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  • July

    Ellen Smith, gym and wellness teacher at Gove Elementary School in Belle Glade, Florida welcomes Bobber the Water Safety Dog to her class.

    Corps water safety volunteers save lives

    This is the first year Bill and Jamie Wagner have volunteered in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ water safety program, but they put on a show that leaves a lasting impression.
  • Water flows from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee River at the Moore Haven lock and dam. Flows during 2014 have been much closer to normal following heavy precipitation at the beginning of the 2013 wet season.

    Water managers prepare for wet season

    An early start to the wet season in 2013 kept the lake from dropping below 13 feet – its lowest point last year was 13.29 feet on May 27. The loss of water storage capacity became evident when the lake started rising, and the district was left with little choice but to discharge the water in case a tropical system developed that would result in additional heavy rains.

  • Congress authorizes eight Jacksonville District projects

    Eight U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District projects that will provide critical infrastructure to local ports and ecosystem restoration efforts in Florida received approval as part of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) of 2014, which was signed by President Barack Obama June 10.
  • The Florida II in port, as it awaits another mission.

    Florida II provides capability to perform important archaeological research

    The Florida II is a survey vessel, but it has the capability to provide much more information than just water depth. The design specifications and specialized equipment it carries make it possible to do many different types of surveys, and suitable for underwater archaeological research.
  • Acropora cervicornis (staghorn coral, an endangered species), relocated by CSA Ocean Sciences, Inc. scientific divers, seems to be adjusting. GPS coordinates will guide monitors directly to the relocation sites.

    Corps makes good progress on Miami Harbor project

    Progress is moving swiftly with the Miami Harbor deepening and widening project, including the successful construction of artificial reefs and relocation of about 1,000 healthy corals.

  • June

    Eight Jacksonville District projects received congressional authorization June 10.

    Eight Jacksonville District projects receive congressional authorization

    Eight U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District projects that will provide critical infrastructure to local ports and ecosystem restoration efforts in Florida received approval as part of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) of 2014, which was signed into law June 10.
  • Debbie Wegmann, chief of Regulatory Division’s Special Projects and Enforcement Branch, discusses mitigation banking at a two-day workshop in Jacksonville, hosted by the Florida Association of Mitigation Banking.

    Regulatory Division introduces new mitigation bank tools

    At a workshop hosted by the Florida Association of Mitigation Banking (FAMB) workshop, held April 24-25 in Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville District’s Regulatory Division provided information and introduced new Prospectus and Mitigation Banking Instrument (MBI) templates to nearly 50 banking representatives in attendance.
  • The Atlantic Beach Hotel and pier were devastated by the impacts of Hurricane Dora. The storm lingered off the Atlantic coast for nearly 24 hours, allowing winds to drive the storm surge to a point 10 feet above normal tide.

    Dora: A look back

    Finally, on Sept. 10, 1964, Hurricane Dora roared ashore, causing widespread damage in Jacksonville and becoming the only hurricane to strike northeast Florida in the 20th century.

  • District responds following Florida Panhandle storms

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District initiated emergency permitting procedures in response to conditions resulting from the April 2014 storm that affected the Florida Panhandle. The emergency permitting procedures will be in effect through October 2014.
  • As her school bus arrives at a project site at Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico, a first grade student from Antilles Elementary School views the solar panels that were installed by Fort Buchanan’s Environmental Division as an alternative energy source.

    Antilles students learn about harnessing nature’s power

    Antilles Elementary School students at Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico had the unique opportunity to make an up-close-and-personal visit to local U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project sites, in a follow up activity to a recent classroom presentation by members of the Antilles team (please see page 3 of the May issue of JaxStrong for more on the classroom presentation). The April 22 field trip was the second phase of a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) initiative, co-sponsored by Jacksonville District and the Department of Defense Education Activity, to encourage students to pursue education and eventual careers in those fields.
  • Mark Claudio serves the nation as a lock operator and the “face of the Corps” at the St. Lucie Lock and Dam on the Okeechobee Waterway.

    Corps team members live the Army Values

    One man grew up in a small town in Virginia and the other was raised near New York City. Despite the differences in their backgrounds, they became men of remarkably similar character. Each embodies the all-encompassing Army value of honor. Many say they live all of the Army values – loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage every day.
  • Jacksonville District’s Haiti Feeder Rural Road team performed a site assessment for Mahotiere Road, in the Kenscoff region of Haiti, outside Port-au-Prince. Pictured left to right are Tony Smith, Edwin Cuebas, Pierre Massena, Stephen Meyer, Crystal Markley and Edgardo Velez.

    Corps of Engineers takes the road less traveled to assist in rebuilding Haiti

    USAID called on the expertise of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, to assist in rehabilitating and improving more than 150 kilometers of rural roads in Haiti. Poorly designed, constructed and maintained feeder rural roads (FRR) are a major constraint to agriculture development in Haiti. High transport costs and significant spoilage due to the poor condition of roads in Haiti have reduced competitiveness in domestic and regional markets.
  • Hurricane Charley caused widespread damage to homes and businesses in southwest Florida when it came ashore near Port Charlotte on Friday, August 13, 2004.Charley was one of four hurricanes that hit the state that year.

    Jacksonville District prepares for hurricane season

    Although some people living in Florida may have forgotten how to prepare, Stormant and his assistant, Logan Wilkinson, have been putting in extra hours in preparation for the 2014 hurricane season. They’ve been educating state and local officials about the Army Corps of Engineers’ emergency capabilities and learning about scenarios where assistance might be requested.

  • May

    Capt. J.C. Cordon, deputy commander for the Antilles, was impressed by the questions asked by first grade students when he and fellow team members participated in an April 10 Science, Technology, Engineering and Math(STEM) event at the Antilles Elementary School, Fort Buchanan, Puerto Rico.

    Antilles team reaches out to elementary school students

    Inquisitive minds, vivid imaginations and lofty goals greeted members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Antilles Office when they visited the Antilles Elementary School at Fort Buchanan April 10. The team, along with Dr. Jorge F. Bauza-Ortega from the San Juan Bay Estuary Program, partnered with the Department of Defense Education Activity to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
  • The new survey vessel SB-48 goes through some tests in advance of its delivery to Jacksonville District. The boat replaced a 25-year-old vessel in the fleet, and will perform primarily near-shore and inland surveying missions in Florida.

    New survey boat arrives in Jacksonville District

    The modernization of Jacksonville District’s fleet of survey boats continues with the arrival of its newest vessel.
  • The U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal team conducted a blow-in-place to dispose of a 100-pound munition found by a snorkeler in Flamenco Bay on the island of Culebra, Puerto Rico.

    Munitions item found at Culebra one week before spring break

    One week before hundreds of spring break tourists were due to arrive at Flamenco Beach on the island
  • Tim Brown, an engineer with the Jacksonville District, was in Afghanistan when a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti. In October 2013, Brown went to Haiti to initiate Jacksonville District’s technical assistance to USAID/Haiti program.

    Employees put others before themselves, at home and abroad

    When a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the country of Haiti in January 2010, Tim Brown was moved by the catastrophic event even though he was half a world away, in Kabul, Afghanistan.
  • Jason Harrah, Jacksonville Harbor project manager, shows Mayport Elementary Coastal Sciences Academy fifth graders examples of projects that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has built across the country.

    Fifth grade students take on Jax Port deepening debate

    Mayport Elementary Coastal Sciences Academy fifth graders are studying the Jax Port “dredging debate” and recently invited the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District to present its case. The kindergarten through fifth grade academy teaches students the importance of preserving habitats and ecosystems through resources conservation.
  • Col. Dodd

    CEPP may have hit speedbump but is far from dead

    April 30, 2014Last week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Review Board (CWRB) decided to

  • April

    Volunteers, including students from Sandalwood High School, harvested air potatoes that had fallen to the ground during the winter in 2014.

    8th Annual Air Potato Roundup raises awareness about invasive species

    Volunteers observed National Invasive Species Awareness Week in a “hands-on” way, by participating in the 8th Annual Air Potato Roundup March 1, hosted by the First Coast Invasive Working Group.