Environment DEC
From the August 2003 issue
Commissioner Crotty Named "Conservationist of the Year"
DEC Commissioner Erin Crotty recently accepted the Adirondack Council's "Conservationist of the Year" Award.
Commissioner Crotty is the first woman to win the award, which has been presented annually by the Adirondack Council's Board of Directors since 1984. Crotty received a specially commissioned, hand-carved loon to commemorate the milestone.
"We are extremely pleased to present our highest honor to Erin Crotty," said Adirondack Council Executive Director Brian Houseal. "Her work as Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation has served the Adirondack Park well, adding land to key Wilderness Areas, creating new campgrounds, improving old campgrounds, fighting acid rain and climate change, taming out-of-control jet skis, all-terrain vehicles and snowmobiles, and taking a reasonable approach to the control of exotic species."
Commissioner Crotty's Accomplishments
Crotty was confirmed as Commissioner of DEC in March 2001. Her state service prior to becoming Commissioner included two years as DEC's Deputy Commissioner for Water Quality and Environmental Remediation, where she was responsible for overseeing the state's programs to clean up contaminated properties, implementation of the $1.75 billion Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act and all activities impacting New York's water quality. As Deputy Commissioner, Crotty is credited with crafting the legislation proposed by Governor Pataki to reform and refinance the State Superfund program.
Crotty also served as Governor Pataki's director of Special Environmental Projects, where she was involved in the negotiation and development of the historic New York City Watershed Agreement and implementation of the 1996 Clean Water/Clean Air Bond Act. Before joining the Pataki administration, Crotty held the position of policy analyst for the New York State Senate Commission on Toxic Substances and Hazardous Wastes.
The Adirondack Council
Founded in 1975, the Adirondack Council is a privately funded not-for-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the natural character and ecological integrity of the Adirondack Park.
