?
Answer: CRN will
be a fundamentally sound institution with a strong board, staff, advisory
board, and over 25 member-organizations. CRN will be known for creating
and supporting effective partnerships that advance conservation in the
region through collaboration and cooperation. CRN will be a full partner
in the implementation of San Diego's nationally recognized wildlife
preserve system, providing high quality, cost effective management on
behalf of both public and private partners. This approach will earn
CRN members a reputation for setting the highest professional standards
for management of our natural preserve system. CRN will provide a critical
public forum about the natural and cultural resource values of the San
Diego region, helping the public take action to protect the quality
of life in the region. CRN will be institutionally linked to research-based
organizations, creating the essential connection between science, research,
monitoring, and resource management, and between government and non-government
partners.
-Craig Adams, San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy, CRN Executive Committee Member
Question: Why should San Diegans care about our local wild lands?
Answer: San Diego County harbors some of the rarest
and most diverse biological communities on the planet. Many San Diegans
don't know or appreciate that our natural open space--the coastal mesas,
oak-lined valleys, mountain trails, and desert solitude-- is a gem equivalent
to a tropical rainforest of animal and plant life. But they do know
it is a beautiful and special place that enriches our lives and our
souls, whose conservation and management should be entrusted to those
who have the passion, energy, knowledge, and responsibility to care
for it.
- Jerre Stallcup, Conservation Biology Institute, CRN past Executive Committee
member
Question: Ten years from now, what will CRN look like?
Answer: CRN will be a permanent, key institution in
San Diego. CRN members will be managing thousands of acres of conservation
land to make certain that San Diego CountyÕs remaining wild places are
still wild for our grandchildren and their grandchildren to enjoy. Over
100,000 San Diegans will be members of organizations participating in
CRN. The CRN Advisory Board will include prominent regional leaders
from science, government and civic affairs actively engaged in helping
make CRN a success. CRN will have built a track record for conservation
management second to none and have state wide identification and reputation.
-Michael Beck, Endangered Habitats League, CRN Executive Committee Member
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