Mrs. Phyllis Johnson, of Hazlehurst, has been nominated and elected as the 2008 Chairman of the Board of Natural Resources. Johnson will succeed Mr. Jim Walters, of Gainesville, who served as the 2007 Chairman of the Board.

Other officers named by the Board of Natural Resources include Vice-Chairman Mr. Bill Carruth, of Hiram, and Secretary Mrs. Jenny Lynn Bradley, of Savannah. In addition, the Board of Natural Resources recognized its newest member, Philip Watt, of Thomasville, who was recently selected to serve by Governor Sonny Perdue.

"We are looking forward to working with Phyllis Johnson as our new Board chairman," said Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Commissioner Noel Holcomb. "She is extremely conscious of ensuring that DNR stakeholders have an opportunity to be heard and is committed to the public involvement process. This will suit the Board well in the coming year as they help to move some of the rulemaking forward for the Statewide Water Management Plan."

Johnson has served on the Board of Natural Resources since July 3, 2003. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia and co-owner of Thompson Hardwoods in Hazlehurst. Johnson and her husband, Steve, have two daughters, Maury and Anna.

The Board of Natural Resources also named the Chairman of the standing committees as follows:

Coastal Committee, Jenny Lynn Bradley; Environmental Protection Committee, Walter Hudson; Historic Preservation Committee, Jim Tysinger; Parks, Recreation & Historic Sites Committee, Mabel Jenkins; Pollution Prevention Assistance Committee, Jim Walters; Wildlife Resources Committee, Warren Budd; Land Acquisition Committee, Earl Barrs; and Legislative Committee, Tom Wheeler.

DNR and the Board of Natural Resources marked many accomplishments under Mr. Walter’s term as Chairman, including adopting new air quality rules for mercury emissions that are among the most stringent in the country through the Clean Air Mercury Rule and the Clean Air Interstate Rule. The Board also approved new rules for coastal marshland protection and approved the spending plan from the Solid Waste Trust Fund for cleanup of the Scales Road Landfill.

Additionally, the Board approved the Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan developed under the guidance of the Parks, Recreation and Historic Sites Division and supported the agency’s development plans for Governor Perdue’s Go Fish Georgia Initiative. Significant land conservation accomplishments that occurred during the 2007 Board term included acquisitions at Panola Mountain State Park, Paulding Forest Wildlife Management Area, Townsend Wildlife Management Area and Seminole Wildlife Management Area.