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SACRAMENTO – Jim
Davis, who helped improve California’s
earthquake preparedness by introducing
innovative programs, today retired as
State Geologist and head of the
Department of Conservation’s California
Geological Survey after 25 ½ years.
Davis also served as
State Geologist of New York from
1968-78.
Davis leaves behind
an impressive legacy of contributions to
the field of geology.
As chair of the
Earthquake Hazards Committee of the
Governor's Task Force on Earthquake
Preparedness in the mid-1980s, Davis
introduced the concept of earthquake
scenarios portraying damage to lifelines
and critical facilities associated with
plausible future earthquakes in urban
areas.
Over the years, Davis
has served on many national science
policy committees. He is author of and
co-author of numerous papers and
abstracts on seismic policy issues. He
undertook the implementation of the
Surface Mining and Reclamation Act in
1978, helping to design the means of
classifying mineral resources in areas
of competing land uses. He also oversaw
the establishment of mined land
reclamation standards and the state
review of reclamation plans.
Davis’ main focus in
recent years has been on risk
communication – helping the lay
community understand the need to be
prepared for catastrophic earthquakes.
Asked about the
highlights of his tenure as State
Geologist, Davis said: “I think we have
an excellent staff, dedicated and
capable of significant contributions
toward understanding the geology of the
state and using that understanding for
public benefit. Additionally, I feel
that California has been in the lead in
many important areas. The Alquist-Priolo
Active Earthquake Fault Program, the
Seismic Hazards Mapping Program and the
Strong Motion Instrumentation Program
are pioneer programs. The latter two
were established with
special funds, developed from building
permit fees, which was an innovative
idea.”
Even in retirement,
Davis will stay involved in a number of
organizations, such as the American
Geophysical Union, the Geological
Society of America, the American
Geological Institute, and the Consortium
of Organizations for Strong-Motion
Observation Systems, of which he is
president.
“I hope to remain
professionally active, serving on
several committees and perhaps do some
writing,” Davis said.
Davis believes the
key to his success has been an
open-minded approach to change and a
willingness to keep learning.
“Among the many
things I’ve learned over the course of
my career,” he said, “is that it’s
important to have an ethical and
intellectual interest and compulsion to
see that science is wisely applied in
public policy.”
Supervising Geologist
Michael Reichle is serving as the lead
on the California Geological Survey’s
transition team during the search for a
new State Geologist.
In addition to
studying and mapping earthquakes,
landslides and mineral resources, the
Department of Conservation administers
programs to safeguard agricultural and
open-space land; regulates oil, gas and
geothermal wells in the state;
administers and promotes the state's
beverage container recycling program;
and ensures reclamation of land used for
mining.
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