Kern River Valley Revitalization (KRVR) held its monthly Community Meeting last Wednesday, Feb. 1, covering a wide variety of local topics of interest.
New Forest Supervisor
 Kevin Elliott |
Prior to his Forest Service career, Elliott graduated from the University of Montana’s School of Forestry and College of Arts and Sciences with degrees in Recreation Resource Management, Zoology, and Botany. He also is a Senior Executive Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, which he described as “Charm school for Senior Executives.”
Elliott’s stint on Sequoia National Forest began in September. His goals include getting a new Management Plan completed for the Giant Sequoia National Monument by the summer season, reintroducing fire back into the ecosystem, and getting his employees outside to reconnect with the land.
“I have written into my employee directive that they must spend 25 percent of their time in the field, and not just driving to other field offices,” Elliott said. “I told them that ‘in the field’ is defined as when they go home at the end of the day, they need to have either mud, snow, or stirrup leather on their boots.”
A self-proclaimed proponent of collaboration, Elliott said he believes that the best way to manage the forest is to have all stakeholders at the table to ensure that plans include views from all sides. He cites ecological restoration and concern for jobs to be the driving forces behind all projects that will be approved in Sequoia National Forest under his leadership. “Natural resource management is not without conflict and controversy, and I welcome folks to challenge our plans; it’s an integral part of our democracy,” said Elliot. “In the end, we might make decisions that not everyone is going to love and agree with, but everyone will have a seat at the table.”
Following the KRVR meeting, a luncheon was held to welcome Elliott and ask him questions about his vision for Sequoia National Forest. The room was filled with interested community members, and every District 1 Supervisorial candidate, with a wide variety of interests in the forest. “My wife and I have already fallen in love with the Sequoia and all its communities have to offer. Everyone has been open, welcoming, and friendly, and it already feels like home.”
KRVR Year in Review
KRVR President Joe Ciriello gave an update on KRVR’s accomplishments 2011, the biggest being gaining IRS 501(c)(3) nonprofit status which makes all donations to KRVR tax deductible. Another feather in KRVR’s cap was its third annual Living Green festival, headed by Vice President Richard Rowe, which has grown in breadth and scope since he initiated it in 2008. KRVR members also helped to establish a Kern River Valley Community Foundation, in which donors can fund local nonprofits, and facilitated local input in the Kern River Valley Specific Plan, which was adopted last year.
Heart Walk Coming Feb. 25
Kern Valley Hospital Foundation will be holding the 14th annual Jeanette Rogers-Erickson Heart Walk on Saturday, Feb. 25, with an expected crowd of 400-500 people. Registration runs from 7:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., with walking from 9-10:30 a.m. There is a $50 entry for Teams consisting of four walkers and one manager, or $10.00 per person for individual walkers. The Foundation asks that all entry forms and fees be turned in Feb. 22. Walkers are asked to leave their pets at home. A free lunch is available to all walkers and managers, with additional meals available for $5 each. Sponsorship packages are available for businesses that cannot put a team together.
For more information contact Anna Leon, Community Outreach Coordinator at 760-379-5257 x24.
KRVR meets the first Wednesday of every month, and the public is welcome and encouraged to attend. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 7, at 9 a.m. at the Kernville Chamber Building. For more information, visit www.krvr.org.
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