He has been involved in Conservation since 1981 and Jim Manicom has decided now is the time to move on to other things.
Manicom retires as Chief Administrative Officer today after guiding the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority through amalgamation in 1984 and numerous funding challenges at both the Municipal and Provincial levels ever since.
He says over the years he has seen the mandate of the Authority change from just providing recreation services to becoming involved in planning decisions to managing the authorities 11 thousand hectares of watershed and forest.
Manicom says one of the problems the authority has to overcome its lack of public image.
He says Conservation Authorities are relatively invisible to the general public and they really don’t understand what they are about and what they do.
Manicom says its not just the public who are not aware of the unique role Conservation Authorities play in protecting our environment, but so too are many Municipal politicians.
He says every years its a battle to try and obtain proper funding from member municipalities to ensure that Authorities programs can continue to operate.
Manicom says he would like to see the Municipalities loosen their purse strings and provide more funding for the authorities.