Lynn Shutts Retires

Submitted by Pamela Yost

Lynn Shutts, Environmental and Biological Science Specialist in the West Virginia State Office, was honored on his last day of work on April 29.

Lynn began his career with the Soil Conservation Service 37+ years ago as a Soil Conservation Aide in Parkersburg. He also worked in Huntington, Hamlin and Moorefield Field Offices as a Soil Conservationist. In 1974, Lynn joined the Water Resources Staff as a biologist and has served that staff the remainder of his career.

Lynn has worked on every project that has come through planning since he joined the staff – Howard Creek, Lost River, Wheeling Creek, North & South Mill Creek, and many others. Lynn’s jobs through the years consisted of taking care of environmental permitting, NEPA compliance, mitigation plans, writing EIS’s and EA’s, answering congressional correspondence. Lynn was key to the success of North Fork Hughes River project. Through the long court battle and endless scrutiny of the National Rivers Coalition, Lynn kept on track and worked us through it. Lynn also was a lynchpin in the battle over Lost River Site 4.

Some of Lynn’s more unique tasks have been included production of a watershed video – requiring Lynn to sit captive in a production studio (actually it was a camping trailer with no windows and no bathroom) for long periods of time.He also had to do extensive zebra mussel research for the North Fork Hughes River Project at Alum Creek State Park in Ohio.

In true “planning” fashion, Lynn often has a moon pie tucked in his pocket for those meetings that run too long. We hope to see him back here as an Earth Team volunteer.

The gifts Lynn's received gifts conveyed his love of  fishing

< Back to News and Views