Saint Paul – Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Gordon Behm to the Board of Water and Soil Resources.

Behm, of Atwater, is a member of the Middle Fork Crow River Watershed District Board of Directors and the Kandiyohi Economic Development Commission Operations Board. He is a member of the newly formed Lake County Wind Energy, LLC. Behm recently retired from farming after 40 years in the industry and has experience in the energy production and banking business. He is appointed as a watershed district representative member to fulfill a four-year term that expires January 3, 2011 and replaces Ken Robinson on the board.

The Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) is the state’s administrative agency for 91 soil and water conservation districts, 43 watershed districts, 27 metropolitan watersheds, and 80 county water management organizations. The agency’s purpose, working through local government, is to protect and enhance the state’s irreplaceable soil and water resources by implementing the state’s soil and water conservation policy, comprehensive local water management, and the Wetland Conservation Act as it relates to the 41.7 million acres of private land in Minnesota. The board consists of 17 members, including 12 members appointed by the Governor.