ATLANTA - Mary Elfner starts work today as first water conservation coordinator. <br>
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Her new job is to figure out how to get people statewide to save water. Her most recent job was as executive director of a land conservation group in Savannah. <br>
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State Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Lonice Barrett has known Elfner for 15 years and was impressed with her work in Savannah. <br>
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The new position pays 55-thousand dollars a year. <br>
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The 41-year-old Elfner has a master's degree in environmental policy and wildlife biology from the University of Georgia. She also has bachelor's degrees in environmental science and chemistry. <br>
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Elfner also has worked as a biologist for the U-S Fish and Wildlife Service, researching threatened and endangered species at Forts Benning and Stewart. <br>
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Elfner says her first efforts will be in communities that want to build water reservoirs. <br>
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