Peter Annin, a key member of the IJNR staff and the architect of our highly successful program in the Great Lakes region, has accepted a full-time position at the University of Notre Dame. In his new job, he will serve as managing director of Notre Dame’s Environmental Change Initiative—a new, multidisciplinary research program that will examine interrelated problems of invasive species, climate change, land use and water resources.
For 11 years, IJNR has been the fortunate beneficiary of Peter’s distinguished service as associate director of our organization. He became an IJNR Fellow in July 1998 while employed as a roving correspondent for Newsweek, and he joined our staff in January 2000. During his tenure at IJNR, Peter wrote The Great Lakes Water Wars (Island Press, 2006) an award-winning book now in its seventh printing.
Through diverse experiences of camping, hiking, boating, swimming, loon-banding, wolf-howling, moose-watching, underground-mine exploring and many other meaningful activities, Peter introduced hundreds of reporters and editors to the mysteries and complexities of the natural world. Over the years, he shaped and led dozens of IJNR learning expeditions all across North America. As the founder and developer of the Great Waters Institutes (now beginning its tenth consecutive year), he also has been an inspiring teacher and mentor for countless IJNR Fellows, consistently contributing to the betterment of journalism.
Peter’s departure introduces fresh challenges and opportunities for IJNR. For the near term, we won’t be hiring a "replacement" or successor. Instead, we will distribute Peter’s responsibilities among other members of the current staff and will recruit a few IJNR Fellows to assist with specific projects, such as scouting and planning for some of the expeditions that IJNR will conduct in 2011.
The entire IJNR family will miss Peter deeply. All of us wish him great success in his new assignment.
Paul Rogers, IJNR Board Chairman
Frank Edward Allen, IJNR President and Executive Director