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Officially known as the Fredericksburg Watershed Property Manager, Lee Sillitoe is more of a river steward in his role. The retired Marine and University of Mary Washington graduate will be in a unique role as the river's overseer.

Fredericksburg's river steward starts work

BY EMILY BATTLE

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.

One of his first priorities will be to work with The Nature Conservancy on a monitoring plan for the river land, which covers more than 30 miles of upstream banks along the Rapidan and Rappahannock rivers.

John Tippett, executive director of Friends of the Rappahannock, said his group has been eager for the river steward position to be filled.

Tippett said priority No. 1 for Sillitoe should be getting out on the river, to provide "boots on the ground" to find and cite encroachments on the city's land.

"The people who are tearing up the river banks with ATVs are going to know somebody's watching now," he said.

Tippett said Sillitoe will also have to start networking with everybody connected to the river.

"That job is really going to depend a lot on his relationship-building," he said.

FOR is cooperating with the city to protect the river land.

They've offered to lend boats and guides to the effort. They're also considering setting up a kiosk at the Virginia Outdoors Center where boaters taking out after a river trip could fill out an incident report if they see any problems along the banks.

Tippett said this would give Sillitoe one more source of leads for keeping things like tree-cutting, ATV-riding and pollution at bay.

Emily Battle: 540/374-5413
Email: ebattle@freelancestar.com

WHAT IS IT? In April 2006, the City Council approved a conservation easement on more than 4,200 acres Fredericksburg owns along the Rappahannock and Rapidan rivers. It calls for no new development on the land, but allows for needed roads and utility lines to cross the river in the future, and provides for low-impact recreational access to the land, which covers more than 33 miles of the two rivers. WHO'S INVOLVED? Fredericksburg owns the land. The easement is held by The Nature Conservancy, the Virginia Outdoors Foundation and the Virginia Board of Game and Inland Fisheries. WHAT DOES A RIVER STEWARD DO? Police the river land for violators, network with regional agencies that affect the river, coordinate volunteers to help monitor the land and develop an overall plan for managing the land. WHO PAYS FOR THIS POSITION? The Nature Conservancy gave the city $1.6 million as compensation for the easement. That money is to be invested as an endowment to pay for river protection for years to come. However, the city is spending $119,000 of that to get the river steward position started. That includes Sillitoe's salary and benefits, as well as a vehicle, fuel and all the office setup he'll need. Spotsylvania County has agreed to chip in $18,500 toward the effort.

Read more stories about Fredericksburg
Date published: 8/22/2007

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