Salton Sea Authority

Press Release

May 6, 2000

Clark Consulting Inc., a team of five public affairs experts, has joined the Salton Sea restoration effort and has been tasked with developing and implementing a public relations plan in support of the Salton Sea Authority.

The team is headed by Jo S. Clark, of Boulder, Colo. She has over 20 years experience in managing various forms of stakeholder involvement, including policy dialogues, facilitated meetings, negotiations, focus groups, interviews, site reviews, and other forms of communication.

She spent 16 years as Program Manager for Land and Water Resources for the Western Governors Association.

Other team members include:

Bill Gay, owner of Reliance Communications, a public relations agency in El Centro, Ca. Gay has more than 25 years of diversified experience in media management and public relations in private, public and nonprofit sectors. He has held top management positions in the editorial and administrative departments of the Imperial Valley Press and as a Naval Reserve Public Affairs Officer, worked in key public relations staff positions for the U.S. Navy on the West Coast and in the Far East.

Paul M. Cunningham, with more than 25 years of public policy experience throughout the West, most recently was Manager of External Affairs for the Imperial Irrigation District (IID). Previously, Cunningham was Executive Director of the Western Governor’s Association, where he led a western water policy initiative as well as numerous other projects raging from education to international trade to rural development. From 1974 to 1984, Mr. Cunningham held a variety of policy and management positions with the state of Idaho, including special assistant to the governor of Idaho.

Jack Wyatt, a principal with Strategic Communications, a counseling firm specializing in communication, leadership, policy strategy and training in Riverside County. Wyatt has held diverse management, policy and strategic planning positions for Southern California Edison. He also helped spearhead a regional leadership effort that formed a region-wide business and economic development partnership. In 1998, while serving as the Board Chairman, this partnership added $130 million to regional economic growth.

Margaret Silva-Chairez, an award-winning graphic artist with over 25 years experience in graphics, cartooning and illustration. As graphics editor for the Imperial Valley Press, she won 9 awards in editorial cartooning from the California Newspaper Publishers Association. She is a principal in an independent family-owned graphic design company ¡Albricias! Silva-Chairez and her daughter Anna Elizabeth Chairez have worked on promotional material for public and private agencies in the region.

Since being retained by the authority March 1, the Clark team has been implementing a public involvement plan, targeted to the various audiences with interests in the Salton Sea's Restoration.

During the first 60 days of its contract, Clark Consulting has

Developed a strategic framework for working with priority audiences of the state, environmentalists, seaside residents, and business;

Met with representatives of Salton Sea residents, environmental leaders, state legislators and agency officials in Sacramento;

Commenced work on both a web site and design of an annual report.

Generated media coverage of pilot tests of an Enhanced Evaporation System and the high quality of the Salton Sea's fishery.

The team actually began its work with the Salton Sea Authority in December 1999 when it was retained to help with January's Salton Sea Symposium in Desert Hot Springs.

The Clark team developed all of the printed material for the symposium, assisted with the poster session, handled media relations and arranged sponsorships.

In February, members of the team also helped coordinate a smaller New River/Salton Sea Symposium in El Centro with the theme "Debunking the Myths." It also has represented the Authority with displays at the Salton Sea Bird Festival and Earth Day activities in the Imperial Valley and worked with Tetra-Tech on a display at Riverside's Cooper Ornithological Society's 2000 Conference in April.

Initial contacts have also been made with representatives of the University of California-Riverside to convene a meeting with other institutions of higher education in the area to determine how they might help support the restoration. A university consortium has been proposed that would consist of the University of Redlands, San Diego State, and the University of California, Riverside, assisted by the College of the Desert and Imperial Valley College.

Salton Sea Authority's Web Site should be operational in mid June. Members of the Clark consulting team interviewed several potential firms to develop a web site for the Salton Sea Authority in March and April and selected KGWebWorks, based in El Centro.

The site will be a customized and designed from the beginning to accommodate foreseeable expansion. KGWebWorks is presently working with the Clark consulting team to gather information for the site that will provide a wide range of information dealing with recreational opportunities at the sea as well as restoration issues and frequently asked questions.

The site also will have an interactive area designed to develop demographic information from Web Site visitors.

In the coming months, the team also will be conducting a media tour of the Salton Sea and establishing a speakers program in the region.

"This restoration effort is an exciting project and we are proud to be part of this extensive effort," Clark said.
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