Lake Cachuma
employees honored for Quagga mussel program
development
Mitchell
Medeiros and Elizabeth Mason of the Parks Department were recognized as the
Santa Barbara County Employees of the Month for their work at Lake Cachuma developing and implementing the Quagga
mussel prevention program.
Medeiros
began as a maintenance worker at the lake in 1979 and worked his way up the
ladder. As team project leader in charge of operations, he is dedicated to
providing recreation services to thousands of annual visitors.
“Mitch
has shown both innovation and creativity in accomplishing short and long term
goals, even though challenged with diminishing resources and increased service
demands,” states the board in its resolution recognizing Medeiros and
Mason.
Liz
Mason began with the Santa Barbara County Parks Department in 1995 as assistant
naturalist at Lake Cachuma and was promoted to
Naturalist in 2003.
“Liz
exhibits a true love of her job, the lake, and its natural surroundings, and
instills in others the importance of appreciating and protecting the natural
environment,” further complimented the board in their resolution.
The
work of these two employees “was instrumental in assuring that the recreating
boating public would have continued access to one of the premier recreation
lakes in California.”
To avoid closure of other California lakes, agencies in
other counties have begun seeking guidance from Santa Barbara County for
protocols dealing with Quagga issues that Madeiros and Mason developed, the board said.