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Executive Director Bill Douglass to Retire From UDC on Jan. 1 st
NARROWSBURG – William E. Douglass announced at the Dec. 1st
monthly meeting of the Upper Delaware Council, Inc. (UDC) that he will retire as executive director effective Jan. 1, 2012.
Douglass began his employment as executive director of the non-profit organization on March 13, 1989. “It has been an honor to work with such a dedicated group of board members now and throughout the last 22 years, all with the purpose of protecting our area’s most important national treasure, the Delaware River,” Douglass said.
The UDC was established in 1988 to oversee implementation of the River Management Plan for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, a 1978 Congressionally-designated unit of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System in which more than 85 percent of the property remains privately owned.
Its voting members are 13 local municipalities (eight New York State towns and five Pennsylvania townships) and the two states that border along the
Upper Delaware River. The Delaware River Basin Commission is a non-voting member. The UDC operates under a Cooperative Agreement partnership with the National Park Service to carry out the goals and objectives of the 1986 River Management Plan and its Land & Water Use Guidelines.
A native of Vestal, NY, Douglass obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in
Geology from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1971.
Prior to joining the UDC, he worked for an engineering firm and as a professional land surveyor before his 11-year tenure as the Director of Planning for Wayne County, PA.
Douglass has been active in many professional and community organizations over the years, including the Upper Delaware River Roundtable, the Upper Delaware River Corridor Local Waterfront Revitalization Program Committee, Wayne County Community Foundation, Wayne Memorial Hospital Board of Directors, Oregon Township Planning Board, the Northeast Pennsylvania Rural Transportation Planning Organization, and as a volunteer sports coach.
Bill and his wife, Mary Ellen, reside in Oregon Township outside of Honesdale, PA. They are the parents of three children, Ian, 27; Molly, 24; and Zane, 20. For more information on the Council and its activities, please call (845) 252-3022 or visit www.upperdelawarecouncil.org.
