February 2002 Issues Online June 2007 April 2007 February 2007 December 2006 October 2006 August 2006 June 2006 April 2006 February 2006 December 2005 October 2005 August 2005 June 2005 April 2005 February 2005 December 2004 October 2004 August 2004 June 2004 April 2004 February 2004 December 2003 October 2003 August 2003 June 2003 April 2003 February 2003 December 2002 October 2002 August 2002 June 2002 April 2002 February 2002 December 2001 October 2001 August 2001 June 2001 April 2001 February 2001 December 2000 October 2000 August 2000 June 2000 April 2000 February 2000 December 1999 October 1999 August 1999 June 1999 April 1999 February 1999 December 1998 October 1998 August 1998 June 1998 April 1998 February 1998 December 1997 October 1997 August 1997 June 1997 April 1997 February 1997 December 1996 October 1996 August 1996 June 1996 April 1996 February 1996 December 1995 October 1995 August 1995 June 1995 April 1995 February 1995 December 1994 October 1994 August 1994 June 1994 April 1994 February 1994 December 1993 October 1993 August 1993 Select any issue from the menu in this bar.

USGS Appoints Water Czar

"He's definitely a westerner, with western attitudes about land use," is one insight offered about Bill Sexton, an Idaho native who was recently appointed head hydrologist for the U.S. Geological Survey's western region.

This assessment, by Colorado journalist and former Sierra Club activist Lewis McCool may seem surprising if one looks at Sexton's résumé. Sexton has spent most of the last decade in Washington, D.C., most recently as Deputy Director for Ecosystem Management for the U.S. Forest Service.

Sexton says he jumped at the chance to leave Washington for his new post at the U.S. Geological Survey. "For me, the West is home," says Sexton. "I'm very much looking forward to getting back."

Sexton faces a number of challenges in his new job. His predecessor, John Conomos, is a first-rate hydrologist with a strong research and publication record. Conomos shepherded the USGS into the contemporary era by helping to institute the agency's ecosystem-oriented Place-Based Studies Program. Conomos spent a great deal of time on the water, and, in particular, on San Francisco Bay.

Sexton, on the other hand, has been at the cutting edge of changes in the U.S. Forest Service, but he is a soil scientist and manager rather than a hydrologist. After studying soil science at the bachelor's and master's degree level, Sexton received a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University. He earned a doctoral degree in soil science from the University of Idaho in 1986.

Sexton, by most accounts, is neither a firebrand nor a hardcore scientist, but a savvy bureaucrat. In a recent interview, Sexton was extremely cautious in his answers. According to Bob Hirsch, Associate Director of Hydrology for the USGS, Sexton's appointment shows an increased emphasis on interagency cooperation. Driven by tight budgets, as well as the exigencies of science and politics, federal agencies are finding it necessary to work together more closely these days.

"People can anticipate that I'll be interested in a lot of collaboration and partnership building, working with a wide variety of organizations and interest groups," says Sexton, agreeing with Hirsch's assessment. When asked if he considers himself primarily a scientist or a manager, Sexton unhesitatingly chose the latter. But he says that he regards his primary role as "taking the background I already have and helping support the mission of the USGS, which is very much in line with high-quality data and the best available science." Sexton says he believes that solid, objective science - the kind that the USGS is known for - is the key to resolving often-polarized western environmental issues.

Once Sexton settles into the regional hydrologist's office in Sacramento, he'll have his hands full with the perennially difficult problem of Western water. People used to shoot each over water in the Old West, and things haven't gotten a lot more peaceful. But as a veteran of the embattled U.S. Forest Service, Sexton is no stranger to controversy. As supervisor at the San Juan National Forest from 1988 until 1993, Sexton had his share of critics.

Mark Pearson of the Friends of San Juan Forest characterized Sexton as pro-development at the expense of the environment, citing his approval of a natural gas pipeline through scenic Delores Canyon, a large ski resort, and more than 30 coalbed methane wells. "I think he's responsible for the worst decisions ever made in the San Juan National Forest and some of the worst ever made in Colorado," says Pearson.

Lewis McCool, who dealt with Sexton as a Sierra Club activist on timber issues, was more moderate in his assessment. He says Sexton was a leader in the U.S. Forest Service's shift from resource extraction to recreation, an historic but often fractious transition.

"Back in the mid 70s and 60s, there had been huge timber sales in the San Juan forest," McCool remembers. "The scars still haven't healed. Sexton pretty much eliminated clear cuts in the forest. He foresaw the pressure from more intense recreational use and started the process of upgrading the campgrounds in the forest. They had been fairly primitive campgrounds for tenters and backpackers so that was controversial, too."

McCool says Sexton's open management style was an improvement over that of his predecessors, an attribute that may stand him in good stead at the USGS, where he will have to deal with nine district offices in nine Western states, more than $96 million in water programs and a huge array of state, local and federal agencies. "I would say he was receptive, willing to listen to me," says McCool. "I felt like we had a pretty good working relationship. I don't know in the end if that changed any decisions, but it was a cordial open-door kind of arrangement." SZ

«To @@(newsletter_title)@@ Index

[ ABAG HOME | SFEP HOME ]

Copyright © 2002, San Francisco Estuary Project