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Fredericksburg's river steward starts work Date published: 8/22/2007
BY EMILY BATTLE
A year and a half ago, "river steward" was just a term you heard tossed around as Fredericksburg's City Council fought over a conservation easement to protect the Rappahannock River. Today in Fredericksburg, river steward means "Lee Sillitoe." Sillitoe is in his second week on the job that is officially being called "watershed property manager." Don't let that jargon-filled title fool you. This is not another government desk job. Sillitoe is taking on a diverse set of duties. After he completes a 17-week law enforcement academy course this winter, he'll be a sworn officer in the city's police force. He'll wear a uniform, but his will be khaki, not blue, to designate his unique role as part law-enforcer, part administrator. "I'm a hybrid," he said. Although his office will be in the new police headquarters on Cowan Boulevard, his supervisor is assistant public works director David King. His duties include actively policing the Fredericksburg-owned river lands, writing a management plan to protect them and networking with everyone in a five-county region who has ties to the river. Sillitoe, 44, worked as a commercial shellfisherman before starting a 20-year career with the United States Marine Corps. In the Corps, he worked as a helicopter crew chief and rescue swimmer. After he retired, he went to the University of Mary Washington to get a degree in geology. Sillitoe has lived in Fredericksburg for the past 10 years, and while the long debate over the river easement was going on, he was watching closely, wondering if he might be a good fit for the river steward job. Public Works Director Doug Fawcett said the city received 15 to 20 applications for the job. King told City Council members at a recent meeting that Sillitoe seemed to have the perfect mix of experience for the post. While in school, Sillitoe taught fly-fishing on the Rappahannock, and completed an independent study centered on the river. He has seen the damage done by ATV riders and neighboring landowners who cut trees on the city's land to clear their river view, and he thinks educating these people about what the city is trying to protect will be a key part of his job.
Read more stories about Fredericksburg Date published: 8/22/2007
Lee Sillitoe is the right man for this job! Git R Dun Lee!
ooo-rah.
This is a great opportunity to educate those who have abused the river because many of them are not aware of the damage they may be doing. The river will also be safer and all who depend on it (critter and human alike) will have an ambassador.
Of cousre, for those who are immune to teaching, there's always... the Virginia Uniform Summons book.
Welcome aboard!
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