Interim Head of County’s Nature Reserve to Step Aside

The interim executive director of the massive Nature Reserve of Orange County will step aside by the end of June as the group’s board prepares to assemble its own staff.

The interim director, Tim Neely, will instead represent the county on the reserve’s board of directors. The nonprofit board oversees a reserve that, when complete, will encompass 37,000 acres of open land, including some of the region’s pristine wilderness.

The reserve was created in 1996 in a landmark pact between developers and regulatory agencies. Developers donated land or money and in exchange were freed from strict U.S. Endangered Species Act guidelines on nonreserve land.

Since the reserve began, Neely has overseen its operations while working as a county zoning administrator. Now the county is winding down its involvement in managing the reserve. The board is seeking a permanent executive director to be hired by June 30.

The Board of Supervisors approved Neely’s board appointment Tuesday and agreed to extend staff support and other services to the nature reserve until a new director is selected. Neely could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Some critics have faulted Neely, saying that the Planning Department in which he works is pro-development. Dan Silver of the Endangered Habitats League, an environmental group, on Wednesday praised Neely’s experience but added that in his new role, “Mr. Neely’s biggest challenge will be to keep in mind the interests of the Orange County public rather than simply the interests of the development community.”