Former Orono Mayor Appointed to State's New Invasive Species Committee

A familiar Lake Minnetonka face has been selected to help Minnesota's Deprtment of Natural Resources (DNR) shape its battle plan against aquatic invasive species.

Gabriel Jabbour will join 14 other appointees from throughout Minnesota and sit on the DNR's new Aquatic Invasive Species Advisory Committee. Committee members come from a wide range of public, private, nonprofit and governmental back grounds, and the initial set of appointments will serve a three-year term.

Nominations for the new committee were solicited statewide by the DNR. Members of the committee will help build relationships with individuals, citizens, organizations and local units of government to help shape the state's long-term approach to dealing with aquatic invasive species.

Jabbour, who owns several Lake Minnetonka businesses including the Tonka Bay Marina, has been involved in the fight against invasive species and other threats to the state's aquatic environments since the early 1970s. He served as Mayor of Orono from 1997-2000 and has been honored by the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District with a lifetime achievement award for his efforts at improving and protecting Lake Minnetonka.

Jabbour still lives in Orono and remains active in a variety of community organizations.

"It is only with the participation and knowledge of citizens like yourself that the department can continue to address the challenges surrounding invasive species," DNR Commissioner Tom Ladwehr wrote in his appointment letter.
The new committee will gather for the first time in St. Cloud next month and will meet between six and eight times each year.

The full list of committee members is as follows:

• John Barten
• Gary Botzek
• Jerry Byron
• Pat Conzemius
• Rachael Crabb
• Jeff Forester
• Jay Green
• Kenneth Grob
• Tera Guetter
• Barb Halbakken Fischburg
• Gabriel Jabbour
• Michelle Marko
• Robert Olsen
• Greg Oswald
• Joe Vene