Doyle Appoints Natural Resources Board Member

Aug 29, 03:00 PM

Current Headlines: By DON BEHM

Gov. Jim Doyle on Tuesday appointed Preston Cole, superintendent of Milwaukee's environmental services, to a six-year term on the state Natural Resources Board.

If the appointment is confirmed by the state Senate, Cole will be the first African-American to serve on the seven-member board in its 40-year history.

Cole, 46, worked as a forester with the Missouri Department of Conservation before beginning work in 1991 with Milwaukee's forestry department. As environmental services superintendent, Cole supervises a city division with 600 employees responsible for trash collection, snow plowing, recycling and forestry.

He also serves as a member of the commission overseeing the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District.

"As someone who has dedicated his career to protecting our forests and waterways, I know Preston will serve the state well on the DNR board," Doyle said in a statement.

The Natural Resources Board sets policy on conservation, outdoor recreation and environmental programs administered by the state Department of Natural Resources.

Among the issues that Cole intends to monitor and comment on as a board member are the control of exotic species invading waterways and forests, the use of Great Lakes water resources and recycling, he said.

Cole acknowledged that he does not fit the traditional mold of a board appointee in that he is not an avid hunter or angler with long- time memberships in outdoor organizations. He occasionally has hunted turkey and upland game birds.

Cole will replace board veteran Howard Poulson, a Palmyra farmer and former president of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau. Poulson's term expired May 1, and he could continue serving on the board until Cole's appointment is confirmed.

Copyright 2007, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved. (Note: This notice does not apply to those news items already copyrighted and received through wire services or other media.)

(c) 2007 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.