Mike McShane, an advocate for protection of ecologically important land through easements, has been appointed by Gov. Mark Sanford as chairman of the S.C. Natural Resources Board.

The seven-member board sets policy for the Department of Natural Resources. McShane takes over the chairmanship from former Wofford president Joab Lesesne.

"Mike McShane has an immense amount of personal capacity and institutional knowledge on quality-of-life issues in South Carolina," Sanford spokesman Will Folks said. "His perspective has been and will continue to be invaluable to the governor in taking a fresh look at DNR's mission."

McShane, a 43-year-old Johns Island resident, is chairman of the board of the Lowcountry Open Land Trust and has worked with Ducks Unlimited, the ACE Basin Initiative and the Governor's Quality of Life Task Force. His family owns the Nemours Plantation on the Combahee River in Beaufort County. His father-in-law, Eugene DuPont, not only protected the land from development, but also funded a foundation that supports scientific study on the land.

Sanford earlier named three other members of the Natural Resources board -- Stephen Davis of Greenwood, Michael Campbell of Columbia and T. Smith Ragsdale of Georgetown.

Sanford hasn't replaced three other board members appointed by Gov. Jim Hodges -- Lesesne, Douglas Rucker of Lancaster and Malloy McEachin of Florence. Folks said the governor is reviewing candidates for those positions, but it's unclear whether they could be in place before Friday's scheduled board meeting.