NEWS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For information, contact Julie Westerlund, Minnehaha Creek Watershed District
at 952-471-0590 or jwesterlund@minnehahacreek.org

CASALE, REAL ESTATE BROKER, APPOINTED TO WATERSHED BOARD

DEEPHAVEN, MN – March 13, 2006 – The Hennepin County Board of Supervisors has appointed Jeff Casale, a Shorewood resident and local real estate broker with RE/MAX Results, to a three-year term on the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District Board of Managers. Casale, who lives within walking distance of St. Alban’s Bay, said he sought the position because both he and his clients benefit from a well-managed Minnehaha Creek watershed. “I have lived outside of Minnesota,” said Casale, “and bring an outsider’s appreciation and vision for Minnesota’s parkland. I am excited to help the district in its mission to protect, improve and manage its many and varied water resources.”

A 1976 graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Casale earned an MBA from St. Mary’s College, California, in 1992. He moved to Minnesota in 1992. Casale replaces Scott Thomas, who served the Board of Managers from 1999 – 2006.

In a related action, the County Board reappointed Lee Keeley to a second three-year term on the watershed Board. Keeley is a Plymouth resident and President of the Gleason Lake Improvement Association.

Since its formation in 1967, the MCWD, formed by the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, has led the region in cutting edge research and technical expertise in the areas of water quality monitoring and management. The district protects, improves and manages water resources, runoff and related natural resources for 129 lakes, 8 major creeks and thousands of wetlands located within the 181 square mile watershed of Minnehaha Creek and Lake Minnetonka, in partnership with 30 communities, other agencies and concerned citizens.

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