Colfax — More than 100 elected officials, business owners and conservationists gathered in Colfax on November 17, 2005 to welcome Jim Branham, the first Executive Officer of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy.
Joined by his new Administrative Chief, Eileen Pope, formerly of the California Tahoe Conservancy, Branham met informally with advocates, constituents and various state, county and city representatives to initiate his tenure as Executive Officer of the new Sierra Nevada Conservancy.
The reception was hosted by the Gualco Group, The Sierra Fund and the Sierra Business Council.
Branham, former UnderSecretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency, and one-time public affairs officer of Pacific Lumber, announced his acceptance of the position last month by saying that he was looking forward to “woorking a little closer to the trees, streams, critters and people” of the Sierra Nevada. Branham served on the staff of Senator Jim Nielsen in the 1980's and '90's and in the Resources Agency under Governor Wilson.
Pope, the new Administrative Chief, had worked very closely with the Tahoe Conservancy's late Executive Officer, Dennis Machida, in creating the first budget for the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. She and Branham are moving quickly forward to establish an office, meet with constituents throughout the Sierra, and implement the Conservancy's first programs.
Branham said he expects the Sierra Conservancy's Board of Directors to announce its decision on where to locate the new Conservancy headquarters at the Board's meeting on December 2, 2005 at the California Resources Agency in Sacramento. For more information, go to http://sierranevadaconservancy.ca.gov.
