News Release Archive

Reclamation Announces the Selection of Jeff Laird as Park Manager for Lake Berryessa

Media Contact: Pete Lucero, MP Region Public Affairs Officer, 916-978-5100, 07/12/2012 15:26

For Release: July 12, 2012

NAPA, Calif. – The Bureau of Reclamation announces the selection of Jeff Laird as Park Manager for Lake Berryessa in Napa County, Calif. In his new position, Laird will assist Mike Finnegan, Area Manager of the Mid-Pacific Region’s Central California Area Office, in the management of recreation, natural/cultural resources, visitor services and concession management at Lake Berryessa.

Lake Berryessa is part of Reclamation’s Solano Project. Built during the 1950s and early 1960s, the Solano Project distributes agricultural water to farmland in Solano County and municipal and industrial water to the county’s principle cities, including Vacaville, Vallejo and Fairfield. The Solano Project’s primary features include Monticello Dam and Lake Berryessa, Putah Diversion Dam and Lake Solano and the Putah South Canal.

“Jeff has many years of experience in recreation and resource management. He comes to Lake Berryessa after 2 years as the Resource Manager at Reclamation’s New Melones Lake where he worked to provide high-quality visitor services.” said Mr. Finnegan. “I am confident that Jeff’s ability to work effectively with both the local community and the visiting public will be invaluable in his new position.”

Laird served as the Resource Manager for New Melones Lake from March 2010 to May 2012. He began working at New Melones in September 2002 as the lake’s Natural Resource Specialist. In January 2004, Laird was selected as the lake’s Supervisory Park Ranger and Concessions Specialist, directing the recreation management program and administering the marina concession contract. 

A Federal employee for 24 years, Laird previously worked as a park ranger for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Northern California and Alabama. A U.S. Army veteran, Laird earned a Bachelor of Science in Park Resource Management from Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, in 1991.

# # #

The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.