Saint Paul – Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Paul Brutlag and Louise Smallidge to the Board of Water and Soil Resources. 

Paul Brutlag, of Wendell, is an attorney at the Fluegel, Helseth, McLaughlin, Anderson & Brutlag law firm in Elbow Lake .  He also raises sugar beets, corn, soybeans, and wheat on a farm in Grant and Otter Tail Counties.  Brutlag is appointed to a Board position for a public member and will serve a four-year term which ends January 7, 2008.  He replaces Char Kahler on the Board. 

Louise Smallidge, of Hastings, raises corn, soybeans, alfalfa hay, and cattle on a farm in southern Washington County.  She is an elected member and chair of the Board of Supervisors of the Washington Conservation District.  Smallidge is appointed to a Board position for a Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor and will serve a four-year term ending January 7, 2008.  She replaces Dwaine Otte on the Board. 

The Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) is the state’s administrative agency for 91 soil and water conservation districts, 43 watershed districts, 27 metropolitan watersheds, and 80 county water management organizations. The agency’s purpose, working through local government, is to protect and enhance the state’s irreplaceable soil and water resources by implementing the state’s soil and water conservation policy, comprehensive local water management, and the Wetland Conservation Act as it relates to the 41.7 million acres of private land in Minnesota.  The board consists of 17 members, including 12 members appointed by the Governor.