By admin A former staff member at the S.C. Coastal Conservation League has been picked to run the organization, an influential group that for years was considered a model on how an environmental association should be operated.
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Megan Desrosiers is leaving her position at One Hundred Miles, a Georgia coastal protection group, to direct operations at the Conservation League in Charleston beginning Jan. 1. Desrosiers was a founding member of One Hundred Miles in 2013.
In a news release, Desrosiers said she’s “thrilled’’ to be returning to the league. She worked for 10 years at the Coastal Conservation League under founder Dana Beach, with her duties including fighting to protect Johns Island from development, raising awareness about climate change and energy issues, and preservation of the historic Ashley River corridor near Charleston.
Desrosiers, 50, is a Pennsylvania native who moved south to work at a farm protection organization before moving to the league for 10 years under Beach.
She said the South Carolina coast faces multiple environmental challenges that need to be addressed, including the population growth and sprawl, the arrival of data centers and the impacts of climate change, including sea level rise and flooding.
“The problems are unprecedented, and our response will match the challenges,” Desrosiers said in Tuesday’s news release.
Scott Coleman, who chairs the board of One Hundred Miles, said his organization is losing a gifted employee who could bridge gaps between different interests trying to protect the coast.
“She built a rapport with a lot of different folks,’’ he said. “She wasn’t just sort of a dog barking in the corner. She was pragmatic. But she also wasn’t so pragmatic that she set aside her environmental values.”
Desrosiers’ return to the Conservation League follows issues with staff turnover that emerged after Beach retired in 2017. The league has had two directors since Beach, a widely respected environmentalist who insiders say left big shoes to fill.
While the league continued to speak out on environmental matters, the aggressive, bare-knuckled approach it was known for appeared to diminish after Beach’s departure. Beach was sometimes criticized for filing lawsuits to protect the environment, but supporters say that was necessary.
The last director, Faith Rivers James, left in February after key staffers quit the organization, some complaining about the direction of the organization. Many of those who left had years of experience on conservation issues.
James, whose hires included well-regarded former S.C. Natural Resources director Robert Boyles, defended her work.
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Desrosiers, in an interview with The State, said she learned a lot from Beach’s management style, both in dealing with staff and in relations with the community.
“He had a big vision but also looked at every single name that came into the organization,’’ Desrosiers said. “He could inspire somebody to do something really difficult, such as go and talk to an elected official, or make another person feel special for writing a 10 dollar (donation) check.
“I think a good leader is someone who works with the people on their team to make sure that everyone understands what the vision or the goal is and then helps people on the team become leaders rather than followers,’’ she said. “That’s what I hope to do with the staff at the Coastal Conservation League.’’
At One Hundred Miles, Desrosiers helped establish an endowment like the one Beach established at the Conservation League to help fund the organization.
The Conservation League was historically on sound financial footing because of the endowment Beach established. Years after the league’s founding, it had $9 million in assets, about $6 million of which was its endowment that provided a stable source of income. The league also was the first in South Carolina to have a large, full-time staff. The Conservation League model is credited with helping other environmental groups, like Upstate Forever, get started in South Carolina.
Today, the league has more than 30 staff positions focused on various environmental issues the group deals with. The league has offices in Charleston, Columbia, Beaufort County and Georgetown County.
“It’s hard to imagine a more opportune time to have Megan return to the Conservation League and South Carolina,’’ Beach said in the news release. “Our rivers and rural communities are threatened by growth pressures that are chipping away at some of our most iconic natural areas. Megan’s experience makes her uniquely suited to face these challenges.’’
Desrosiers and Coleman, the board chairman for One Hundred Miles, said they hope the two organizations can collaborate on regional environmental issues.
“We are talking about the same salt marshes and the same environmental features’’ in the two states, he said. “There are a lot of opportunities.’’
Until Desrosiers becomes full-time director in January, she will consult with the league. The league will, for the next five months, be overseen by former U.S. Environmental Protection Agency staffer Lori Cary-Kothera, who has been serving as interim director.
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Desrosiers has three sons, the youngest of whom is a senior in high school.