At its March 17 meeting, the San Juan Water Conservancy District voted to recommend the reappointment of board members Charles Riehm and Robert Hagberg, and to recommend the appointment of new board member John Kappelman.
SJWCD board members are appointed by Sixth Judicial District Chief Judge Jeffrey Wilson.
In his letter requesting appointment to the board, Kappelman explains that he grew up on a family farm in Idaho that depended on water delivered from reservoirs for irrigation.
He states that he received a B.S. in geology and geophysics from Yale University in 1979 and for several years after graduation worked as a consulting hydrologist and as a paralegal litigating water issues.
He notes that he considered pursuing a law degree focusing on water law, but decided to pursue his interest in human evolution.
He explains that he studied for and received an M.A. in anthropology and a Ph.D. in anthropology and earth and planetary sciences from Harvard University.
Following some time spent teaching at the University of Nevada-Reno and a Fulbright Fellowship in Pakistan, Kappelman states that he took a position as a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, where he held joint positions in the departments of anthropology and earth and planetary sciences for 35 years.
He states that he retired in 2023 and moved to Pagosa Springs that year, although he has been a part-time resident of the area since 2003.
During this career, he explains that he conducted research in a wide variety of locations, including Pakistan, Egypt, Kenya and Tanzania.
He notes that he worked cooperatively with a wide range of people over his career, including other faculty and researchers, and government officials in countries where he conducted research.
“I consider myself experienced at working with others and have learned the importance of listening as the group works towards consensus and achieving its goals,” his letter states.
He adds that he is applying to serve on the SJWCD board since it would give him an opportunity to apply his knowledge of water resources, science and quantitative skills and “give something back to this new community I now call home.”
>