• September

    Operation Warfighter Program benefits local Soldier, Jacksonville District

    A 15-month deployment, especially a first deployment, does not typically involve tours in three
  • August

    Independence Day on the Okeechobee Waterway

    The W.P. Franklin South Recreation Area in Alva was a popular destination on the July 4th weekend, receiving more than 2,000 visitors. The swim beach provided a welcome place for families to splash, play and stay cool.
  • South American lizards slither into south Florida

    Hailing from South America, the tegu, an exotic lizard, has made its way into the Sunshine State and is now considered to be established in the south Florida region.
  • Real estate plays important role in civil works and military projects

    More than a decade after leaving Jacksonville District as a realty specialist to assume an 18-month tour with the Installation Management Agency, Europe, Audrey Ormerod has come full circle, returning to the district as the Real Estate Division chief.
  • Unmanned Aircraft Systems working group examines capabilities, future opportunities

    A group of leaders from the University of Central Florida, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, University of Florida, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), Space Florida and the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) gathered June 24 to discuss the possibility of using unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) around the Cape Canaveral area.
  • Motorboat Operator training provides certification and skills needed to perform a wide range of duties

    In May and June, the South Florida Operations Office hosted a 32-hour motorboat licensing course and two 8-hour refresher courses at the W.P. Franklin Lock Recreation Area on the Okeechobee Waterway. Thirteen Jacksonville District employees participated in the program, designed to ensure that operators are adequately trained, properly tested and licensed prior to the official operation of any Corps boat or vessel less than 26 feet in length.
  • It’s a girl! Kitten born to rescued and released Florida panther

    In September 2011, a pair of orphaned five-month-old Florida panther kittens was rescued by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) biologists, after their mother was found dead. Too young to survive on their own, they were raised in captivity at White Oak Plantation in Yulee, Fla., with the goal of one day releasing them back into the wild.
  • District supports local STEM initiative

    In an effort to pique the interest of middle school students toward science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines, Jacksonville District partnered with Mentoring Families and Kids, Inc., (MFK) at the Second Annual STEM Camp, held at the University of North Florida, June 28.
  • Portugués Dam nears completion

    Despite the threat from Tropical Storm Chantal, more than 30 residents from Ponce, Puerto Rico and surrounding areas attended a meeting July 9 to learn more about Jacksonville District’s Portugués Dam, which is nearing completion after several years of design and construction.
  • Port studies reach critical milestones

    Two major milestones have been met, with the release of the draft tentatively selected plan for the Jacksonville Harbor Deepening Study and the Port Everglades Feasibility Study.
  • Obama stresses importance of ports during visit to Jacksonville

    Addressing a standing-room-only audience at JAXPORT July 25, President Barack Obama stressed the importance of maintaining the nation’s ports and aging infrastructure. Hundreds gathered to hear Obama’s plan for moving the economy forward, starting with passing legislation to authorize two local port projects that would put people back to work in Jacksonville. “In a couple of years, new supertankers are going to start coming through the Panama Canal,” said Obama. “We want those supertankers to come here, to Jacksonville.”
  • July

    New survey vessel brings enhanced capability to support district missions

    The Florida II is a 62-foot aluminum hydrofoil-assisted catamaran hydrographic survey vessel that was built to Corps specifications by All American Marine and commissioned in February 2013. The
  • Lionfish continue to populate, pose threats to coral reefs

    Their dorsal spines and zebra-like bodies may draw one in for a closer look. Commonly used in aquariums for show, the invasive lionfish has made its way from the South Pacific and Indian Oceans to the east coast. In the past decade, they’ve been rapidly expanding from Florida to North Carolina, as well as the Caribbean.
  • District celebrates 19 years of Interagency and International Services support

    Staff gathered Thursday, June 6, to celebrate the 19th birthday of Jacksonville District’s Interagency and International Services (IIS) program. Joining the celebration were two former employees who were instrumental to the program’s creation.
  • Making people’s lives better: engineer donates time and talents to help others

    With about 12,000 members, Engineers Without Borders-USA (EWB-USA) currently works on more than 350 projects in 45 developing countries to improve the lives of millions of people around the world.
  • Jacksonville District prepares for potential emergency

    The exercise tested the COOP plan, which identifies critical actions that must continue in the event the district’s headquarters building was no longer inhabitable because of fire, flood or some other event.
  • Regulatory’s Caitlin Hoch and team headed to national competition

    Tampa Regulatory Office’s newest environmental engineer Caitlin Hoch has already added a pretty impressive credential to her resume. The recent University of South Florida graduate and her student design team, EMC Magnitude Design, Inc. took first place in a recent competition sponsored by the Florida Water Environment Association, beating 10 other teams from seven state universities. They will advance to represent the state in the national competition at the Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference this fall.
  • June

    Laurel wilt – a possible threat to Everglades restoration

    First discovered in 2005 in Duval County, laurel wilt disease has since spread south and is covering a vast section of Tamiami Trail, potentially threatening the Everglades. The disease, caused by a fungus transmitted by the invasive redbay ambrosia beetle, kills avocado and other trees in the laurel family
  • Archaeologists help preserve the past, link to the future

    Archaeological evidence shows that the area that we now know as Florida has been occupied by man since around 12,000 B.C. Known as Paleo-indians, these inhabitants lived off of available plants and animals, including mega-fauna such as the mastodon or the 12-foot-tall giant ground sloth that once roamed Florida. Over time, Florida slowly evolved into what we see today, with climate and sea levels becoming more stabilized.
  • Emergency Management Branch prepares for hurricane season

    Continuing to operate in the aftermath of a major storm will be the focus of an exercise the district is conducting with its leaders June 4. The continuity of operations, or COOP exercise, allows the district to review its plan for conducting its most crucial tasks after it loses a critical facility, such as its main office.