Albemarle County named David Hannah the county’s natural resources manager, a newly created position which became effective with an announcement issued Tuesday.
“In this newly created position, David will develop, coordinate, and administer natural resource protection, conservation, and monitoring programs,” the press release states.
Hannah previously served as the executive director at StreamWatch, a non-profit organization tasked with monitoring the Rivanna Watershed. He also spent six years as conservation director of Wild Virginia.
Hannah described his conception of the position as holding a bifold purpose of protecting and conserving the natural resources of Albemarle County and outlined his long-term plan of increasing public awareness of those resources.
“I see my role as trying to come up with some strategies and measures to be taken to help increase awareness of our natural resources over the long term,” Hannah said. “You know, in five to 10 years, to try to increase public awareness of the resources that we have, and part of that will [be] public outreach and public education”.
Jeff Sitler, environmental compliance manager with the University Facilities Management Office, lauded the county’s decision.
“David is an excellent candidate for the position,” Sitler said. “He is very knowledgeable and good with speaking with the public.”
Sitler said he felt Hannah would be able to provide valuable assistance to the environmental aspect of development in Albemarle County, particularly given the effects development tends to have on stream degradation.
“The county is growing, and there are a lot of areas which we view as undeveloped,” Sitler said. “There are streams in some areas that have been highly degraded because of development. It is important that the county has someone who understands that, someone who can look into [the] future and manage and lessen those impacts.”
Hannah said he was optimistic about the potential the position possessed for positive impact in the county and said he would not have taken the position if he did not think there was good work to be done.